Boston College launches master's degree in nurse-midwifery
The Boston College Connell School of Nursing has launched a new master of science degree program in nurse-midwifery, the only such program in Eastern Massachusetts. The program will produce nurse-midwives capable of responding to the nationwide shortage of obstetric care providers and addressing the maternal mortality crisis in the United States.
Certified nurse-midwives are advanced practice clinicians with expertise of care during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. They care for patients from adolescence throughout the lifespan as well as for newborns during the first month of life.
Connell School Nurse-Midwifery Program Director Katharine Hutchinson
“I can’t think of a better profession than being a nurse-midwife,” said CSON Associate Professor of the Practice Katharine Hutchinson, director of BC’s nurse-midwifery program. “You get to be present with people at some of their most vulnerable moments and ensure that they are getting the most respectful, clinically excellent, evidence-based, and personalized care that everyone deserves, regardless of their background.”
Nurse-midwives also support vulnerable communities through health education, health promotion, and risk assessment and management. According to Hutchinson, nurse-midwives fill gaps in access to care that most directly impact populations with poor health outcomes.
“Nurse-midwives are crucial to addressing the crisis of maternal mortality we have in this country,” said Hutchinson, who has been a nurse-midwife for 20 years. Research from the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that globally the U.S. has the worst maternal mortality rate of high-income countries.
According to the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, midwifery is the standard of care in high-income countries with better maternal and neonatal outcomes than those found in the U.S.
“In addition to providing gynecologic care, midwives are advocates for their patients. It’s been shown that having a certified nurse-midwife on a patient’s care team improves outcomes while reducing perinatal health disparities,” she said. “Midwifery has never been more relevant than it is today.”
Certified Nurse Midwife Julia Dickinson with a patient and newborn at Mt. Auburn Hospital.
Pre-accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education, the CSON M.S. in Nurse-Midwifery program will enroll its first students in May. BC’s program is fully in-person, with degree completion possible in 24 months. There are fewer than 50 accredited nurse-midwifery programs in the entire U.S.
“We at the Connell School of Nursing are thrilled to be able to offer this new master’s degree in nurse-midwifery,” said CSON Dean Katherine Gregory. “Since 1947, the Connell School has been dedicated to ensuring academic excellence in nursing education, and the graduates of the nurse-midwifery program will use their education, skills, and compassion to provide evidence-based and uniformly excellent care that addresses an unmet need among patients, their families, and the wider community.
CSON nurse-midwifery program faculty member Thamarah Crevecoeur
The Connell School is partnering with Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge and Mattapan Community Health Center, among other health care settings, for clinical placements for its nurse-midwifery students.
CSON Associate Professor of the Practice Thamarah Crevecoeur, a faculty member in BC’s nurse-midwifery master’s program, is a certified nurse-midwife at Mattapan Community Health Center. Fluent in Haitian Creole and French, she cares for immigrants from Haiti and other parts of the Caribbean.
“Nurse-midwifery at BC is about advocating for our patients and ensuring the best possible outcomes,” said Crevecoeur.
In support of that objective, the Connell School has received a $1 million grant from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to establish the Birthworker Equity in Education (BEE) Collaborative. The collaborative’s goal is to improve pregnancy and birth outcomes by providing midwifery student mentoring and coursework focused on health equity and optimal health outcomes during pregnancy and birth; strengthening birth workers’ skills and promoting midwifery growth across Massachusetts; and creating a clinical education site at Mattapan Community Health Center for group prenatal and postpartum care.