This blog post was written especially for new clinical students by one of our students nearing graduation, Lindsay Kinman. Thanks, Lindsay!
Finding a preceptor is one of the
scariest and most exciting experiences for a student midwife. It is the opportunity to finally perform the
skills that you have been preparing for.
For many of us we have waited a long time for this to come. Although we are eager to do whatever is asked
of us it is also important to remember a few things before jumping in. Here is my advice for a good apprenticeship.
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| photo courtesy of Wikimedia |
1.)
Know your boundaries! Before discussing with the midwife what her
expectations are it is important to discuss with your family (spouse, partner,
kids, etc.) what their needs and expectations are. Many midwives have sacrificed their lives on
the altar of midwifery by pretending that they can be all things to all
people. The truth is that everyone has
limits. If you lose the most important
relationships in your life to midwifery you help no one. How can we be promoters of health and not
have emotional, physical, and spiritual health in our own lives? Here is a list of questions to begin the
discussion with those closest to you:
·
How many clinic days will fit in our schedule?
·
How many births are too many?
·
How far am I willing to travel for a birth?
·
How will the household responsibilities change?
Who will handle what?
·
Who will watch the kids? Do we have to pay? Is it in the budget?
·
When will we have “us time”?
2.)
Know your preceptor! Once you have figured out
your boundaries then you will be in a more secure place when talking with your
preceptor. Before meeting with her, try
and find out more about her. Many
midwives have a “baby counter” on their website and you can average how many
births they do a month. Also what is her
area of coverage? Maybe she is at a
birth center close by but she averages 10 births a month. Maybe she is a rural midwife and she has a
huge coverage area. Are you willing to
drive 2 hours to a birth if there is a chance you are going to be gone for 3
days? Meet with her and discuss what she
needs in a student. Here is a list of
potential questions:
·
How many births do you average a month?
·
How far do you travel for births?
·
Would you expect me to be at every birth?
·
What is your philosophy on home birth?
·
What is your philosophy on interventions? (For
example: abx, transfer, breaking water, etc.)
·
What do you need from a student?
·
How do you handle conflicts with other midwives?
·
Do you work with any other midwives?
3.)
Know your area! It is important for you to
understand the types of clients that you will attend as a student. Are you in an urban area where home birth is
trendy? Are you in a rural area where
clients are more conservative? Understanding clientele will help limit
frustrations with your apprenticeship. Ask
your preceptor the following questions:
·
What are the demographics of your clients?
·
What do clients expect from you?
·
What is your transfer rate?
·
Why do you transfer most often?
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| photo courtesy of Wikimedia |
4.)
Know your goals.
When first looking at all the things to check off it can be
overwhelming. You also can be delusional
to think that these things are going to happen in a nice neat order. It is important to look at the whole book and
group things together. It is not your
preceptor’s responsibility to make things happen for you. It is yours. Here are some suggestions for grouping
things together:
·
What are tasks that I can do outside an actual
clinical setting (sterile gloves, hand washing, etc.)
·
What are tasks that run together in a clinical
setting (at a birth, at a prenatal appointment, at a postpartum)
·
What do I need to work on?
·
Are there continuing education classes where I
can practice and get further instruction?
5.)
Know why you are there! Why are you becoming a midwife? My guess is because you want to have the
personal, non-interventive, and peaceful practice. If this is the case then DO NOT TREAT your
apprenticeships like numbers that need to be met. This means that you may have to be at more
appointments and spend more time than you want to in order to “get your
numbers”; however, this is what midwifery is: taking more time. You are not entering someone’s hospital room
you are most likely entering someone’s living room. Most clients do not want strangers in their
living rooms.
·
Why do you want to be a midwife?
·
Where do you want to practice?
