Apprenticeship as a path to Midwifery: Questions

[isis_selene]

I’m at college in Portland right now, but I’m planning to drop out at the semester, move back to the SF Bay Area, and start training to become a midwife (surprise surprise). My decision to leave school is complicated, but it definitely has to do with my dissatisfaction with the education system as a whole. For this reason, I’ve decided that I would rather do my training primarily as an apprentice, and supplement this learning with some classes in a distance program like the National Midwifery Institute. I do want to be liscenced in CA as a midwife; I plan on taking one of those Challenge Program thingies once I’ve completed my training. I'm not really interested in what's the easiest, cheapest, or quickest way to train to become a midwife, but rather what would be the most rewarding for me. I really want to be sure that this is the right path for me, and I believe the best way for me to know that is to do my training primarily through an apprenticeship, rather than through a school program. I realize that this is not the conventional way of doing things, but I think it will work for me, if I can find a midwife who's willing to take me (and my crazy scheme) on. I’m planning on going to the Bay Area Homebirth Collective’s “Meet the Midwives” event next Saturday in the hopes of making some contacts, getting some more information, maybe even finding someone to take me on as an apprentice! I still have some questions about how apprenticeship works and what-have-you…

1) I’ve heard that some apprentices receive a stipend (presumably from their school?) or are even paid later on in their apprenticeship, but I’ve also heard that apprentices are expected to pay their preceptors. I am confused, and I really don’t want to offend anybody. Does anyone know the general policy, say, in the Bay Area? Or any suggestions as to how to approach this touchy subject of money, particularly with such a long-term apprenticeship?

2) Are there any classes I should just sign up for right off the bat? What kinds of knowledge will I be expected to come into an apprenticeship with? Midwifery Today obviously recommends that I buy their book, Paths to Becoming a Midwife: Getting an Education; I’ve also had Anne Frye's Holistic Midwifery books recommended to me.

3) I’m going to be trying to pay off my college debts while doing this apprenticeship. Is it possible to hold a part-time job and be an apprentice midwife? How does that work, are you expected to be on-call?

4) Just how crazy is this scheme? I’ve met with a lot of skepticism, but I haven’t gotten any solid reasons as to why it won’t work. It seems pretty straightforward to me, but I’d like to understand better where these skeptics are coming from.

I’m sure a lot of these questions really vary from case to case, but I’m eager to have some idea of what I can expect, so personal stories would be extremely helpful, along with any other advice. Thanks!

[MidwifeErika]

Hi! I will answer what I can.

1. Yes, some midwives pay their apprentices once they get to a certain point and yes, some apprentices pay their midwives for the experience. Some have no exchange of money at all going either way. I would talk to the midwives and just see what their arrangements are.

2. I would take a neonatal resuscitation course right off the bat and adult CPR. Those will put you in a better position to start apprenticing.

3. A job would work with an apprenticeship if it is a job that you can leave whenever you need or not show up to if there is a birth. Those jobs are hard to find. Anything that allows for you to make your own schedule.

4. I don't think it is that crazy at all. I am doing a distance learning (AAMI) and apprenticing.

[Midwife Kris]

Originally Posted by isis_selene

I do want to be liscenced in CA as a midwife; I plan on taking one of those Challenge Program thingies once I’ve completed my training.

If you do a MEAC accredited school you will not have to do one of those challenge thingies The challenge is for women currently licensed elsewhere or CPMs elsewhere who are not also MEAC grads. NMI is a MEAC school. I graduated from National College of Midwifery, took the NARM exam and then applied for a license in California after NCM and NARM notified CA I was in fact holder of those degrees/credentials.

It's a common misconception that when you do a school program you are not doing an apprenticeship. They go hand and hand.

[isis_selene]

I got the impression that, as an NMI student, I would be doing two years of just classes and then one year of apprenticeship. Is this untrue?

I understand that an apprenticeship is always a part of a student midwife's education--I would be worried if that were not true! However, I would rather gain the knowledge and experience I needed to qualify for and pass the NARM exam primarily through an apprenticeship, rather than through a school program, and just take the challenge exam to cover the whole credentials issue. I really don't want to take classes for two years and then discover, once I start apprenticing, that I haven't got the stomach or the patience or the cool head for the job. I still don't see the advantage of learning things from a distance program rather than learning things from assisting a working midwife, except for being prepared for certain emergency situations, which would be where the supplemental classes/readings came in.

Don't mean to sound snippy, but I'm getting fed up with this attitude that people need an institution to accomplish things.

[mamato3cherubs]

I am not able to provide answers to your questions, jsut wanted to say that your ideas are not crazy to me at all. How does everyone think midwives trained for the last how ever many hundreds or more years?

[Midwife Kris]

Originally Posted by isis_selene

I got the impression that, as an NMI student, I would be doing two years of just classes and then one year of apprenticeship. Is this untrue?

'Dunno about NMI. I didn't go there. All I know is that it is MEAC accredited and therefore is part of a different route than the Challenge route, which is overkill (like NARM x2 as I understood it from Shannon Anton) and unbelievably expensive.

