Philosophy

The nurse-midwifery programs at KU endorse and support the philosophy of the American College of Nurse-Midwives and the mission of KU School of Nursing.

It believes:

• nurse-midwifery honors the normalcy of women's lifestyles;
• the best model of health care for a woman and her family is individualized, compassionate and involves a therapeutic relationship between the woman and her midwife;
• education in nurse-midwifery is a lifelong endeavor, carried out through formalized education and individual determination.

Values

The KU Nurse-Midwifery Education Program values formal education that:

• educates students for diverse and changing roles as clinicians, educators, researchers and leaders;
• discovers new knowledge for nursing and health care practice; and
• applies its expertise in service to Kansas and the global community.

Degree Program Objectives

The objectives of the DNP degree with Nurse Midwife Specialty are:

• Integrate theories from nursing, nurse-midwifery, medicine and other disciplines to provide leadership as nurse-midwives in clinical practice, health care systems and in the development of health care policy.
• Apply research utilization skills in various health care delivery systems.
• Synthesize, interpret and apply knowledge from practice, research and theory to promote and sustain evidence-based nurse-midwifery practice.
• Demonstrate professional values as a nurse-midwife, characterized by a commitment to continued learning, ethical decision-making, scholarly work and the capacity to effect desirable change through leadership.
• Communicate and collaborate with colleagues in nurse-midwifery and other disciplines to meet the health needs of diverse client systems in varied health care delivery systems.
• Use information and technology in the development and implementation of programs to evaluate outcomes of care, care systems and quality improvement.
• Function independently within a collaborative interprofessional team to manage and provide care to women throughout the lifespan and their newborns in accordance with the American College of Nurse-Midwives Standards for the Practice of Midwifery.

Certificate Program Objectives

The objectives of the post-graduate nurse midwifery certificate are:

• Integrate theories from nursing, nurse-midwifery, medicine and other disciplines to provide leadership as nurse-midwives in clinical practice, health care systems and in the development of health care policy.
• Synthesize, interpret and apply knowledge from practice, research and theory to promote and sustain evidence-based nurse-midwifery practice.
• Demonstrate professional values as a nurse-midwife, characterized by a commitment to continued learning, ethical decision-making, scholarly work and the capacity to effect desirable change through leadership.
• Communicate and collaborate with colleagues in nurse-midwifery and other disciplines to meet the health needs of diverse client systems in varied health care delivery systems.
• Function independently within a collaborative interprofessional team to manage and provide care to women throughout the lifespan and their newborns in accordance with the American College of Nurse-Midwives Standards for the Practice of Midwifery.