Midwifery

CMW602 (0.5 credit)
Interviewing and Counseling
This is an on-campus intensive course focusing on the skills a midwife requires to successfully communicate with clients. This course will develop basic interviewing and counseling skills that build trust and demonstrate respect for clients. Theory and practice of skills for interviewing and counseling women in all aspects of women’s health care are offered.

CMW604 (3 credits)
Advanced Anatomy and Physiology
This course focuses on the structure of the human body and its mechanical, physical, and biochemical processes. Anatomical and physiological principles necessary for health care professionals are presented. Normal and abnormal structures and processes underlying health and disease are explored with connections made to assessment and diagnosis in the clinical setting.

CMW605 (2 credits)
Professional Issues
This course is designed to provide an appreciation of the history and critical issues in midwifery, as well as the health care field in general. This course will also increase appreciation of the variety of roles that a midwife can play and aid in understanding rights and responsibilities as a midwifery health care provider.

CMW606 (2 credits)
Health and Lifestyles
This course provides an overview of health promotion and public health concepts. The construct of wellness is explored. Lifestyle, relationships, and cultural competence are examined within the context of our own lives and midwifery practice.

CMW607 (4 credits)
Healthcare of Women I
This course presents basic principles and application of well woman care across the life span. Sexuality, menstrual cycle function/dysfunction, common gynecological conditions, family planning and health care promotion are common threads in this course. Content on physiology, health screening and midwifery management of common primary care conditions is presented and explored.

CMW610 (4 credits)
Antepartum Care
This course examines the fundamentals of prenatal care, including the components of prenatal care, criteria for assessing perinatal outcomes, and the application of the midwifery management process in the antepartum period. Theoretical foundations for diagnosis and dating of pregnancy, common discomforts of pregnancy, assessment of pelvic adequacy, assessment of fetal well-being and nutrition in pregnancy are covered in depth.

CMW611 (4 credits)
Intrapartum Care
This course teaches the principles of midwifery for the laboring woman and her family, correlating physiologic processes to the maternal and fetal experiences of labor and birth. Concepts of normal birth and its variations lead to thoughtful analysis of management options.

CMW612 (2.5 credits)
Postpartum/Newborn Care
This course develops the knowledge base for assessing the physical and emotional changes of the postpartum period, breastfeeding, early attachment and parenting behaviors. It provides the knowledge base for understanding the physiology of transition to extrauterine life and early newborn adaptations. Assessments for newborn health, gestational age and attachment behaviors are included.

CMW613 (1 credit)
Embryology and Genetics
This on-campus course will cover basic concepts of genetics including inheritance and genetic disorders. Concepts of embryology will include fertilization, implantation and the embryonic period.

CMW619 (4 credits)
Perinatal Complications
This course examines the fundamentals of perinatal care of complex clients in the antepartum, intrapartum, postpartum and newborn periods. Students will utilize course materials to simulate and problem-solve written cases in a virtual midwifery practice. Midwifery management discussions and peer review will include a variety of topics of frequently seen complications in the perinatal period.
Prerequisites: CMW 610 & CMW 611 or permission of the Program Director

CMW620 (2 credits)
Healthcare of Women II
This course examines the fundamentals of advanced gynecological care. Theoretical foundations for assessment and diagnosis will include: anomalies, alterations and tumors of the reproductive tract; intimate partner violence and addictive disorders; sexual dysfunction and infertility; menstrual cycle disturbances and ectopic pregnancy; infections of the reproductive tract; and multiple systems medical problems.

CMW631 (2 credits)
Well Woman and Maternity Care I
This clinical course consists of supervised clinical practice in the midwifery management of uncomplicated antepartum and well-woman clients needing routine primary care, care for common gynecologic problems and contraception. Students learn consistent and accurate use of the midwifery management process with emphasis on subjective and objective data collection and beginning assessment and plan development. An on-campus skills workshop prepares students for this clinical course and includes risk assessment, development of a needs assessment and problem list, and pertinent hand skills. Additionally, history taking and physical assessment will be reviewed and demonstrated. Microscopy skills will be introduced. Contraceptive techniques will be reviewed.
Prerequisites: Successful completion of on campus session for office skills or permission of the Program Director

