HOW TO BECOME A MIDWIFE IN COLORADO
The CMA recommends aspiring midwives to start by reading Heart and Hands by Elizabeth Davis. Another book that can help aspiring midwives is Paths to Becoming a Midwife: Getting an Education by Jan Tritten and Kelly Moyer.
These are some areas to plan for before beginning your midwifery journey:
- Ability to leave your home and family for the duration of births, this is sometimes 24 hours or longer.
- Have a good childcare system in place; midwives need the support of their community.
- Reliable transportation is essential; families live in a variety of landscapes across Colorado, and the weather is unpredictable.
- Invest in ongoing education, training, and workshops during training and throughout your midwifery career.
- Being on call 24/7, means you’ll keep your phone at the ready, your ringer on loud.
- Finding clinical placement; the number of midwives who qualify as preceptors is limited across the country. Finding a good clinical placement that works for students and preceptors, is a big challenge for many student midwives.
Skills every midwife needs:
Endurance; the ability to stay awake and alert for the duration of births, while being able to still answer phone calls with questions after the birth.
Adaptability; the ability to flow with births, with midwifery peers and teachers, with trainings, with every situation.
Calm under pressure; the ability to stay calm in the thick of challenges and emergencies.
Dedication; the ability to push yourself and continue your studies and work through life and midwifery challenges.
These are a few of the critical things to consider. Midwifery is a very rewarding path, but equally as challenging. Midwifery training lasts at least 2 years, with the average training duration of 5 years. After you complete your training, it generally takes three years to establish a practice. Midwifery is not for the weak of spirit or people who require immediate gratification!
Recommended Reading List
Related Links
Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies for Midwives
Midwives Alliance of North America
North American Registry of Midwives
Midwives Education Accreditation Council
- What is the difference between a Registered Midwife and a Certified Nurse-Midwife?
- NARM Candidate Information Booklet (contains list of recommended books)
Related Links
Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies for Midwives
Midwives Alliance of North America
North American Registry of Midwives
Midwives Education Accreditation Council
