Midwifery/Master's degree collaboration

Baystate Medical Center Midwifery Education Program Curriculum

(download Midwifery Education Program Curriculum pdf)

Course Descriptions

Teaching, Counseling and Health Assessment of Women (2.0 credits)
Explores the different approaches to preparing parents for childbirth, and principles of teaching, learning and adult education. Develops the knowledge and skills necessary to perform health assessments of women throughout the life cycle.

Pharmacology (3.0 credits)
Addresses the principles of pharmaco-therapeutic management in women's health care.

Advanced Ambulatory Pathophysiology I, II, and III (4 credits)
Expands on the basic physiology and pathophysiology of the common health conditions and diseases midwives screen for, diagnose, comanage, and manage. Provides the physiologic framework for the Midwifery Management Process, and is the basis of developing knowledge of treatment and management options. 

Primary Care of Women (1 credits)
Focuses on the management of common health problems in pregnant and non-pregnant women.

Fundamentals in Ambulatory Women's Health (3.0 credits)
Provides the basic knowledge and clinical skills to manage the care of the healthy woman in the outpatient setting.  Care of the woman with an essentially normal pregnancy and gynecologic needs from the interconceptional through postmenopausal period are included, using holistic, family-centered approach.

Advanced Ambulatory Women's Health (3.0 credits)
Builds on the "Foundations of Ambulatory Health" content to include screening and treatment for gynecologic problems and variations from the normal which are commonly seen in pregnancy.  Independent or collaborative management options are presented.

Intrapartum Nurse-Midwifery Management (7.0 credits over 2 semesters)
Focuses on the management of care of normal intrapartum women, including the development of clinical judgment and decision making. Also develops consultative and co-management skills for selected moderate risk patient groups.

Mother/Baby Care (3.0 credits over 2 semesters)
Presents management, support and education of the postpartum woman and normal newborn including the integration of the mother/baby dyad into the family.

Professional Issues and Community Health in Nurse-Midwifery (3.0 credits)
Focuses on the historical and current development of the role and responsibilities of the nurse-midwife. Also, explores issues surrounding delivery of health care to communities, with a special emphasis on underserved groups.

Integration of Nurse-Midwifery Practice (9.0 credits)
A synthesis of all learning within the curriculum emphasizing refinement of skills and management.

Elective/Independent Study

An elective or independent study of up to 2 credits may be taken during January of the second year.  Possibilities might include 2 weeks clinical/intensive Spanish with Projecto ADAMES in the Dominican Republic, shadowing a midwife in out-of-hospital birth, or attaining extra clinical experience

Certification

Upon completion of the Program, students are awarded a certificate in midwifery and become eligible to take the national certifying examination of the American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB) . 

Graduates of this Program will be able to:

1. Utilize a family-centered approach to manage the primary reproductive and gynecologic care of the essentially healthy woman and healthy term neonate.

2. Provide relevant patient education in an understandable and culturally appropriate format.

3. Assume responsibility for their own professional growth and for fostering the professional growth of other midwives.

4. Work effectively with varied racial, ethnic, cultural and socioeconomic populations.

5. Plan, develop, implement and evaluate nurse-midwifery services targeted to improve the health care system for women in vulnerable populations.