Instructions: Read the following questions carefully. Think about them and answer honestly. We suggest going over the questions with your partner or other family members also, if applicable. If, after careful consideration, you decide that this is the appropriate time in your life to begin your midwifery education, and you feel able to commit the next approximately 3 or more years to your education, complete the application process.

Family

Do you have children?

1. You get a call at 3:00am that a client is in active labor with contractions 3 minutes apart. She was only in labor for 2 hours with her previous baby and she lives 45 minutes from your home. You need to be out of your door in 10 minutes. Who is going to care for your children?

2. You get a call at 3:00am that a client is in active labor with contractions 3 minutes apart. She was only in labor for 2 hours with her previous baby and she lives 45 minutes from your home. You need to be out of your door in 10 minutes. Your husband is out of town. Who is going to care for your children?

3. You are with a laboring client; you can’t leave her. Your children have to be picked up from school in an hour. What will you do?

4. You have a 2 month old baby when you begin your apprenticeship. You are sure that you can pump breastmilk for your sitter to feed him. After 3 weeks you realize your milk supply is drying up. What will you do?

5. It is your 5 year old’s birthday and her party is this afternoon. Your preceptor calls and says that a client’s membranes just ruptured and you need to come to the birth center. Explain to your child that you will not be there for her party.

6. You have had 3 births in the past 5 days and have been home for only about 2 hours. You’ve just been called in to the birth center - again. Your children overhear the phone conversation and start crying. What will you say to them?

7. It is Christmas Eve and you have a special family gathering planned in your home. A client who is not due for another 4 weeks calls and reports signs of premature labor. What will you do?

8. You are at a birth and your babysitter calls and says she has run out of the pumped breastmilk you provided to feed your baby. What will you do?

9. You’ve had prenatal exams 1 day this week, and two unexpected, back-to-back births. You have had a total of 4 hours sleep in the past 48 hours. You must leave in the morning to attend the 3 day mandatory workshop and haven’t finished your final assignment, due in 16 hours. Your husband planned a surprise dinner out for you and the kids. How will you keep your family happy, take care of your assignment, and get the sleep you need?

10. Your children received their school grades and your 14 year old has several failing grades. You had no idea he was not been doing his homework and missed an exam. You realize you missed the parent-teacher conference last week due to a birth. What are you going to do?

11. Your sitter just texted you a lovely picture of your baby, sitting up for the first time by herself! Yea! But you missed it, and may miss her first step, or her first word. Are you prepared for this?

Are you employed?

1. You work 5 days per week, Monday – Friday, but must begin your apprenticeship with the only preceptor who was accepting a new apprentice. Your preceptor expects you to work Monday and Wednesday of each week and be on call 24/7. How will you manage to keep your job and fulfill your apprenticeship requirements?

2. You are at work and your preceptor calls to say a client is in labor and you need to come now. Will your employer be OK with your need to leave with no warning?

3. It is the 4th time in 3 weeks that you’ve been called to births while at work. Is your employer still OK with you leaving with no warning?

4. You have been up all night at a birth and are supposed to be at work in an hour. Will your employer be alright with you staying home to get some sleep?

5. Your employer assured you they supported you fully in your desire to go back to school, and understand that births are unpredictable. After 8 months of apprenticeship you have called in 5 times and had to leave work with no warning twice. You are told that as much as they support what you are doing, they need someone who they can rely on to be there. You are told you must choose between your job and your apprenticeship. What will you do?

Other

1. Your husband has taken off work 3 times over the past 2 months to care for your children while you were at births. His boss has written him up; if he calls in another day he will lose his job. What is your back-up plan?

2. Your husband just lost his job. You planned on quitting your job next month to begin your clinical training. School policy is that you must be in your apprenticeship no later than 3 months from now. What will you do?