CMW632 (3 credits)
Well Woman and Maternity Care II
This clinical course consists of supervised clinical practice in the midwifery management of uncomplicated antepartum and well-woman clients needing routine primary care, care for common gynecologic problems and contraception. Students are expected to continue to demonstrate consistent and accurate use of the midwifery management process with emphasis on independent development of an assessment, plan for, and evaluation of, care. This course consists of continued clinical practice in the midwifery management of uncomplicated antepartum and well woman clients needing routine primary care, care for common gynecologic problems and contraception.
Prerequisites: Well Woman and Maternity Care I

CMW633 (4 credits)
Full Scope Midwifery Care I
This clinical course adds supervised clinical practice in the care of uncomplicated intrapartum, postpartum and newborn clients. Students learn consistent and accurate use of the midwifery management process with emphasis on subjective and objective data collection and beginning assessment and plan development in the care of intrapartum clients. Management of patients experiencing complications/emergencies requiring consultation/referral will be included. Emphasis is also placed on facilitating breast-feeding, positive family bonding, and management of newborns within their families.
Prerequisites: Successful completion of on campus session for birth skills

CMW634 5 credits
Full Scope Midwifery Care
This clinical course consists of supervised clinical practice in full-scope midwifery care in a student role. Students manage uncomplicated and complicated clients needing primary care, gynecologic, intrapartum and perinatal care. Students continue to demonstrate consistent and accurate use of the midwifery management process with emphasis on independent assessments, planning, implementation and evaluation of care, consultation and referral.
Prerequisites: Full Scope Midwifery Care I

CMW635 (3 credits)
Basic Health Care Skills
This course is an introduction to common health care skills and knowledge used in clinical practice. Presentation of self as care provider to diverse clientele with respect for human rights is emphasized. Contents include but are not limited to vital sign measurement and interpretation, infection control, sterile technique, wound care, urinary catheterization, venipuncture, fetal and uterine external monitoring application, emergency response procedures, therapeutic presence and communication, and skills in team building and patient advocacy. Medical terminology, written and electronic medical records and basic laboratory assessments will be reviewed. Practice and successful return demonstration of selected skills will be done at the student’s first on campus experience after completion of this course.

CMW636 (3 credits)
Environments of Health Care
The effects of various environments of care on social dynamics between health care providers and patients will be explored. Theories of stress and coping and shared leadership will be addressed. Environments examined will include: home, office/clinic, hospital/health care institution, and care in place – disaster/emergency care. Available resources in each environment and the evidence supporting their use or misuse will be discussed. Observational clinical experiences in a variety of environments will be described and analyzed via reflective journals and asynchronous seminar discussion. Midwifery role and scope of practice in the various environments will be highlighted. Identifying local health care providers and resources for future practice referrals situates midwifery care in a system which provides for needs of women and their families ranging from simple to complex.

CMW637 (3 credits)
Health and Illness in Clinical Practice
This course will examine concepts of health and illness at various stages of human development. The midwifery model of care and the midwifery management process will be introduced as frameworks guiding care practices. Wellness care and complementary integrated approaches will be discussed. Selected common health alterations at every life phase will be explored, with emphasis on the midwife’s role for independent or collaborative management or referral. The plan of care for these clients – including further testing or assessment, therapeutics and educational needs - will be examined. Problem based learning scenarios will serve as the stimulus for identifying learning needs and developing midwifery care strategies.

CMW638 (2.5 credits)
Advanced Pharmacology I
This course is a comprehensive course in pharmacology for women’s health care. The language of pharmacology and the principles of pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics serve as the foundation for the course. Major classifications of agents that are covered in the course include: hormones, antimicrobials, analgesia and anesthesia, over-the-counter drugs. Prescription writing, including legal and ethical aspects, is covered as well.

CMW639 (0.5 credit)
Advanced Pharmacology II
This course is second in a two-part series in pharmacology for women’s health care. Concepts and issues in drug prescription for pregnant women and their newborns are presented. Changes in pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics during pregnancy are reviewed. Major classifications of agents covered in the course include: vitamins and minerals; uterotonins/uterotropins; and drugs administered to newborns.
Prerequisites: CMW638

CMW640 (1 credit)
Preparation for Full Scope Midwifery Practice
This on-campus course explores issues in midwifery practice including: the role, rights and responsibilities of the midwife in the clinical practice setting; the legal, ethical and financial realities of professional midwifery practice; alternatives in full scope midwifery care with examples from experts; and environments of midwifery care including home, hospital and birth center settings. Students take a closer look at one birth center model of childbearing care by spending time on site. Content covered in this visit includes: 1) the history, philosophy and development of the birth center movement in the United States and 2) the accreditation and needs assessment process.

