How to Teach As a Midwife
While being a midwife can be rewarding, it is also a demanding job. A midwife is a health care profession who specializes in pregnancy, birth and postpartum care for women and infants. If you are a midwife looking to get away from the long and unpredictable hours, intensity and a high-pressure work environment, teaching midwifery might be a good change of pace. There are many different routes to take, but becoming a midwife's teacher is quite simple for an experienced midwife.
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Instructions
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Network among your colleagues and other health care professionals in the birthing field. Join a professional midwifery association. There are dozens of organizations including statewide midwifery associations, national associations such as American College of Nurse-Midwives (acnm.org) and Midwives Alliance of North America (mana.org), and International organizations such as International Confederation of Midwives (internationalmidwives.org). There are also volunteer-based associations like Citizens for Midwifery (cfmidwifery.org).
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Speak to groups of people at midwifery or birth conferences to motivate others. Check for opportunities with midwifery organizations, pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding associations and even at local hospitals. Midwifery Today, a midwifery publication, holds regular conferences (midwiferytoday.com/conferences).
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Write an article for a midwifery or parenting publication.
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Take on an intern. Helping a student midwife or a training doula, a pregnancy and birth support person, can give you the practice you need in teaching. If you are not an independent midwife, talk to your superiors about helping to train newly hired midwifes.
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Become a childbirth educator, someone who offers childbirth and parenting classes to future parents. Since certification requires mainly experience and a certain number of hours of training courses, a midwife has a solid base for beginning the process. Many programs exist, so decide which method of training fits your birthing philosophy best: Bradley Method (bradleybirth.com), Lamaze (lamaze.org), hypnobirthing or something more generalized like the International Childbirth Education Association (icea.org).
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Decide if you'd rather teach at a specialized school of midwifery that only trains midwives or at a college that has a nursing program for midwives. You could also become a doula trainer, who trains women to become a non-medical pregnancy and birth support person. Check with Dona International (dona.org) on how to become a doula trainer.
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Update your resume highlighting your midwifery and teaching experience. Write a cover letter emphasizing your birthing philosophy and your desire to pass on your craft. Talk about any teaching experience you have and your dedication to midwifery.
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Research different midwifery schools and colleges that have nurse-midwife training programs. Since no specific midwife teacher job board exists, look for opportunities directly with these schools.
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Tips & Warnings
If you wish to teach at an institution that rewards a degree (as opposed to certification) you may need to have a higher education degree other than midwifery certification.
References
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