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emily
Student
Grafton, Ohio
8
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What should i major in to become a nurse midwife
#choosing-a-major #nurse
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2 answers
Mary Jane Shroyer
Director of Health Professions Career Community
116
Answers
Grinnell, Iowa
Updated
Mary Jane’s Answer
This depends on what route you want to take to becoming a nurse. Nursing is like a highway with a lot of different on-ramps! If you want to start with a nursing degree, you can get a BSN degree and your major will be nursing. After completing the BSN, you would go to graduate school to get an MSN degree and certification as a nurse-midwife.
There is no requirement to study nursing in college. There are what's called "graduate-entry Masters" programs that allow you to obtain an MSN and nurse-midwife certification without a BSN. In that case, there is really no requirement at all for a specific major. Most of these programs will require you to complete some biology, chemistry, and psychology classes, so a lot of students taking this path will be biology or psychology majors. However, I've had excellent students go on to graduate-entry MSN programs who studied Spanish or sociology or gender and women's studies. It really just depends on what your interests and skills are.
There is no requirement to study nursing in college. There are what's called "graduate-entry Masters" programs that allow you to obtain an MSN and nurse-midwife certification without a BSN. In that case, there is really no requirement at all for a specific major. Most of these programs will require you to complete some biology, chemistry, and psychology classes, so a lot of students taking this path will be biology or psychology majors. However, I've had excellent students go on to graduate-entry MSN programs who studied Spanish or sociology or gender and women's studies. It really just depends on what your interests and skills are.
Julio Lopez
IT Analyst
34
Answers
Houston, Texas
Updated
Julio’s Answer
Hey Emily,
Great to hear you want to get into the medical field! To become a nurse midwife, your education would consist of a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing (BSN), Obtaining your license to become a registered nurse (RN), then focus on gaining work experience for a couple of years (2-4 years), finally you must apply, get accepted and complete a Master’s degree in Nursing with a specialization in nurse midwifery. Below I will go into further detail to make the process a bit smoother.
1. Search for colleges that have a BSN, Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing, you can use College Boards bigfuture.collegeboard.org website to look for schools that fit your interests and preferences. Once you find a couple of schools, apply and wait to get accepted. Once you’re in, you go and complete your 4 years (possibly less if you take summer courses) and your goal should be to obtain internships, a 3.0 or higher GPA, and build your connections with other nurses, professors, etc.
2. After completing your BSN, you’re already at a bit of an advantage since many students who want to become nurses usually only go for certifications (1-2 year programs) or Associates of Nursing. This step is studying and focusing on passing your NCLEX-RN examination and possibly other tests depending on your state. Once that is completed, you are officially an RN and you can begin applying for jobs.
3. Obtaining a job should be your next goal. There is a high demand for nurses and wherever you look you will find open entry-level positions. With your BSN and Certifications you will have no problem finding work, but this is where it begins to get tough; many nurses work over 40-50 hours a week, up to 12 hours a day depending on where you work, and although it is a stressful job, it is very fulfilling and fun at times, especially if you get along with co-workers.
4. Now that you have a job as an RN, you definitely want to look into pursuing additional certifications which will help you move up in your career, have a higher chance into getting accepted into a better graduate program, and overall make your resume look much better to other potentially better employers. There are many certifications that you could obtain from the National Certificate Corporation, so look into which ones you find interesting and beneficial to you.
5. After a couple of years in the workforce, you can begin your search for graduate programs that offer a Master’s of Science in Nursing, but make sure these programs offer this degree with a specialization in nurse midwifery. This may take from 2-4 years depending on how many classes you take and how much time you have to complete classes per semester. Be careful not to overwork yourself, on this step or any of the ones before this, as this may cause burnout which some nurses experience, just like anyone in any career field that just has too much stress in their life.
6. Once you have completed your MSN with specialty in nurse midwifery, just like the RN certification, there is a Certification of Nurse Midwifery that you will need to study and pass, possibly a few other certifications depending on your state.
7. After gaining all the required certifications, you can now apply to become a nurse midwife! Although this may seem like a lot of steps, if you plan ahead and have goals set in mind for yourself, these steps will be smooth transitions from one to the next. On top of that, nurse midwifes receive great benefits, pay, and one of the most rewarding careers out there.
Good Luck and I hope this helped Emily!
Great to hear you want to get into the medical field! To become a nurse midwife, your education would consist of a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing (BSN), Obtaining your license to become a registered nurse (RN), then focus on gaining work experience for a couple of years (2-4 years), finally you must apply, get accepted and complete a Master’s degree in Nursing with a specialization in nurse midwifery. Below I will go into further detail to make the process a bit smoother.
1. Search for colleges that have a BSN, Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing, you can use College Boards bigfuture.collegeboard.org website to look for schools that fit your interests and preferences. Once you find a couple of schools, apply and wait to get accepted. Once you’re in, you go and complete your 4 years (possibly less if you take summer courses) and your goal should be to obtain internships, a 3.0 or higher GPA, and build your connections with other nurses, professors, etc.
2. After completing your BSN, you’re already at a bit of an advantage since many students who want to become nurses usually only go for certifications (1-2 year programs) or Associates of Nursing. This step is studying and focusing on passing your NCLEX-RN examination and possibly other tests depending on your state. Once that is completed, you are officially an RN and you can begin applying for jobs.
3. Obtaining a job should be your next goal. There is a high demand for nurses and wherever you look you will find open entry-level positions. With your BSN and Certifications you will have no problem finding work, but this is where it begins to get tough; many nurses work over 40-50 hours a week, up to 12 hours a day depending on where you work, and although it is a stressful job, it is very fulfilling and fun at times, especially if you get along with co-workers.
4. Now that you have a job as an RN, you definitely want to look into pursuing additional certifications which will help you move up in your career, have a higher chance into getting accepted into a better graduate program, and overall make your resume look much better to other potentially better employers. There are many certifications that you could obtain from the National Certificate Corporation, so look into which ones you find interesting and beneficial to you.
5. After a couple of years in the workforce, you can begin your search for graduate programs that offer a Master’s of Science in Nursing, but make sure these programs offer this degree with a specialization in nurse midwifery. This may take from 2-4 years depending on how many classes you take and how much time you have to complete classes per semester. Be careful not to overwork yourself, on this step or any of the ones before this, as this may cause burnout which some nurses experience, just like anyone in any career field that just has too much stress in their life.
6. Once you have completed your MSN with specialty in nurse midwifery, just like the RN certification, there is a Certification of Nurse Midwifery that you will need to study and pass, possibly a few other certifications depending on your state.
7. After gaining all the required certifications, you can now apply to become a nurse midwife! Although this may seem like a lot of steps, if you plan ahead and have goals set in mind for yourself, these steps will be smooth transitions from one to the next. On top of that, nurse midwifes receive great benefits, pay, and one of the most rewarding careers out there.
Good Luck and I hope this helped Emily!