About the Nurse-Midwifery Program

Purpose Of The Nurse-midwifery Program

The purpose of the Nurse-Midwifery concentration at East Carolina University College of Nursing is to prepare professional nurses as safe, reflective, and competent practitioners of nurse-midwifery who meet the standards for certification by the American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB).

Mission of the Nurse-Midwifery Concentration

The mission of the Nurse-Midwifery education program at East Carolina University is to improve the health of individuals and families by preparing nurse-midwives to provide evidence-based, respectful care across the reproductive and lifespan continuum. The program is committed to cultivating midwives who are skilled, compassionate, and capable of practicing in a wide range of communities and settings.

We prepare graduates to lead with professionalism, accountability, and a deep understanding of person-centered care. Through rigorous education, clinical training, and reflective practice, our program fosters midwifery leaders who contribute to the transformation of healthcare systems,  develop meaningful partnerships, and advance the midwifery profession.

Philosophy of the Nurse-Midwifery Concentration

The Nurse-Midwifery faculty accepts and endorses the philosophies of both East Carolina University College of Nursing and the American College of Nurse-Midwives.  We believe nurse-midwives care for patients in the first 28 days of life and from menarche to death using a patient and family-centered focus. We respect the dignity, individuality, and diversity of all people and encourage self-determination and active participation in health care decision-making among our clients.

We honor the normalcy of life events and support physiologic care and transitions within a health care system that provides for interprofessional consultation, collaboration, and referral.

We believe in graduate-level midwifery education as the foundation for professional midwifery practice. We value lifelong individual learning and the use of high-quality research evidence to promote best practices in midwifery care at the community, state, national, and international levels.

As adult learners and professional nurses, nurse-midwifery students possess varied knowledge foundations and experiential backgrounds.  We believe that student learning is enhanced through face-to-face learning experiences, distance learning technology, and individualized clinical experiences.  These pedagogical methods promote professional growth through the development of critical thinking, self-directedness, self-evaluation, and self-corrective behaviors.

As educators, we believe that education is a transformative process and that both educators and learners are stakeholders in the learning process. We believe that education should not be unidimensional in context or approach; a balanced approach using different learning paradigms such as science, spirituality, culture, technology, and the arts should be employed.

Objectives for Student Outcomes

Upon completion of the ECU College of Nursing Nurse-Midwifery program graduates will be able to:

  1. Lead and collaborate with an interprofessional team to develop a comprehensive patient-centered plan of care that fosters quality and safety.
  2. Develop an engaged professional identity through continued learning, ethical decision making, scholarly work and service.
  3. Formulate strategies to advance population health including the vulnerable and rural underserved people.
  4. Critically examine evidence to advance professional practice, education and leadership.
  5. Integrate theories and research from nursing, natural and social sciences to guide clinical practice, lead nursing systems and advance education.
  6. Utilize information systems technology to synthesize data and inform evidence-based practice, guidelines, and policies.

The midwifery program uses the ACNM Core Competencies for Basic Midwifery Education to guide the midwifery curriculum. The following Hallmarks of Midwifery are part of the core competencies and are considered outcomes for the midwifery student regardless of whether they are earning an MSN or a Post Master’s Certificate.

Hallmarks of Midwifery

The art and science of midwifery are characterized by the following hallmarks:

  1. Recognition, promotion, and advocacy of menarche, pregnancy, birth, and menopause as normal physiologic and developmental processes
  2. Advocacy of non-intervention in physiologic processes in the absence of complications
  3. Incorporation of evidence-based care into clinical practice
  4. Promotion of person-centered care for all, which respects and is inclusive of diverse histories, backgrounds, and identities
  5. Empowerment of women and persons seeking midwifery care as partners in health care
  6. Facilitation of healthy family and interpersonal relationships
  7. Promotion of continuity of care
  8. Utilization of health promotion, disease prevention, and health education
  9. Application of a public health perspective
  10. Utilizing an understanding of social determinants of health to provide high-quality care to all persons including those from underserved communities
  11. Advocating for informed choice, shared decision making, and the right to self- determination
  12. Integration of cultural safety into all care encounters
  13. Incorporation of evidence-based integrative therapies
  14. Skillful communication, guidance, and counseling
  15. Acknowledgment of the therapeutic value of human presence
  16. Ability to collaborate with and refer to other members of the interprofessional health care team
  17. Ability to provide safe and effective care across settings including home, birth center, hospital, or any other maternity care service

Accreditation

Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education

The Nurse-Midwifery master’s concentration is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education, 2000 Duke Street, Suite 300 Alexandria, Virginia 2231 support@theacme.org (703) 835-4565 www.theacme.org.

Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education

The East Carolina University College of Nursing is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), 655 K Street, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791.

North Carolina Board of Nursing

The College of Nursing is approved by the North Carolina Board of Nursing, P.O. Box 2129, Raleigh, NC 27602-2129, 919-782-3211.