What careers deal with pregnancy?

Doula

MIdwife

Nurse practitioner

Physician assistant

My sister was very happy as a maternity nurse. She took a four-year nursing program, earned a B.S. degree, and was able to include some liberal arts in her course of study.

She loved working in an area where the patients were happy, not sick, and there was plenty of chill time for socializing with other nurses in between periods of intense, exciting activity.

By the time she had three children of her own, she was ready to change jobs. Since then she’s worked in related fields, such as family-oriented public administration. Her background seemed to give her a lot of choices.

Medicine is a great profession. It’s never going away. You can’t outsource physical care to China or India.

I know a retired pathologist, who spent most of his career as a doctor working in the lab. But early in his career and during his medical training he delivered two dozen babies.

He never talks about the lab work. He always talks about the babies. “A miracle every time!”

Another retired doctor I know was an eye surgeon. And he delivered babies as a young intern, and HE always talks about the babies.

I guess what I am trying to say is great choice! Be the best nurse or doctor or midwife or whatever!

Midwifes are in high demand. There is also lactation consultants and doulas.

Consider the atmosphere of the different facilities where you might be working, and the people/agencies you’d have to deal with. Hospitals are very regulated and sometimes you might have your hands tied in certain situations. I know I, personally, would go insane in an environment like that. A private clinic (like this one where I’ve gone a few times) would be a bit more laid back, and you could devote more time to each patient.

I was thinking about this same question myself a few months ago, and I started working backwards from the environment where I’d like to work. It helped a lot, narrowing it down to jobs I’d be good at and also enjoy.

There’s a quote that my dad quotes all the time, but I don’t know where it comes from: “Find a job you enjoy, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” (Plus, if you enjoy your job, you’ll be more likely to put your heart and soul into it, meaning you’d be good at it, get paid well, and get promotions.)

You can be a nurse with a two year degree, but I think you should really try for the professions suggested above, nurse practioner, midwife, physicians assistant, or even a doctor, even though it is more years in college than a two year nursing degree. Just getting a four year nursing degree you can build from that to go on to specialize, and during your four year degree education you will be exposed to other career possibilities, and have more options once you get into your career no matter what your major was. Other suggestions are genetic counselor, or even just working in a for a Reproductive Endocrinilogist (they are the doctors who treat couple having trouble getting pregnant) or a GYN office in almost any capacity from administrative to doing sonograms to being a doctor.

I do have a friend who works in the NICU with premies and she is a nurse with a two year degree. She first did her nursing in the Army, and then when she got out she had to go to school to be able to work as a nurse outside of the Army. It took her many years to get that job, I would think it would be easier to get the job you want with more specialized education.

If the math is just impossible for you; which at your age, honestly, all of a sudden math might start making sense, do not label yourself a person who can’t do or hates math, get a tutor if you have to; but if you get into college and the math is just too hard, there are health professions related to pregnancy, childbirth, and infants that do not require such rigorous schooling, but they won’t pay anything close to what the other careers do. Lactation specialist is one that was mentioned above.

Also some hospitals, and some states have programs to become a nurse or some other professions in the medical field for free. They pay for your school, and you owe them back time, usually a couple years, working at a particular facility.

^^^ Also some hospitals, and some states have programs to become a nurse or some other professions in the medical field for free. They pay for your school, and you owe them back time, usually a couple years, working at a particular facility.

Csn you cite specific programs? This is a wonderful resource, if valid.

(couple of years or severeal years—)

@gailcalled I found this that is not outright free, but a possible path. When I was on unemployment years ago in FL I was approached to get a nursing degree, LPN, it would have been free, and then I owe time. I wasn’t interested though so I never got the details. I already had a college degree, so that might have influenced them approaching me. I know a coworker of mine in TN had a son who was going to do some sort of medical tech position, I want to say radiology, but I am not sure, and it was almost completely free and you owe back time. I think it varies by state, but there might be federal programs also. Maybe unemployment offices or large hospitals would have information? For a while there we were importanting nurses from the Philippines, Jamaica, and some other places because of the shortages, so maybe the expense of doing that is weighed against educating Americans here already? That is just a guess. They may not do that anymore, maybe the nurses population has gone up sufficiently the last few years.

So, you are conjecturing?

No, I was offered free education for nursing, but it was many years ago. I know for a fact my coworker’s son was doing some sort of free education for a medical tech of sorts. But, the offers probably change depending on what the industry needs. It’s definitely worth the OP looking into it in her state. When I guess I say I am guessing.

Here is a NYC Q&A about tuition reimbursement and paying back years to the facility. I saw one for California also, but the program ended in 2012. Said something about a threshold of 10% vacancies or something like that, It’s pointless for me to keep googling various states though.