midwifery education update

[cali4niachef]

most of you know i am pursuing the path of becoming a midwife. i've been trying to get my GI BILL (military education funding) approved for a CPM distance learnig program. unfortunately more than likely it seems it may not happen. i'm definitely bummed about it.

so now i wil have to go the CNM route. bah! nevertheless i will let NOTHING stop me from becoming a midwife and remaining holistic and authentic to midwifery profession. nothing.

i've turned in an application to a community college for the nursing program and i meet with a counselor on Monday. i am going to sign up for fall. i've decided for the 1yrs nursing exp. required for Frontier i am going to be a post-partum VNA(visiting nurse) doing home visits. also hopefully attend some home births doing newborn exams with a local CPM in my area, she does breech, twins and vbacs! just the fact that i could be there to observe birth and soak in her wisdom and experience will be awesome!

one neat thing comes to mind. when i am in the nursing program with other students i can advocate for midwifery and normal birth...at every chance i get. i plan to spread the word and dispel as many myths as much as possible, challenge others, write papers about it, etc. that should be fun!

as a CNM i plan to open my own birth center or do home births.

i am always so good at causing waves )

[olive&pimiento]

Good luck Cali
I think it's interesting how this calling of midwifery puts us all on different paths toward the same ultimate goal. For instance, you never know what sort of doors the CNM route will open for you, that you would be unable to pass through with a CPM. I am finishing up my CPM program now, and would really like to go back for a CNM in the future. I think that someday I might want a great adventure catching babies on another continent, or opening a birthing center for women who can't afford the high cost of homebirth in our area.
Also, have you looked into MEAC accredited programs? I find it hard to believe the GI bill wouldn't cover a program that offers a associates degree when finished.

[MidwifeErika]

You might want to look at a few more programs to see if GI Bill would cover.... especially if they are MEAC. I mean, I was able to get my GI Bill to cover my herbalism training! I have heard that GI Bill will cover the CPM exam, so that is something as well. I have a bit of GI Bill to use up myself and I think I will get it to pay for my exam and then finish up a BS degree so that in the future I could do CNM, if I wanted to.

[cali4niachef]

Originally Posted by olive&pimiento

Good luck Cali
I think it's interesting how this calling of midwifery puts us all on different paths toward the same ultimate goal. For instance, you never know what sort of doors the CNM route will open for you, that you would be unable to pass through with a CPM. I am finishing up my CPM program now, and would really like to go back for a CNM in the future. I think that someday I might want a great adventure catching babies on another continent, or opening a birthing center for women who can't afford the high cost of homebirth in our area.
Also, have you looked into MEAC accredited programs? I find it hard to believe the GI bill wouldn't cover a program that offers a associates degree when finished.

i have looked into MEAC accredited programs exhaustively. not one distance learning program is covered. i've called the state in which they are based in and have spoken to a VA education approving officers and all that junk. even though they MEAC is approved by the DOE they still can't qualify for title IV funding (loans, scholarships, etc), which plays a big part in being approved for the GI BIll. it sucks.

[cali4niachef]

Originally Posted by olive&pimiento

Good luck Cali
I think it's interesting how this calling of midwifery puts us all on different paths toward the same ultimate goal. For instance, you never know what sort of doors the CNM route will open for you, that you would be unable to pass through with a CPM. I am finishing up my CPM program now, and would really like to go back for a CNM in the future. I think that someday I might want a great adventure catching babies on another continent, or opening a birthing center for women who can't afford the high cost of homebirth in our area.
Also, have you looked into MEAC accredited programs? I find it hard to believe the GI bill wouldn't cover a program that offers a associates degree when finished.

i have looked into MEAC accredited programs exhaustively. not one distance learning program is covered. i've called the state in which they are based in and have spoken to a VA education approving officers and all that junk. even though they MEAC is approved by the DOE they still can't qualify for title IV funding (loans, scholarships, etc), which plays a big part in being approved for the GI BIll. it sucks.

i hoping that, if need be, having a masters in nurse-midwifery will give me leverage in helping to change laws and bills in the state of Delaware.

[cali4niachef]

Originally Posted by hotwings640

You might want to look at a few more programs to see if GI Bill would cover.... especially if they are MEAC. I mean, I was able to get my GI Bill to cover my herbalism training! I have heard that GI Bill will cover the CPM exam, so that is something as well. I have a bit of GI Bill to use up myself and I think I will get it to pay for my exam and then finish up a BS degree so that in the future I could do CNM, if I wanted to.

they will pay for the NARM exam but not MEAC distance learning vocational schools. one or two MEAC programs through universites have been approved for GI Bill funding but they are not distance learning.

[MidwifeErika]

Well, that stinks! I knew it covered Birthingway (which isn't distance) because I had looked into going there. Too bad there aren't more distance programs covered. Well, there is certainly nothing wrong with going the CNM route either! I hope you enjoy school!!

[cali4niachef]

yesterday i had an admission interview for the nursing program at the community college. i found it have to take 3 classes to sit for the NLN exam to see if i qualify for a clinical set on the waiting list, which is 2-3 semesters long. then i have to take an additional 5 classes (PT over 2 semesters) prior to taking my nursing core classes.

so i would take 1 class online this summer. 2 classes during fall, 2-3 during winter and spring sessions. some are online and distributed learning courses. the core nursing classes are 6 semesters PT.

this is incredibly frustrating and discouraging. mainly that i would have to put so much damn effort into being a nurse to become a midwife. it would take 2-3yrs to get my associates in nursing and i already have an associates degree and some additional college classes.

then i need a year of nursing experience for Frontier and then it would take 3yrs at Frontier ($32K).

i want to be a midwife NOT a nurse.

there HAS got to be a shorter and less costly way to becoming a midwife and that i would still be able to use my GI Bill for!

ARGH!