The University of Michigan Nurse-Midwifery Service (UMNMS), the second nurse-midwifery practice to be established in the State of Michigan, will celebrate its 20th anniversary this year.

UMNMS has grown from just two midwives to a thriving 7.2 FTE service with 575 deliveries per year. UMNMS staff certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) attend patients at seven sites throughout Ann Arbor.

UMNMS is a “full scope” practice providing antepartum, intrapartum, postpartum, family planning, and primary care services. All staff CNMs are adjunct faculty for the Midwifery Education Program and participate in multidisciplinary research across the University setting.

UMNMS Highlights include:

• 1983 - UMNMS began practice by working at a clinic called “The Corner,” dedicated to the health care of teens.
• 1988 – UMNMS staff began forensic and medical examinations/counseling for sexual assault victims. All UMNMS staff CNMs have been trained and certified by the International Association of Forensic Nurses and are actively engaged in the Mayor’s Task Force for the “Prevention of Violence against Women” in the City of Ann Arbor.
• 1990 - UMNMS CNMs worked with the School of Nursing to develop and support the opening of the Nurse-Midwifery Education Program. Staff are considered adjunct faculty and donate their time to lecture and precept students from UM, CNEP, and Yale in the clinical area.
• 1995 - UMNMS signed a contract to provide prenatal care to women at Planned Parenthood of Mid-Michigan. At that time, it was an innovative program with only a few Planned Parenthood’s across the country to offer this type of care to an “at risk” population with many psycho-social as well as medical problems.
• 1996 - UMNMS added an FTE so that the program could assign a CNM to triage ALL patients entering the labor and delivery area. By assigning a midwife to triage, wait times have decreased thereby increasing efficiency, patient satisfaction, as well as nursing and physician staff satisfaction

UMNMS staff CNMs have been active participants in the planning of the Midwifery Business Institute (MBI). This conference meets the business educational needs of nurse-midwives that are difficult to meet in the education curriculum.

Individual service members embrace the “Heart of Midwifery” through their commitment to quality patient care, student education, research and the planning of educational offerings to all of their midwifery colleagues.