Myth of the Ordinary Midwife Part 2
Myth of Ordinary Midwife Part 2
After decades of effort by the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM), CNMs/CMs continue to be adversely affected by historical myth and modern legend, which affect the public profiles of modern midwives.
Medical and Midwifery Burnout - Part 3(a)
Abuse of power within hierarchical structures is nothing new. We are see it in our news feeds everyday. Hospital corporate entities are structuredaround a traditional hierarchy, particularly relating to the hiring, supervision, advancement, and responsibilities of professional healcare providers.
Substance and Structure of Midwifery Practice
“ Why would
anyone
want to go to a midwife?” These were the first words from a physician in-law on the day we met. I was accustomed to a different question: “Why did you
want
to be a midwife?”
To Err Is Human: To Sleep Divine
With the possible exception of airline pilots, air-traffic controllers, parents of newborns and owls, registered nurses working night shifts and advanced practice providers with demanding on-call responsibilities, tend to experience unprecedented levels of sleep deprivation from their career choices.
Working Relationships in Midwifery Practice: Clinical Encounters of the Dysfunctional Kind: Part 2
Situation
Unfortunately, the long history of friction between CNMs and RNs on labor and delivery will probably not resolve any time, soon. Accept that this dysfunctional dynamic may remain inherent in the culture of care on many L&D Units. Unhealthy cultures of care transcend State lines and territorial boundaries, capable of reaching every hospital labor and delivery unit in the United States.
Medical and Midwifery Burnout Part 2
One well-documented aspect of work stress that destroys a sense of well-being and confidence for hospital midwives is the aura of hostility and disrespect toward midwives on many labor and delivery units.
Medical and Midwifery Burnout - Part 1
Medical and Midwifery Burnout - Part 1
Unfortunately, striving for our professional place in healthcare may come with a steep price, not the least of which is basic recognition. Forget gratification or peace-of-mind. Burnout in healthcare has been documented for years. Signs and symptoms include: exhaustion, depression, work-life conflict, diminishing joy, and physical and mental stress, to name just a few. We all know what it is.
Two Basic Legal Concepts Impacting Certified Nurse-Midwifery Practice
There are two areas of the law in the United States, Criminal Law and Civil Law. Criminal law applies to legal issues in the public sector, and civil law applies to violations in private matters, typically between individuals.
Attorney Advertising - Personal Injury
For many years, some personal injury attorneys’ websites have advertised for business in varying forms of media, attempting to alert and attract those clients who may have suffered injuries at the hands of medical professionals. Midwives have always been a popular target since the profession is frequently maligned and misunderstood. What better profession to target when mining for potential economic windfalls?
Mid-level Mortification
Years ago, I worked in a hospital-owned and administrated Certified Nurse-Midwifery group. Practice meetings occurred, periodically, to discuss administrative concerns and other pertinent issues regarding patient care in our clinic. One particular meeting was assembled to meet and welcome a new hospital CEO who was making rounds on the various clinics and departments. Executives had a tendency to come and go in this hospital so these meetings were not a new experience for our group. I have no clear memory of other meetings that I attended, but this one stands out.
A History of “Nurse” in Nurse-Midwife
Nurse-Midwifery was introduced to the United States from England in 1926 in response to a need for maternity services in the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky.
Awareness of Legal Risk In Midwifery Practice
Awareness of Legal Risk In Midwifery Practice
When any of us embark on a career, especially in the healthcare professions, we do not expect to spend time in a courtroom, someday, accused of negligence and forced to defend the care we have provided. I do not support a position that the risk of being sued for medical or midwifery negligence should be, obsessively, on our minds.
Normalization Of Deviance
Countless serious medical errors can occur everyday in practice despite knowing that what we are doing is wrong. Egregious errors, committed by even careful and committed professionals, may be habitual, normalized over time, and dangerous.
Nurse-Midwifery Care and Support of Patients With Fetal Loss Before 20 Weeks Gestation
As Certified Nurse-Midwives and Certified Midwives, many of us in hospital practice have been present for our patients who have spontaneously miscarried or the pregnancy failed weeks before a significantly pre-term fetus could possibly survive outside of its mother's womb.
Personal and Professional Documents Which May Be Required in Nurse-Midwifery Litigation
During the process of litigation, there is a designated time period when plaintiffs, defendants, and certain other participants will exchange discovery documents.
The Obstetrical Malpractice Trial - Part 1
Obstetrical claims are the largest source of indemnification payments made by hospitals and insurance companies. Attorneys for Plaintiffs will emphasize a care provider's failure to anticipate the occurence of a non-routine event; like Shoulder Dystocia. The defense will insist that the injuring event is unpredictable and, therefore, unpreventable.
Working Relationships in Midwifery Practice: Clinical Encounters of the Dysfunctional Kind
From the time that midwives stepped foot on the labor units of American hospitals, there has been an ongoing tendency toward conflict and miscommunication between nurses and midwives existing together in the magical world of childbirth.
Nurses On Trial: Malpractice Issues in OB Nursing
Aside from the field of Obstetrics, no other specialty in medicine or nursing must attend to two patients at once; one or more contained within the body of the other.
Frivolous Lawsuits
In the savage world of litigation, lawsuits filed without factual basis in law, or lacking good faith, are regarded as frivolous. In the context of serious harm, death, and damages, this is a particularly ridiculous adjective to describe claims that are serious and potentially damaging. If there are legitimate injuries and reasonable claims, a negligence filing is not frivolous.
Unhealthy Cultures of Care
Many Certified Nurse-Midwives and Certified Midwives will seek employment with hospital corporate systems that may be new to them.