Yes, You Can Be a Midwife!

Juliana van Olphen Fehr, CNM, PhD, FACNM

Coordinator, Nurse-Midwifery

School of Nursing Shenandoah University 1775 N. Sector Ct., Winchester, VA 22601 (Work) 540-678-4382 (Fax) 540-665-5519 Email Address: jfehr@su.edu

CHECK OUR NEW GRADUATE WEBSITE!!!!!!!!!

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A Distance Program that keeps you close!

The Nurse-Midwifery Track at Shenandoah University is part of the Graduate Program in Nursing. We received our preaccreditation from the American College of Nurse-Midwives* in June, 1997. We received our initial accreditation in June, 2000, after graduating our first class. In 2002 we began our Post Master’s Nursing Certificate Option. In Fall, 2004 the Nurse-Midwifery Track joined the rest of the specialty tracks in the Graduate Program of the Division of Nursing in offering an RN to MSN entry option.

Our curricula combine distance learning with a personal touch. Upon successful completion of this exam, the graduate will become a Certified Nurse-Midwife. Graduates of our program are eligible to take the ACC Certification Exam from the American College of Nurse-Midwives to become Certified Nurse-Midwives. We are excited about our program. The Board of Review of the Division of Accreditation of the American College of Nurse-Midwives commended Dr. van Olphen Fehr and the Division of Nursing faculty for creating a new nurse-midwifery program and expressed confidence that our graduates would contribute to the future of the profession of nurse-midwifery. If the profession of nurse-midwifery is in your professional dream, please contact us for information. The flexibility of the curriculum assures that it will be the perfect fit for you.

*American College of Nurse-Midwives Division of Accreditation 8403 Colesville Rd. Suite 1550, Silver Spring, MD 20910-6374 (240) 485-1800, www.acnm.org

Find out more about nurse-midwifery at Shenandoah University here.

Here are your choices for how to become a midwife through Shenandoah University:

If you have a...	What should you do first?	How long will it take? (We also have part-time options available)	What credential will you receive when you graduate?	What’s Next?	How do you start?
Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing	Apply to the Graduate Program in Nursing for the Generic Master of Science Option.	6 full-time semesters incl. summers (2 years)	Master of Science in Nursing	Then you are eligible to take the national certification examination of the ACC to become a Certified Nurse-Midwife	Download: Shenandoah University Graduate Application Graduate Nursing Program Application Fill them both out and mail them in.
Bachelor's Degree (or higher degree) in another field	Apply to the Undergraduate Program in Nursing in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Accelerated Second Degree Option	4 semesters including summers (1 ½ years)	Upon graduation you will receive a Bachelor of Science in Nursing	You will be eligible to take the NCLEX exam to become a Registered Nurse	Apply to the Graduate Program in Nursing for the Generic Master of Science Option. Complete: Shenandoah University Graduate Application
RN (ASN or Diploma)	Apply to the Graduate Program in Nursing for the RN to MSN Option	8 semesters incl. summers (3 years)	Upon graduation you will receive a Master of Science in Nursing	Then you are eligible to take the national certification examination of the ACC to become a Certified Nurse-Midwife	Complete: Shenandoah University Graduate Application Graduate Nursing Program Application Fill them both out and mail them in to the Office of Admissions at the address below.
Master of Science in Nursing	Apply to the Graduate Program in Nursing for the Post-Master’s Certificate Option	3 semesters including summer (1 year)	Upon graduation you will receive a Post-Master’s Certificate in Nurse-Midwifery (insert link here)	Then you are eligible to take the national certification examination of the ACC to become a Certified Nurse-Midwife	Download Shenandoah University Graduate Application Graduate Nursing Program Application Fill them both out and mail them in to the Office of Admissions at the address below.

Send to:
Shenandoah University
Office of Admissions
1460 University Drive
Winchester, VA 22601
Need Help? Call 1-800-432-2266

Check out our curricula here.

