KU Nurse-Midwifery students celebrate National Midwifery Week

Oct 8, 2009

At a time when the nation is searching for ways to improve access to high-quality primary care, preventive and wellness services, many certified nurse-midwives are finding themselves in a profession that can help.

Midwives are primary care providers specializing in pregnancy, birth and the health needs of women throughout the lifespan. And every year, schools and organizations celebrate National Midwifery Week to honor the dedicated certified nurse-midwives and certified midwives who offer their skills and compassion to the millions of women and families they serve.

At the University of Kansas School of Nursing, faculty and students of the Nurse-Midwifery Education Program observed the week by hearing from Sheila Roth, CNM. She discussed her long history in midwifery and her including her previous experience as a homebirth midwife. Roth has been a Certified Nurse-Midwife since 1994 and has worked in the Missouri and Greater Metropolitan Kansas City area for many years. With an emphasis on nutrition and preventative medicine, Roth encourages a holistic approach and informed decision making in the health care choices of her patients.

“We chose Sheila to speak to our students because of her dynamic personality, devotion to the profession and willingness to teach the next generation of midwives,” said Terrah Stroda, CNM, ARNP, clinical instructor and midwifery program faculty.

Pictured from left: Melissa Conard, Megan Shepard, Julie O'Neil, Krysta Ramirez-Henry, Sheila Roth, Sarah Darby and Jessica Liesveld.

Certified nurse-midwives in Kansas and Missouri have graduate education from a pre-accredited or accredited university, a state board of nursing license, must pass a rigorous national exam conducted for the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) and must have continuing competency to practice as an advanced practice nurse, dually recognized by Kansas and Missouri state boards of nursing.

The Class of 2009 cared for more than 7,222 women in routine prenatal, gynecologic, family planning or primary care encounters; managed the labor of more than 400 mothers; and attended the births of more than 387 babies. The practice settings for the class of 2009 included Federally Qualified Health Centers, local health departments, private OB/GYN practices, rural health clinics, free-standing birth centers, the Indian Health Service, tertiary care centers, a military Army hospital and many hospitals in the Greater Kansas City area.

The KU Certified Nurse-Midwifery program, a master's and post-master's certificate program, began in 1999 with a $1.2 million Federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant to provide pregnancy and well-woman care to a full range of culturally diverse women in the Greater Kansas City area and the state of Kansas, especially to women who are medically underserved. To date, 40 students have completed the KU Nurse-Midwifery Program, six students will graduate May 2010 and 15 students are currently enrolled in the Nurse-Midwifery track. Across the country, there are 39 Accredited Education Programs where approximately 400 students per year complete master's degrees in midwifery education.