Becoming a Nurse-Midwife
Dear Prospective Nurse-Midwifery Student:
I hope you find this information helpful in considering enrollment and planning your application for admission.
- General Information on the College of Nursing
- Accreditation and History of the Nurse-Midwifery Program
- Requirements for Admission to the Graduate School and the Graduate Nurse-Midwifery Program
- On-campus vs On-line Study
- Financial Planning and Financial Aid
I am fortunate to have as my co-faculty Lisa Hanson, CNM, DNSc; Kate Harrod, CNM, DNSc, FACNM; and Martty Berner, CNM, MSN. They are wonderful, collaborative and knowledgeable colleagues.
If you want to learn more about the profession of nurse-midwifery, please see the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) website, www.acnm.org.
Feel free to call or e-mail for additional clarification, after you have studied the linked sections of this document. You may contact the NMP secretary at telephone number (414) 288-3842 or by e-mail: ruth.ancheta@marquette.edu.
Sincerely,
Leona VandeVusse, CNM, PhD, FACNM
Option Coordinator / Director, Nurse-Midwifery ProgramAssociate Professor
Accreditation and History of Marquette’s Program
The Marquette University College of Nursing Nurse-Midwifery Program (NMP) is accredited by the American College of Nurse-Midwives Division of Accreditation (ACNM DOA).
American College of Nurse Midwives Division of Accreditation
8403 Colesville Rd., suite 1550
Silver Spring, MD 20910-6374
Telephone: (240) 485-1800
Applications are accepted during winter for the following Fall. To be considered for our program, and to be eligible for first semester financial aid, you must have your complete application on file with the Graduate School by February 15 of the year of desired admission. Please be advised that applications for the NMP are generally reviewed by faculty in February and March each year. Interviews are often conducted during March and April, so that we can begin making admission decisions for the Fall class. We notify applicants of our decisions as soon as possible.
We have developed web-based nurse-midwifery specialty courses in conjunction with a Wisconcin Project and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. These courses are available on-line to Marquette University Student Nurse-Midwives.
We offer a 45 credit program to address the core competencies of nurse-midwifery practice: women's health care across the lifespan. We are pleased to announce that the continually improving NMP is thriving. We are proud of our nearly 100 graduates with their 100% certification rate.
Program Admission Requirements:
The general requirements for admission to the Graduate School and the College of Nursing are as follows:
- baccalaureate in nursing from an accredited program
- cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 3.0
- three letters of recommendation
- acceptable Graduate Record Examination scores
- resume
- statement of professional goals
- prerequisite undergraduate courses in physical assessment, nursing research, and statistics
- completed application form, with fee
Additional requirements for the NMP include:
- current Wisconsin Registered Nurse licensure
- a personal interview
A minimum of one year of recent, related professional experience is recommended but not required. Once enrolled, all graduate nursing students need to submit information on health status and CPR certification, and authorize a background check.
* There are multiple routes to obtain the equivalent of a BSN. Possibilities currently available at Marquette University are the following: an RN to MSN program and an MSN program for non-nursing graduates with bachelor’s degrees in other fields. We also have an accelerated post-master’s offering for nurse practitioners.
Program Plans
The NMP contains 45 credits.The full time program can be completed in four semesters over two years and is our most popular program option. (Full-time enrollment is defined as a minimum of 7 graduate credit hours per semester.) Full-time students may be eligible for more financial aid opportunities. If you plan to be a full-time student, it may not be to your advantage to take many courses before being admitted to the program, since you will still be required to take the minimum of 7 credits per semester while in the program. Part-time plans are also available. They can be individualized to 3-4 year programs of study .
Class Schedules
Class schedules vary from one semester to the next due to clinical requirements. We attempt to cluster the days that all Student Nurse-Midwives (SNMs) need to be on campus. For students who travel a distance, we try to group clinical days in a manner that minimizes commute time. We are fortunate to have a variety of clinical sites in Wisconsin and northern Illinois . Nearly all of our SNMs do some clinical time in the Milwaukee area, particularly in the first year of the program. We match SNMs with appropriate clinical sites elsewhere to provide a variety of rich learning experiences. We schedule clinical practica to accommodate SNMs' competencies, class requirements, unique characteristics of each nurse-midwifery service, and faculty time.
The didactic portions of the NMP specialty coursework are now available on-line. This allows students to complete a significant portion of their course work conveniently off campus. You may view the College of Nursing website at http://www.mu.edu/nursing/.
Financial Aid
The College of Nursing offers several part-time positions for Research Assistants and Teaching Assistants, and makes several Federal Nurse Traineeship awards. Applications are available each February 1 st. Please e-mail Lisa Olson at lisa.olson@mu.edu to request application forms. At the state and federal level, students may be able to receive loan repayment for years of service after graduation. You may be able to fund tuition with the help of bank loans, the National Health Service Corps ( http://nhsc.bhpr.hrsa.gov/index.cfm) or a future employer interested in providing nurse-midwifery services. You may also contact the ACNM office [ 8403 Colesville Road, Suite 1550 , Silver Spring , MD , 20910-6374 , (240) 485-1800, www.acnm.org] for information on financial aid for student nurse-midwives.
The Nurse-Midwifery Program uses both on campus, classroom and laboratory approaches, as well as online education.
Why would you want to pursue education "on-line"?
- Because it's always available... Your learning and study schedule is arranged almost entirely by you to fit within your other responsibilities (employment, family, etc.).
