Nurse-Midwifery Program Receives Full Accreditation

The Board of Review of the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education recently granted the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Nursing Nurse-Midwifery Program the maximum term for initial accreditation of five years.

“Our nurse-midwifery graduates will be able to have a powerful impact on the health and well-being of mothers and babies throughout the West Texas region and beyond,” said Interim Program Director and Assistant Professor Christine Stuart, CNM, MSN, WHNP-BC.

A certified nurse-midwife is an expert in normal pregnancy, birth, postpartum and newborn health care, as well as primary health care for women. Nurse-midwives are advanced practice nurses and work in hospitals, birthing centers, private practices and home settings.

The Nurse-Midwifery Program, was established in 2010, and can be taken part-time or full-time and leads to a Master of Science Degree in Nursing. The program includes distance education courses, simulation and clinical experiences. Students receive clinical experience at health care facilities throughout Texas and in New Mexico.

The increasing complexity of health care and the public’s expectation regarding health services requires nurses who have advanced practice skills and can provide leadership in improving the quality of care. Nurse-midwifery graduates and those receiving certification critically appraise and use the best evidence to deliver care with optimal outcomes.

“There is a growing interest in the Nurse-Midwifery Program at the TTUHSC School of Nursing as students see opportunities to provide care for women and their infants and to improve the health of our community and nation,” said Emily Merrill, Ph.D., R.N., FNP, professor and department chair for nurse practitioner and nurse-midwifery studies, and The CH Foundation Endowed Professorship in Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Studies.

The first graduating class of nurse-midwives included three graduates who passed the national certification exam. All graduates of the first class are practicing in Texas. The Nurse-Midwifery Program fosters and promotes the well-being and promotion of patient-entered care of women throughout the reproductive life span and beyond. Nurse Midwives emphasize care surrounding normal birth, care of infants during first 28 days of life, primary care of women, family planning and health promotion.

Currently 75 percent of all School of Nursing graduate students choose nurse practitioner or nurse-midwifery tracks. From 1992 to 2012, approximately 750 students graduated from the school’s advanced practice registered nursing programs.

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