With women, for a lifetimeTM Commendation
Nurse-Midwifery Practice University of Illinois
Medical Center at Chicago
The Nurse-Midwifery Practice at the University of Illinois Medical Center (UIMC) at Chicago respectfully applies for the ACNM With women, for a lifetime, Golden Commendation. We substantiate our application with the following achievements:
Longevity- Started in 1981 by the UIC Nurse-Midwifery faculty as an outpatient obstetrical service.
Responsibility shifted for the practice to nurse-midwives hired by the University of Illinois Hospital in 1983. - Expanded practice to Teen Obstetric and Family Planning Clinic, plus postpartum care and obstetrical triage practice, by 1988.
- Signed practice agreements to expand the UIMC Nurse-Midwifery Practice to intrapartum care, thus achieving full scope practice in 1990.
- Credentialed and privileged as staff associates in the UIMC Medical Staff in 1991.
Twenty-five Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs) provide full scope health care for women in five community clinics and two campus offices, and in one partnership with a community hospital, Saint Elizabeth's Hospital. Forty percent of women admitted to the University of Illinois Birthrooms began their prenatal care with a UIMC CNM.
Innovations
- Made full-scope nurse-midwifery care the standard for obstetrical services in a Federally Qualified Health Center in 1991.
- Partnered with the Chicago Department of Public Health in 1994 to provide nurse-midwifery care in city health centers - the first Chicago nurse-midwifery practice to partner.
- Developed innovative women's health education including a Preteen/Mother Brunch, Osteoporosis screening in the workplace, and classes with topics ranging from preparing for pregnancy to menopause.
- Began Centering Pregnancy prenatal care model in community health centers.
The UIMC Nurse-Midwifery practice brings innovative health care to women in the community. The practice has significantly impacted on UIMC, which has the lowest Cesarean Section rate in Chicago and one of the lowest in Illinois. UIMC also has one of the best vaginal birth after cesarean section (VBAC) rates in the state.
Access to Care
- Partners with the Chicago Department of Public Health to provide full scope nurse-midwifery care to Latina women in two Chicago community health centers.
- Created a collaborative relationship with Saint Elizabeth's Hospital, a Chicago community hospital.
- Partners with a social service agency to provide full-scope nurse-midwifery care in a Chicago community with the highest infant mortality rates.
- Partners with one University-affiliated and one independent Federally Qualified Health Center on the west side of Chicago to provide full-scope nurse-midwifery practice.
The UIMC Nurse-Midwifery Practice has increased access to quality women's health care throughout the city of Chicago. The hallmark of our practice is serving the women of Chicago communities.
Nurse-Midwifery Education
- All practice members are non-salaried clinical instructors in the University of Illinois at Chicago's (UIC) Nurse-Midwifery graduate program, which is rated 3rd best program in the U.S.A.
- Activities of the clinical instructors range from preceptor and lecturer to curriculum development.
As the primary educational site for graduate students in Nurse-Midwifery, nurse-midwifery education is a primary mission of the UIMC practice, and has been since our inception.
Finally, the UIMC Nurse-Midwifery Practice exhibits the "Heart of Midwifery" in many ways. Twice a year, practice members attend a retreat to refresh their practice and their commitment to midwifery through a variety of activities that range from continuing education to team building. Members are encouraged to take a role in planning activities that are generated by perceived needs of the practice. All CNMs in the UIMC Nurse-Midwifery Practice are members of ACNM, and many have held offices in ACNM Chapter IV-2. The practice has supported a variety of its members' professional activities that contributed to successful APN legislation in Illinois. Innovations and dreams are always present, and ongoing activities reflect projects that range from changing the birthing environment to educating women about alternative menopause therapies.