CMW699 (3 credits)
Advanced Physical Assessment
This course is designed for the individual preparing to begin a midwifery program of study. Midwives are often a woman’s first contact with the health care system. Women seek care from midwives not only during the childbearing cycle, but for family planning and well woman health care throughout the adult life cycle. As primary care providers for women, midwives will use these skills of clinical assessment daily. The knowledge and skills required for comprehensive health assessment of the adult female are extensive and complex. Experienced clinicians continue to learn and develop these skills as they meet the changing health care needs of their clients. At the completion of this course the student will have the knowledge and skills in physical assessment of the adult female to provide clinical services at a beginning level.

MMW712 (3 credits)
Health Policy
The focus of this required course is federal health policy development, analysis and implementation and the role of the health care provider in influencing health policy in the United States. The student will study public health policy to understand the basics of the policy making process and to attain a beginning knowledge of how to influence health policies. The course will focus on women’s and infants’ health issues as examples of broader issues in health policy.

MMW720 (3 credits)
Critical Inquiry I
Critical Inquiry I is a required course that provides the foundations of research and critical inquiry as it applies to the evaluation of scientific evidence. The course will cover the following areas: the scientific method and its limitations; multiple ways of knowing; the ethics of research; defining problems, questions, and hypotheses; conceptual analysis, constructs and theory-building as they pertain to clinical practice and research. The course will provide an overview of the research process, and the student will apply this knowledge in the development of Chapters 1 and 2 of a research proposal. Midwifery contributions to the scientific literature will be highlighted as examples.
Prerequisite: Basic Statistics

MMW721 (3 credits)
Critical Inquiry II
Critical Inquiry II is a required course that provides a special focus on research methods and their applications in clinical research and evidence-based practice. Steps in developing a research proposal, a research report and an evidence-based clinical protocol are presented. Students will be expected to continue their work on a problem or question relating to midwifery practice and/or women’s health, critically analyze the literature, place the issue in a theoretical context, and develop an appropriate methodology to study the issue. Students may prepare a research proposal, a manuscript for publication, a grant proposal, or an evidence-based clinical protocol for the final project or may serve as a research apprentice to an experienced researcher working on a midwifery or women’s health issue or as an intern to a national midwifery organization working on research related projects that advance the profession of midwifery. Students may elect to continue their research and complete a thesis in a three-credit elective course.
Prerequisite: MMW720

MMW722 (3 credits)
Introduction to Clinical Administration
This elective course provides students with the knowledge to understand the factors that influence the success and viability of midwifery practices. The effects of the changing health care environment on primary health care providers will be explored. Particular attention will be paid to current issues in the health care system. The course will examine the startup of a clinical practice either as an entrepreneurial entity or within an existing organization. Emphasis will be placed on a beginning understanding of financial accounting statements and business plans used in the health care industry. Students will explore the influence of political/economic milieus within and around the practice organization. In addition, students will learn practical techniques in order to develop beginning abilities in conflict resolution and contract negotiation.

MMW723 (3 credits)
Advanced Clinical Practice
This elective course is a guided independent study in advanced clinical practice. In consultation with the faculty, the student will identify a specific area of clinical practice (for example, caring for women with gestational diabetes). Intensive, focused study in this content area will be facilitated. Experiences relevant to the student’s area of interest will be sought in the clinical setting. Reflection on the student’s own transformation from novice to expert will be included.

MMW724 (3 credits)
Introduction to Teaching Methods
This elective course provides an introduction to teaching methods useful for midwifery educators in academic and clinical settings. Fundamentals of adult education will be reviewed. Concepts particular to midwifery education will be explored. Examination of how to identify and reach educational goals will be included for traditional models, distance education and in the clinical setting. The process of identification of student learning issues and problem solving will be included.

MMW725 (3 credits)
Issues in Reproductive Health in Developing Nations
This course will present current trends and the range/impact of problems in reproductive health in the developing world. Students will explore the context and consequences of reproductive health problems, common intervention strategies, and the critical role of health care consultants to developing countries. The class will gain an understanding of the appropriate preparation, roles, and responsibilities of international health care consultants. As an outcome of this course, the student will be prepared to predict the potential impact of unmet reproductive health care needs in developing countries and evaluate proposed interventions.