However, I would rather gain the knowledge and experience I needed to qualify for and pass the NARM exam primarily through an apprenticeship, rather than through a school program, and just take the challenge exam to cover the whole credentials issue.

You certainly can do that and hopefully you will find a preceptor who is talented and can give you the academic education you need.

I really don't want to take classes for two years and then discover, once I start apprenticing, that I haven't got the stomach or the patience or the cool head for the job.

Then why don't you volunteer as a birth assistant for a year to a midwife and find out this first? I don't know many midwives who would jump at the opportunity to give you an apprenticeship so you can test the waters before you take the big plunge.

I still don't see the advantage of learning things from a distance program rather than learning things from assisting a working midwife, except for being prepared for certain emergency situations, which would be where the supplemental classes/readings came in.

I'm not sure what you think a "program" is. Your preceptor can't teach you every detail of everything you need to know. Even "programs" like AAMI give you that minutiae that you are expected to know.

Don't mean to sound snippy, but I'm getting fed up with this attitude that people need an institution to accomplish things.

Get used to being fed up. You might be a midwife yet

[isis_selene]

I've heard the complaint that the challenge program is unbelievably expensive, but tuition at NMI amounts to $12,000, and the challenge program is only $5,000. While that does seem like a lot of money to take a test, it's less than half what I'd pay to take all those classes. Of course, I'm operating under the assumption that I wouldn't be paying my preceptor more than $7,000. This may be my big mistake, but I guess I won't really know until I talk to some midwives in my area.

As to it being overkill, did Shannon mean twice the experience needed for the NARM or is it twice as hard a test? The experience needed for the NMI Challenge is almost identical to that needed for the NARM exam, but I don't know about the difficulty of the exam itself.

What would be the difference between volunteering as a birth assistant and apprenticing? I can get behind the idea as it stands, but it seems to me like I'd be doing the same thing for the first few weeks or so anyway. It's possible that I should just approach the issue that way ("I'm interested in becoming a midwife, but I've never witnessed a birth and I'd like to have a better idea of what it's like. If you can use me I'd love to volunteer as a birth assistant."), but it seems rather roundabout to me. It's not as though I'm very worried that I'll find the job too gross or stressful or whatever; it just seems stupid to think I'll be able to figure that out from classes.

Thank you for the advice!

[Lynnette]

Life and midwifery consists of bookwork learning and practical experience. It is impossible to be a good, informed, safe midwife if you don't study. It is presumptuous to think that a midwife/preceptor is going to fall all over you with joy when you tell her you want to be a midwife and just want her to teach you everything. I wouldn't take on that kind of apprentice. I have enough responsibility on my shoulders and cannot hold the hand of my student as well. My student has to be a self starter, self motivated, smart, as well as patient, submissive (in the appropriate way), emotionally stable, and humble. Only because a midwife has to be all of those things and more.

If I were in CA, I would do the school. Becoming a midwife is not easy or cheap. If you have to work, it will take longer to get what you need. Persistence is important. Don't expect it all to happen tomorrow.

There is a difference in an assistant and an apprentice- ask local midwives what their perception of that is.

One who has been around the block,
Lynnette

[zoebird]

i think that you can find what you're looking for.

do i get the situation right, though?

1. you want to apprentice;
2. you want to study independently, relying on your preceptor to be your primary teacher, as well as take whatever classes would interest you but not a full program;
3. in your state (CA), you can take a $5,000 test to become licensed, and that test doesn't require that you have graduated from a specific school, etc.

am i right about this?

i think that you will be able to find the right person for this sort of work. i prefer to learn without classrooms and to study independently. i prefer to apprentice as a part of my learning.

i think the main thing is to be clear about what you want, ask around. when a midwife tells you that it's possible or a good way to go, then that will be the right person with whom to apprentice.

if you strike out completely, then you may have to rethink your game plan.

and beyond this, if you do strike out, i would still suggest becoming a volunteer birth attendent. that seems like a great way to see if this is something that you "really" want to do. if you discover that you don't want to do it after attending a few births, then you haven't invested anyone's time or energy into the process of becoming a midwife.

if you discover that you do want to do it, you'll also have a better sense of what you want to know, and how to get that knowledge!

good luck!

[isis_selene]

Yes! That is exactly my plan. I am trying to get a feel for the way things work, particularly with regards to terminology and how to phrase things. As evidenced by some of the reactions I've gotten, I really need to be clear about my intentions or I'll look either uninformed or presumptuous (and potentially offend people) :P I found a doula workshop happening in my area in January that I'm planning on attending, and I'm also planning on taking an Adult/Infant CPR course as soon as I can once I move back home. I of course assumed that there would be a lot of study involved, but I'd like to do a minimal amount of that in a classroom setting. I don't expect a preceptor to teach me everything without doing any reading or studying on my own. I will have to be more clear about this distinction in the future.

I still am unclear on how one goes about volunteering as a birth attendant. I assume it really varies from area to area/midwife to midwife, but a little clarification would not go amiss, nonetheless. Again, thanks to everyone for the advice and input!