Shenandoah University Nurse-Midwifery Philosophy

Approximate cost of receiving nurse-midwifery education at Shenandoah University.

Click here for possible patterns of progression in the Nurse-Midwifery Program.

The Midwifery Initiative

Since we believe that if we increase the access to nurse-midwifery education, we increase the access to nurse-midwifery care, we created the Midwifery Initiative. The Midwifery Initiative is a collaborative agreement between Shenandoah University and other universities to offer Shenandoah University’s nurse-midwifery education in collaboration with the Graduate Nursing Programs of the other universities. Students participating in the Midwifery Initiative attend their home university for their general Master’s degree courses and then they attend Shenandoah University for their nurse-midwifery courses. Graduates of the Midwifery Initiative receives a Master of Science in Nursing degree from their home university with a Certificate of Completion in Nurse-Midwifery from Shenandoah University. These graduates are eligible to take the national certification exam from the American College of Nurse-Midwives Credentialing Commission to become certified nurse-midwives.
Students wishing to participate in the Midwifery Initiative should apply to their home university. Their acceptance will be a collaborative decision between the home university and the Nurse-Midwifery Coordinator at Shenandoah University.

Students wishing to participate in the Midwifery Initiative through Old Dominion University can click here.

Students wishing to participate in the Midwifery Initiative through Radford University can click here.

Students wishing to participate in the Midwifery Initiative through Johns Hopkins University can click here.

Prerequisites for Shenandoah University Graduate Program in Nursing

Applicant must be a licensed registered nurse. Applicants not licensed in Virginia must apply and receive "licensure by endorsement."

Have a minimum undergraduate cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.8 on a 4.0 scale. Applicants to the Post Master's Certificate Tracks must have a minimum graduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

Submit three recommendations (Post Master's Certificate applicants may submit only two recommendations). One recommendation is to be from a nursing service supervisor, one from a faculty member, and one may be a character reference from an individual other than a family member. If the applicant cannot submit a nursing faculty member recommendation, one may be submitted from an additional nursing service supervisor.

MSN applicants must have earned a BSN degree in nursing from NLNAC or CCNE accredited program. RN-MSN applicants must have earned an ASN or Diploma degree in nursing from an NLNAC accredited program. Post Master's Certificate applicants must have earned a MSN Degree from an NLNAC or CCNE accredited program. If the degree is not from a NLNAC or a CCNE accredited program the applicant will be evaluated on an individual basis.

Have a minimum of one year (2,080 hours) clinical nursing experience (or equivalent) before entering the Specialty Tracks. These are generally offered in the second year; therefore the first year courses may be taken while the student is accumulating clinical nursing experience. Equivalency of clinical nursing experience is determined by the Division of Nursing. Students requesting consideration of equivalency should do so in writing and provide rational for this request.

MSN applicants must demonstrate successful completion of baccalaureate level nursing courses in physical assessment, introductory statistics, and community nursing with a grade of "C" or better within the past five years. Applicants missing one or more of these courses may be admitted provisionally and allowed to complete any missing prerequisites within the first year of study, or challenge the Community Nursing and Physical Assessment requirements via NLN exams.

Post Master's Certificate applicants must demonstrate successful completion of a MSN degree and graduate level health assessment, pharmacology, and pathophysiology courses that are completed with a grade of "B" or better.

RN-MSN applicants must demonstrate successful completion of prerequisite courses. Applicants missing one or more of these courses may be admitted provisionally and allowed to complete any missing prerequisites within the first year of study while taking the Bridge courses.

How can our program help you?

We are always interested in receiving feedback about how we can better provide nurse-midwifery education. If you feel that we can do something more to help you start your nurse-midwifery education such as changing our pre-requisites or offering a different kind of program, please email Juliana van Olphen Fehr at jfehr@su.edu with your comments!

WWW Links of Interest

Shenandoah University

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Midwives Alliance of North America