3. Your husband tells you that he fully supports what you are doing, but he is fed up with you being gone all the time and wants you to “cut back” on your apprenticeship. You know your preceptor expects you to be at every clinical exam and on-call 24/7. You have already tried to study and complete assignments after he is asleep. How will you manage to keep both preceptor and husband happy?

Financial

1. Are you financially able to pay the tuition? Do you have a backup plan in case of unexpected expenses such as medical bills or major auto/home repairs?

2. Can you afford the textbooks? Textbooks often cost more than $100.00 each and can be a significant expense.

3. Can you afford the expenses to travel to each workshop? Hotel, gas, meals?

4. Do you work? Can you afford to take off work for workshops and the mandatory clinical apprenticeship?

5. Do you have children? Can you afford the costs of childcare?

6. Do you have a computer? Do you have the software you will need? Internet?

7. Do you have a reliable car?

Is a self-directed distance program right for me?

1. Do you have reliable internet access? If not, is it available?

2. What is your comfort level in the use of a computer?

• Do you know how to work with files and folders? Do you know how to save documents to your computer and find them later?

• Do you know how to download a file? Do you know how to download and extract zip files?

• Do you know how to upload a document, file, or picture to a website? Do you know how to “attach” a file to an email?

• Do you know how to copy and paste text?

• If the answer to any of the above is no, can you learn? Are you willing to learn?

3. How well do you read? Do you usually understand what you read without any help?

• Are you able to read and follow instructions?

• Are you able to read books and other materials, analyze the materials, and formulate opinions on what you have read?

4. Are you self-motivated? Or do you need someone to remind you of what you need to do?

5. Are you able to prioritize and stick to a plan? Are you able to create a work/study schedule and stick to it?

6. Do you tend to finish your tasks ahead of schedule or on-time? Or do you tend to procrastinate?

7. Are you flexible enough that if the unexpected happens that you can jump right back in to your studies and pick up where you left off?

8. Are you able to complete assignments on your own, with little or no feedback?

9. If you need help with a subject are you comfortable asking for help?

10. Are you able to work independently?

11. Do you have at least a few hours every day to study and complete assignments?

• My answers to homework, quizzes and exams will be my own work (except for assignments that explicitly permit collaboration).

• I will not make solutions to homework, quizzes or exams available to anyone else. This includes both solutions written by me, as well as any official solutions provided by the course staff.

• I will not engage in any other activities that will dishonestly improve my results or dishonestly improve/hurt the results of others.

Important Definitions

Help: Helping another person to find the answer without giving them the answer; assisting one to understand the answer he/she found.

• Explaining a difficult concept to another student

• Say, “Look in Chapter 7 in Varney.”

• Asking a confused student leading questions to provide direction for learning

Collaboration: The act of one or more people working together in order to achieve something; working with others to achieve shared goals; a joint effort of multiple individuals or workgroups to achieve a task or project; working together to find an answer.

• Group projects

• Directions say collaboration is permissible, encouraged, or required

Generally, collaboration is not allowed on homework assignments. If you are unsure about any situation, ask the staff!

Plagiarizing: Representing the words, ideas or work of another person as one’s own and not offering proper citation of the source.

Cheating:

• Giving or receiving, prior to an examination, any unauthorized information concerning the content of that examination

• Referring to or displaying any unauthorized materials inside or outside of the examination room during the course of an examination; this would include looking up answers to questions during an online test if it has been designated a “closed-book” test

• Communicating during an examination in any manner with any unauthorized person concerning the examination or any part of it

• Giving or receiving substantive aid during the course of an examination

• Commencing an examination before the stipulated time or continuing to work on an examination after the announced conclusion of the examination period

• Taking, converting, or concealing any property related to the preparation or completion of assignments, research or examination

• Submitting the same written work to fulfill the requirements for more than one course.

The ATMMTP understands that sometimes there is a fine line between genuine discussion and help, which we encourage, and what might be considered cheating. If you are unsure if the action you are considering is cheating or not cheating, ask!