Midwifery Spotlight - May 2010

Have you heard? There’s a new midwifery program in town!

Kristina Chamberlain, CNM, had a chance to interview Kathy Camacho Carr about the new midwifery program at Seattle Univerisity.

What prompted SU to develop a midwifery program?  Did you feel there was an unmet need?

We actually started off surveying prospective students regarding a Doctor of Nursing Practice program.  Survey results supported the College of Nursing graduate program going in several directions including gerontology, midwifery and the DNP.  While UW offers an excellent midwifery program, we did feel that there was an unmet need, particularly for midwives prepared to provide care in low resource settings. The curriculum contains not only the core competencies, but also some essential knowledge and skill related to maternal child health care in the developing world.

Can you describe the program briefly?  How to you feel it is different from other programs in the area/country?

Currently, there are two entry points to the program - one for nurses with either a BSN or bachelor's degree in another field and the second entry point for persons with a bachelor’s degree in another field and a number of prerequisite science courses, called the Advanced Practice Nurse Immersion (APNI).  For nurse-midwifery, the MSN program of study is 8 quarters of study and for the APNI it is 9 quarters.  The first 4 quarters of the APNI program of study contains the nursing courses, equivalent to the nursing content of a BSN. Students are eligible to take the NCLEX-RN after the first four quarters and then proceed to the midwifery courses.

As a program pre-accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education (ACME), the program of study contains all of the required elements.  The curriculum focuses on the care of vulnerable populations, with coursework that focuses on the culturally competent care of diverse women and families, reduction of disparity within the context of local, national and global health.   Several uniquely crafted courses are part of the program of study including Culture, Vulnerability & Nursing, Global Health for Clinicians & Life Saving Skills for Childbearing Women & Infants. In addition, an optional clinical practicum will be available for Transitions to Midwifery Practice, the final clinical course in the program of study, in Ecuador.

Our 20,000 Clinical Performance Lab is another unique aspect of the program.  We will use simulation and standardized patients in the nurse-midwifery curriculum, including simulated birth, postpartum hemorrhage, shoulder dystocia and other obstetrical and neonatal emergencies.  In addition, we will offer simulations for our preceptors' skills updates including shoulder dystocia, neonatal resuscitation and postpartum hemorrhage management.

The progams of study for nurse-midwifery (RN, APNI and Post Masters Certificate) are included on our website at www.seattleu.edu/nursing Click on programs, MSN and scroll down to nurse-midwifery.

A post masters DNP program is currently under development.

What are you looking for in your applicants?

Applicants should have at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, GRE scores, and prerequisites completed.  We do ask applicants to complete a letter of interest.  As part of the application process we do assess their knowledge, interest and commitment to nursing and midwifery, as well as their fit with the mission and values of Seattle University and the College of Nursing.

Can you talk about the faculty, especially the midwives on faculty?

All of the faculty at Seattle University College of Nursing are very supportive of the midwifery option in the graduate program.  Seattle University focuses on excellence in teaching, scholarship and service.  The midwifery faculty are all excellent teachers and experienced clinicians with years of practice in the U.S. and abroad. Terri Clark, CNM, PhD, Martha Goedert, CNM, PhD & Kathy Camacho Carr, CNM, PhD are the current faculty.   You can check out our CVs at www.seattleu.edu/nursing Click on faculty.  We are also recruiting for an additional faculty member. See jobs@seattleu.edu

Where can students get more information?

You can get more information on the website at www.seattleu.edu/nursing or you can attend one of the monthly MSN Information sessions on campus.  The schedule for these events is also on the website.

We are very excited to offer this program of study and we hope to work collaboratively with the midwives and programs in the region, so together we can prepare the midwives we need regionally and globally!  It takes a village to make a midwife!

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If you know of a midwife who deserves to be in the spotlight, please email Kristina Chamberlain at kristinacnm@yahoo.com.