A Whiff of Midwifery

You smell that? That is the scent of anxiety that accompanies a career change.

I am 31, married, with a dog, two cats, a Master's in Public Health in Epidemiology, and a stable full time job as a data manager in public health research, which I mostly really enjoy. 

I am very grateful to have been gainfully employed through the duration of the COVID pandemic. I rode it out safely working from my couch in my nice, comfy house, reliably getting paychecks every two weeks. Don't get me wrong, I had weekly panic attacks for months because it truly seemed like the world was ending, I watched hours of livestreams of people being tear gassed and beaten by Seattle PD during the Black Lives Matter protests, and the smoke season of 2020 was truly hellacious (at least we had already stockpiled respirators and KN-95's because of the pandemic?).  

One drunken evening in early 2021, when I finally felt some emotional capacity for self reflection after surviving 2020, my spouse and I discussed what makes us feel fulfilled professionally. I realized that, after the events of 2020, I couldn't be fulfilled longterm working so removed from humanity. I needed to do more, to contribute more, to be more involved. I wanted to pursue clinical training.

This is not entirely out of the blue. I was a pre-med Biology major in undergrad, and as a Peace Corps Volunteer I worked predominantly at a maternal and child health care clinic, where I performed antenatal check ups, helped deliver babies, talked about birth control with everyone, and vaccinated babies. I was not qualified, but I loved it. It overwhelmed me, though. I didn't have the emotional capacity to care for others, I had too much trauma of my own to sort through. I decided to pursue public health and research,  and fell in love with cleaning data (yes, there are people like me), and have really enjoyed pursuing that track. I love how there are no obviously correct answers in epidemiology; instead, you have to defend every decision you make. I love the curiosity and thoughtfulness required in research. I very much identify with the winding professional paths of most people in public health, the acceptance and celebration of diverse experiences and skill sets. 

After considering my options of medical, physician assistant, and nursing schools, I have decided to pursue the Accelerated Bachelor of Nursing (ABSN) with early admission to the Doctorate in Nursing Practice (DNP) in Midwifery program at University of Washington. This blog will document that journey.

Credit for the name fully goes to my spouse.