- Anywhere …that you have a computer with web access: at work, at a public library, at a school or at home. If you travel and have a notebook computer you can study on the road.
- Anytime . Your on-line training is ready 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. Students can progress at different rates reviewing any weak points, taking on new skills at the rate you choose. If the course is well designed you can browse the content to focus on your areas of interest.
Your training on-line is always current
Hard copy starts to become obsolete as soon as it is printed. An on-line course can be updated, revised or modified immediately as new information breaks, discoveries are announced or theories change! It can grow continuously.
Marquette University College of Nursing
Advanced Practice Nursing: Nurse-Midwifery
Short course descriptions
NURS 200 Theoretical Foundations of Nursing (3 credits). Examination of knowledge paradigms, concepts, and theories of the discipline of nursing. Offered annually.
NURS 207 Ethics in Health Care (3 credits). Ethical frameworks are used to explore a variety of moral issues impacting nursing and health care. Offered annually.
NURS 209 Creating Nursing Care Systems (3 credits). Study of systems and organizations. Application to health care delivery, analysis, and development of innovative models, including entrepreneurial practices with an emphasis on maximizing leverage of advanced practice nursing and its impact on health care delivery systems. Offered annually.
NURS 210 Physiologic Concepts for Advanced Nursing Practice (3 credits). Complex physiologic aspects of nursing care. Establishment of knowledge base for the provision of health care in an advanced nursing specialty. Offered annually.
NURS 211 Pharmacology for Advanced Nursing Practice (3 credits). Pharmacodynamics, major drug categories, and prescribing responsibilities, including case studies of clients with specific health problems. Offered annually.
NURS 215 Advanced Assessment and Management of Episodic Health Problems (3 credits). Assessment, differential diagnoses, interventions and evaluation of adults and older adults with acute, episodic, self-limiting conditions. Offered annually.
NURS 280 Advanced Concepts in Women's Health Care Management Across the Life Span (2-3 credits). Strategies to promote health and wellness across the life span in the provision of primary care for women, emphasizing nurse-midwifery management. Sociocultural implications are examined in the environment impacting upon clients and providers.
NURS 282 Advanced Concepts in Antepartum Management (2-3 credits). Study and application of nurse-midwifery process strategies to promote biopsychosocial and spiritual health in women and families experiencing pregnancy. Includes families with potential health deviations.
NURS 283 Advanced Concepts in Postpartum and Newborn Management (2-3 credits). Postpartum nurse-midwifery management of mothers, neonates, and families, including those with potential health deviations.
NURS 286 Nurse-Midwifery Care During Labor and Birth (5 credits). Nurse-midwifery management of women during the intrapartal period. Assessment of maternal-fetal status, with appropriate interventions and non-technologic approaches, in the context of family-centered care. Includes theory and practicum.
NURS 288 Advanced Practicum in Nurse-Midwifery (8 credits). Development of nurse-midwifery practice role through intensive clinical experience. Strengthening clinical practice and leadership for professional challenges in nurse-midwifery. Practicum hours to be determined by individual student's progression through program experience requirements.
NURS 289 History and Trends in the Nurse-Midwifery Profession (2 credits). History of midwifery and dynamic social forces affecting education, regulation, growth, and development of the nurse-midwifery profession. Examination of nurse-midwives’ research, legislation, and leadership in quality care for diverse populations of women and families across the life span.
NURS 291 Nursing Research Design and Methodology (3 credits). Study of scientific methodologies appropriate for research in nursing. Critique and utilization of research studies. Includes proposal development. Offered every semester.
Sample Full Time 4 Semester, 2 Year Program Plan
Semester 1 Credits
N200 Theoretical Foundations of Nursing 3
N211 Pharmacology for Advanced Nursing Practice 3
N215 Advanced Assessment and Management of Episodic Health Problems 3
N280 Advanced Concepts in Women's Health Care Management Across the Life Span 3
Total 12
Semester 2 Credits
N210 Physiologic Concepts for Advanced Practice Nursing 3
N282 Advanced Concepts in Antepartum Management 3
N289 History and Trends in the Nurse-Midwifery Profession 2
N291 Nursing Research Design and Methodology 3
Total 11
Semester 3 Credits
N209 Creating Nursing Care Systems 3
N286 Nurse-Midwifery Care During Labor and Birth 5
N283 Advanced Concepts in Postpartum and Newborn Management 3
Total 10
Semester 4 Credits
N207 Ethics in Health Care 3
N288 Advanced Practicum in Nurse-Midwifery 8
Total 11
Sample 3 Year Program Plan
Semester 1 Credits
N200 Theoretical Foundations of Nursing 3
N215 Advanced Assessment and Management of Episodic Health Problems 3
Total 6
Semester 2 Credits
N210 Physiologic Concepts for Advanced Practice Nursing 3
N291 Nursing Research Design and Methodology 3
Total 6
Semester 3 Credits
N211 Pharmacology for Advanced Nursing Practice 3
N209 Creating Nursing Care Systems 3
N280 Advanced Concepts in Women's Health Care Management Across the Life Span 3
Total 9
Semester 4 Credits
N207 Ethics in Health Care 3
N282 Advanced Concepts in Antepartum Management 3
N289 History and Trends in the Nurse-Midwifery Profession 2
Total 8
Semester 5 Credits
N286 Nurse-Midwifery Care During Labor and Birth 5
N283 Advanced Concepts in Postpartum and Newborn Management 3
Total 8
Semester 6 Credits
N288 Advanced Practicum in Nurse-Midwifery 8
Total 8