Becoming a Midwife has been a dream of mine for such a long time. I am still mind blown that after all of the hard work, determination, and birth work lessons that I have learned over the last seven years that I am finally beginning midwifery school. I want to share my journey as a student midwife for others who may be interested in midwifery and for myself to look back on in later years.
My First Trimester as a student midwife
This autumn, I begin taking my very first classes at the Midwives College of Utah. Today, after meeting with the MCU registrar, I signed up for my first trimester of classes. This first trimester I will be taking 9.5 credit hours of different classes including my phase one practicum.
What is the phase one practicum?
The phase one practicum is when student midwives observe ten different births that a witness signs off on that they attended. Students then have to connect what they learned at these observed births to what they are learning in their current midwifery classes. I have already been working with my midwifery preceptor for over a year and have worked as a birth doula for over five years, so I have already observed far more than what is required. Just in 2022 alone, I have assisted or supported over 25+ births in hospitals, birth centers, and in homes.
What classes do I have my first trimester as a student midwife?
For this very first trimester at midwifery school, I get to take a student orientation class before classes officially start. The goal of this student orientation class at Midwives College of Utah is to teach new students about what is expected of them, how to succeed, and what tools they will need to utilize. We also get to meet the college staff. New midwifery students like myself finish this class prior to the first official day of the trimester.
September 6th, I start the first trimester! This trimester includes a communication class, introduction to midwifery class, english class, and my phase one practicum clinical hours.
Planning the rest of my year in midwifery school
As a new midwifery student, I met with the the MCU registrar this week! She made sure I had enrolled in all the right classes & answered all my questions about scheduling and transfer credits. After we walked through the basics, she showed me some of the tools that MCU provides to students so that they can plan out their upcoming semesters. The registrar made sure to inform me that I need to ensure I take the appropriate prerequisites for future classes. She also went over a class schedule that shows when classes are and are not available to students. There is a bit of a balance that students have to do when planning out their future classes making sure they have the appropriate prerequisites and that the classes are available during the trimester they would like to take them. Same things goes for taking electives. There are so many interesting electives available, it will be so hard to choose which ones I want to take!!
What is Next up for my midwifery school journey?
The rest of the summer, I am planning to spend as much time with my family and enjoying the last few weeks of being pregnant with my last little one before hitting the ground running in school in September. I have taken the rest of the summer off as a doula but still plan on attending clinic with my midwifery preceptor as long as I am comfortable before my baby arrives. I do plan on finishing up some certifications like my child birth education facilitator certification through Cornerstone Birth Work. My last class with my CBE cohort is the first week of July! Almost there!
