The Cost of Midwifery School

The Breakdown:

91 credit hours at $220 per credit hour + $150 enrollment fee = $20,170.00

Year 1
1st Semester: 13 credit hours - $2,860
2nd Semester: 12 credit hours - $2,640
3rd Semester: 13 credit hours - $2,860
Total for Year 1 - $8,360

Year 2
1st Semester: 11 credit hours - $2,420
2nd Semester: 11 credit hours - $2,420
3rd Semester: 10 credit hours - $2,200
Total for Year 2 - $7,040

Year 3
1st Semester: 9 credit hours - $1,980
2nd Semester: 6 credit hours - $1,320
3rd Semester: 6 credit hours - $1,320
Total for Year 3 - $4,620

Midwifery Apprenticeship

The foundation of every midwifery education is apprenticeship. The student finds an experienced preceptor to take her under her wing and teach her the practical aspect of being a good midwife.

From what I have heard from sister midwifery students, the apprenticeship usually starts the second year of midwifery school. I have also heard that some preceptors are booked with students sometimes YEARS in advance!

So even though I will not be starting midwifery school until August 2009, I figured that maybe I should call the midwife I would like to apprentice with NOW so I can book her for next year.

I called her this past Friday and left a long, detailed message (so long, in fact, that her answering machine cut me off! How embarrassing!), and then promptly forgot about it. I was having a pretty crummy day and fell asleep on the couch immediately after lunch. During the middle of my nap, the phone rang! I answered it still half-asleep, and it was my future preceptor midwife!!!

Oh my goodness, she was EVERYTHING I had hoped she would be...and more! She was inspiring, encouraging, thoughtful, funny...and very professional! She told me the names of other midwives in my area who I could interview about an apprenticeship, so at first I was worried that she'd tell me she didn't have room for me. But then she went on to tell me about how she works and what she expects of her apprentices, and then she said she'd love to have me on board!! She said that most students start apprenticing in the second year, but that she'd like to at least get me out to a few prenatals soon. YES YES YES!!!!!!!!! I am going to call her again in December, and we are going to meet in person to talk more. I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!!! :D :D :D

So then I got to thinking...why do midwifery students usually start apprenticing during their second year? Why not their first? Hmm...well, that's probably because most midwives would like their midwives to have a general idea of the profession of midwifery before they start apprenticing. That way, the apprentice will be able to help instead of just observe. So I thought...what would help me be a more useful apprentice...to the point where I might even get to apprentice during my first year of midwifery school? How can I learn to be a more helpful apprentice??

Then it hit me. Maybe I could look into taking a training to become a Midwife's Assistant before I start school in the Fall!! I want to apprentice NOW, but that's not feasible because of my full-time job. But gosh, I'm just so ready to work in birth. I want to help women so much! So I started looking for midwifery assistant workshops, and what on earth did I find?!

Midwifery Assistant Workshop at The Farm in Tennessee!!! The workshop in April will be exactly one year since I was last at The Farm, for my Birthing From Within training! I *loved* The Farm and the people who live there. It's a beautiful place full of energy and down-to-earth people (believe it or not). I have decided that I am going to take the Midwifery Assistant workshop there in April 09, to help me become a better apprentice and to further my knowledge of midwifery to better prepare me for school in the Fall.

Now if only I could forget my love of birth just long enough to keep up at my job so I can be less stressed all the time! :p

My First Postpartum Doula Client and Going Back to School

Last night, I met with my first potential postpartum doula client. She is an absolutely amazing woman, and the interview went very well. We talked for an hour, and I didn't even get to eat my food (we met at a restaurant) because I talked so much. I have decided that I might be too chatty. Anyway, she is expecting her first baby in the beginning of November, and is going to get back with me. I hope she hires me because I think I would really enjoy working with her.

On the midwifery front...I am re-applying at my local community college for the spring term! Oh, I am so excited!! I will be taking Anatomy & Physiology I in the spring, and then Anatomy & Physiology II in the extender summer term. This should get me back into the swing of things before I start midwifery school full-time in the fall, and it will also save me a little bit of money since the tuition at my community college is $77 per credit hour, and the tuition at the midwifery school is $200 per credit hour. I originally wanted to take Microbiology and Psychology at the community college, too, but decided that it would just be too much while working full-time. So I will save those for midwifery school. :)

My birth doula training is November 7th through 9th. My mom and I are going together, and staying in a hotel! We're going to give each other pedicures and watch really girly movies. Should be a great time! We haven't spent time together like that in a long time...I'm really looking forward to it!

OH! I FORGOT TO EVEN MENTION!! Gosh, how could I forget this?? I found out today that the Florida School of Traditional Midwifery is VERY accommodating to commuting students...so accommodating, in fact, that they schedule the bulk of their classes on two consecutive days. This is so the students can drive up to Gainesville just once per week, and stay overnight one day either by staying with a local student, or by everyone pitching in on a hotel room. This is FANTASTIC! Why, you ask? Because it means we do not have to move to Gainesville!!!!!!!!!! Now, don't get me wrong...I like Gainesville, and I *love* the town of Alachua, but it was proving to be rather stressful every time I thought about uprooting everything and moving again...and even more stressful is the job market. There are no IT jobs, and my husband is an A+ and N+ Certified IT Technician...so we were very worried that I wouldn't be able to move in time and then would have to drive two hours every day to Gainesville! But nope! I worried for nothing! I can stay right where I am and only drive to Gainesville once a week!

I am extremely happy right now. And SUPER excited about my life. :)