|
|
| *Ostroff, Fair and Company>>>Health Care |
How do i become a Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM)? |
I am a senior in high school and I would like to know what would be the next steps from here. Certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) are registered nurses who are also certified. To become certified, they must graduate from a nurse-midwifery program accredited by the American College of Nurse Midwives, and pass a national certification exam. CNMs are educated in both nursing and midwifery and can practice anywhere in the U.S. In contrast, Direct-Entry Midwives (also called Lay, Licensed, or Professional Midwives) practice midwifery, but they are not registered nurses, and are not certified. You can find a list of Direct-Entry Midwife schools at the Natural Healers web site. The American College of Nurse Midwives does offer a Certified Midwife (CM) designation for Lay Midwives who graduate from a midwifery school accredited by the ACNM, and pass a certification exam. The CM designation is for lay midwives who want to show that they practice midwifery at an accredited standard. National certification is required in some states for licensed CNMs to practice. ACNM rules state that only graduates of ACNM accredited programs are eligible to take the certification exams for CNMs. All CNMs must pass the national board exams, which are given four times each year around the country. Requirements vary by school, but for most programs you'll need: * Bachelor's degree, (although it is not always required that it be in nursing) * A current license to practice as a registered nurse in one of the 50 states * One to two years nursing experience * A minimum GPA of 3.0. Nicole gave a very thorough answer, but I wanted to add that there are not a vast abundance of colleges that offer a track for CNM. What ones do exist have very few spots each year, and it is highly competative to get into a midwifery program. So while most schools will have a minimum requirement of a 3.0 GPA and 2 years of experience in the field (usually L&D or antepartum), the better GPA you have and the more experience you have under your belt, the better off you'll be. Also, get involved in professional organizations early on in your career in nursing. AWHONN, ANA, etc. Schools like to see that you're dedicated to what you're doing, and affiliation with professional organizations certainly help with that. Good luck! RN |
| Tags |
| Other - Careers & Employment Technology Marketing & Sales Law & Legal Health Care Government & Non-Profit Food Service Financial Services Administrative and Office Support |
Finance Categories--Copyright/IP Policy--Contact Webmaster |