1. Where did you go to college and what did you major in?

I went to UNC-Greensboro

and received my Bachelor of Science in Nursing. What classes do you think help you

most in your career? Business classes to aid in running a business, for midwifery

doing clinical and being in different environments for births.

2. What is your schedule like most weeks? As a Midwife, I work 2 days in the office and

2-3 24 hour call shifts. Usually 48-60 hours a week if there are births. Does it seem to

stay the same from week to week? Hours vary for being on call if there are no births I

may only see patients in the office for 16 hours. If there are babies when Im on call I

may work 24 full hours but we are off the day after call. This also depends on how

many midwives are in the practice and how many locations you cover. We are a

practice of 3 midwives and cover a hospital and the birth center. Some practices have

6 midwives and call is only 1 day a week.

3. How many babies do you typically deliver per month? 5

10

4. What are some aspects of the job that you did not expect? Some days the long hours,

as a business owner the business side is something Ive had to learn and did not get

enough classes in grad school

5. Are there any downsides to this job that you wish you would have known about? Not

really, I knew going in that working in a small practice and starting a Birth Center

would require long hours.

6. Is there something that you did in the past at any level of education, that is really

helping you in your daily work? I volunteered as a jr volunteer at Lake Norman

Regional Medical Center and feel that really helped me realize that I wanted to be a
nurse

7. What kind of technology is helpful for you to do your job? C

omputer, phone

8. How many hours a week do you usually work? 50-80

9. What are your daily responsibilities? The list is long, I see patients ranging from teens

to menopause as well as prenatal patients. I also run the business which means

meetings, payroll, paying bills, making sure staffing is adequate, Seeing any patients

that may be at the hospital, answer any phone calls that come in from a patient no

matter what time of the day.

10. Why were you interested in pursuing this career? I knew I wanted to become a baby

nurse when I was 5 years old! What was the inspiration behind it? I loved babies!

During my clinical as a RN student I loved my OB rotation and decided that is where I

would work. During my years as a RN, I wanted to know my patients more than just

during my 12 hour work shift. I wanted to know them before they were pregnant and

after they had their baby. This career gives me the opportunity to really care for my

patients and their families.

11. What skills would benefit me when I decide to begin my career? V

olunteering to find

out if it is truly an area you feel called to. Midwifery is a demanding job that is very

rewarding but can be hard on your social and family life.

12. What do you enjoy most about your job? The look when of a mom when she sees her

baby for the 1 st time, the 1 st ultrasound where there is a new life forming, the thank

you for helping us notes, delivering siblings and feeling like you are a part of their
family. I love watching families grow and working with teens that need guidance and

education about their bodies.

13. What happens when you begin a delivery, and it is higher risk than initially expected?

It depends on what is going on. At the birth center we are constantly watching for

anything that may be out of normal, baby heart rate, mom blood pressure, bleeding

after delivery. We have all of the same emergency supplies that the hospital does

except and operating room and blood products. In over 600 births we have only

transported 2 moms by EMS in labor. These were both times them mother chose not

to go to the hospital when suggested.

14. What is the benefit of using a midwife as opposed to an obstetrician? M

idwives are

trained as nurses and are used to sitting and listening to patients. The Midwifery

Model of care is designed involve women in their care. We allow more time during

office visits and really focus on education; allowing the patient to be in charge of her

healthcare. We have a lower c-section rate because we are trained to be patient and

spend time with the family during labor. Obstetricians are trained as surgeons and

often do not have the time to sit and be patient. Midwives are trained in low risk birth

(our specialty) and in most countries Midwives are the primary care giver to women

and obstetricians are only used for high risk or complications. European countries also

have a lower morbidity and mortality rate of moms and babies.

15. Have you always worked in birthing centers or have you worked in other

environments, for example, a hospital? If so which did you prefer and why? I worked in

a hospital for 14 years before becoming a Midwife and started working in the birth
center after graduating with my CNM. I like being able to practice at both locations. I

like the birth center more because it is much quieter, no monitors, IVs, lots of people in

and out of the room. The patient doesnt get asked a lot of questions to be admitted.

The hospital is great for our patients that have high risk problems that need to be

monitored in the hospital. Davis Regional has been great at accommodating our

families who need to be there.