Nurse-Midwifery Education Program
Emory University
Atlanta, Georgia

The Nurse-Midwifery Education Program admitted the first group of students in 1977 and graduated that first group of eight students in August, 1978. Since that time, we have admitted new students each year and have graduated almost 300 students, practicing around the world from Ghana to Haiti to Yemen. Our program is the only nurse-midwifery education program in the state of Georgia. We have students coming to Emory from all over the United States. We have diversified our student population by reaching out to women of color and those from rural areas.

All of the Certified Nurse-Midwife faculty are members of the American College of Nurse-Midwives and all have been inducted as Fellows of the College. (FACNM) These three faculty members have taught and practiced together sine 1984. These faculty have consistently maintained hands on labor support for their patients and have embraced the art of midwifery. This is demonstrated for students so that they really do understand the concept of “with women”.

Our program has always been a leader in innovation. We added ethics to our curriculum long before ethics was a required course. Genetics has been a large part of our curriculum as well as primary care of women which we started before primary care was included in the core competencies. We developed a dual degree MSN/MPH program in order to give our students the tools to make a difference in their communities. We have also developed a dual FNP/NMW program which prepares the student to provide primary care to the woman and her family. Students have participated in alternate spring break trips to Jamaica and the Bahamas where they have cared for the underserved populations in these countries. Our students have also participated in a migrant farm workers program in rural Georgia, providing care to this forgotten population.

We have added more and more simulation experience for each student in order to provide hands on experience prior to caring for patients. Students are being introduced to Centering pregnancy prenatal care and are helping to conduct the group sessions. It is our hope that this experience will motivate the graduates to incorporate this method of prenatal care in their practices, especially in rural and underserved areas. The students also participate in group sessions for women housed in a homeless shelter, in downtown Atlanta. These sessions, planned by the students, were self-esteem teach-in/learn-in sessions. Participants were asked to journal what they liked about themselves as a method of self-esteem building.

We are passionate about our careers and our profession and strive to impart this sense of the heart and art of midwifery to our students. We know we are successful when we see our graduates making a difference in so many women’s lives and it makes us thankful that the profession will continue in such good hands!