spin-off to "midwifery programs??"-AAMI and apprenticeship (pamamidwife maybe?)

[mamato3cherubs]

OK, i type this all out and tried twice to post this last night, guess it wasn't meant to be.
I am very serious about pursuing midwifery. This is something I have been looking at for a few years now and am now starting to see it as a future plan. I am still about two years away from being in a position where i can start some training, but the last two years has gone so fast I cant just let it slip by without trying to figure something out, how to attack the whole thing.

I have decided that I want to go with AAMI for several reasons. I know these types of questions are posted here often, but i just haven't gotten the answers I'm looking for so here i am to bug you all again.

I am wondering about apprenticeship. It looks to me like the program can be completed prior to beginning an apprenticeship. do midwives that are taking on apprentices prefer this? or should the training be started at some point during the coursework?

I live in a small town, about an hour from the nearest real source of homebirth resources. if that makes sense. even then, i don't think there is much opportunity for apprenticing in that area either. I really am not too sure where to start in figuring that out.
I guess I'm scared of getting my heart so much farther into this and not being able to go anywhere with it. I need some one to tell me its not a waste of time. I don't see myself being able to really relocate for quite some time as my children's father is here and custody issues prevent that. I want a good and thorough education and training, but would also like to end up in this area i think due to the fact that it is so desperately needed here. there are really no choices in my area at all.

OK, anyone who read my book, thanks. Any info would be great, or even point me in the direction to where i can get more. much appreciated!

[pamamidwife]

I think it's good to have some book knowledge before starting an apprenticeship. Some midwives might feel differently, but IMO, I would rather not teach a ton of background and basic information.

re: apprenticeship, it really depends on when and where you're ready to start. Living in Salem I get a steady number of requests for apprenticeship opportunities from all over the west coast. I would imagine that midwives living in larger cities would get more requests. Sometimes midwives in smaller communities have fewer inquiries about apprenticeship and may actually have more opportunities.

I think that it all depends upon how much you're willing to put into it. There's another factor, too, of possibly studying for quite awhile until you're ready to make bigger changes to accomplish what you're desiring. I believe that when you're called to be a midwife things will work out to assist you in that path. It isn't always a linear path that will get you there in so many years - often it is winding and unexpected. The journey of becoming a midwife is extremely important - just let it unfold as it should.

[MamaRabbit]

I'm now with AAMI. I live overseas where there are NO apprenticeship opportunities. I plan on doing all of the bookwork, studying, etc first and hope for an apprenticeship during a 1-year sabbatical my husband gets in a few years. (I'm networking trying to line one up)

Do I wish it was this way? Not really. I"d like to have the hands-on, clinical stuff at some point during my studies to I have some context to put in, but at this point, it's not meant to be.

I think if you go ahead and start studying, when the time is right, the apprenticeship will happen.

[mousebandit]

I'm an AAMI student too, (and a small town SW Oregon girl), and I've seen case after case where there was no apprenticeship in sight initially, and then when the timing was right, BOOM - there it was! And, when the time comes for you, I doubt you'll need to relocate to the town an hour away (unless it's a really bad-weather-travel area in the mtns or something). I'm a long way away from apprenticing, and I'll be looking at an hour commute to the "city", but the few times I've brought it up, it's just been no big deal at all. In our town, everyone has to drive to the next bigger town every day for work or shopping or whatever anyways - it's just not a big deal around here. (I suppose if your next biggest town is a city, folks there may be more weirded out about an hour drive, though.)

I would totally encourage you to start your coursework NOW, and let the apprenticeship work itself out when the time comes! I'll bet that you find that things just drop into place when the time is right!

Tracey Mouse

[MidwifeErika]

I started AAMI in 2006 and at the time had no apprenticeship lined up. Infact, that was one of the reasons I went with AAMI is that it could be completed seperately from an apprenticeship and I didn't know when I would find one. I think it is great for you to get some of your education done before you begin to apprentice... I sometimes wish I would have gotten more done first... especially the terminology part!

In 2007 we moved for my husband's work and I spoke to a friend of a friend who is a midwife. I asked about an apprenticeship, but she already had one so she gave me the name of another midwife. I called and found that she and her partner didn't have an apprentice and they were open to meeting me. I met with both of them and have now been apprenticing with them for a year. They told me later that one of the biggest reasons they took me on was the fact that I had already started a program. It showed them that I was serious about midwifery and I was self motivated in this goal.... I would expect them to feed me everything on a spoon.

I would go ahead and start the program and get involved in birth in whatever ways you can for now. The thing about midwifery is that no matter how long it takes to get to practicing, you have never wasted your time.

[kittywitty]

This is something I have to consider, too. I live in IL and when we move, I don't know *any* midwives in the area who I could apprentice with as they all seem to be CNMs in the hospital.

[mamato3cherubs]

thanks everyone for your replies. I have no inttentions on trying to start an apprenticeship before or at the same time, i was thinking more like 2 years into the program. Sounds like im on the right track then.

I wont stress over it, and I will just concentrate on getting set up to start with AAMI and let it run its course! Im excited really.