The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate among wealthy nations. Over 80% of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. are preventable. According to national data, 1,200 women around the U.S. die of pregnancy complications per year, while another 50,000 have life-threatening complications, and maternal mortality happens with women of color three to four times more than it does with Caucasian women.

In this interactive session, we will explore best practices for depression screening and care, application of the Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) model to normalize depression screening, and holistic treatment planning for diverse individuals using a Shared Decision Making model.

Join FNU’s nurse-midwifery faculty as we explore the roles, experiences, joys, and challenges of a career as a Certified Nurse-Midwife. We will discuss the path nurses can take to advanced practice nursing and what to expect once they get there. Come prepared with your questions about a career in nurse-midwifery.

This keynote session is presented by Dr. Crystal Pirtle Tyler.

The U.S. has a complex history with race and reproduction, which has led to negative health outcomes for women and other birthing people of color. As reproductive and maternal health practitioners, we have a role to do no harm, but what does that really mean? And how do we grapple with historic harms whose effects still manifest today? This talk provides historical context on reproductive oppression and discuss our role in advancing reproductive and maternal health equity today.

This session is presented by FNU faculty members Dr. Jeneen Lomax and Dr. Eileen Thrower.

Are you considering becoming a nurse-midwife? Find out about FNU’s nurse-midwifery education program and hear about the joys and challenges of being a student and life as a midwife.

This session is presented by moderator Dr. Cathy Collins-Fulea and a panel of FNU faculty and alumni.

Join us for an impactful panel presentation hosted in collaboration with FNU’s IHI Open School Chapter. Hear stories of FNU’s mission in action through visual storytelling as nurse-midwifery alumni and faculty share their community projects and initiatives for serving diverse, rural and underserved populations. We hope you will be inspired by these real-life examples of quality improvement and community impact and leave with ideas to take back to your own community.

This free CE session is presented by FNU alumnus Daisy Goodman, DNP, MPH, CNM, CARN-AP.

Creating a Culture of Respectful Care for Pregnant and Postpartum People with Substance Use Disorders: Implementing the 2021 Alliance for Innovation in Maternal Health (AIM) Safety Bundle

In this interactive session, we will explore key elements, implementation guidance, and metrics associated with the 2021 revision of the Alliance for Innovation in Maternal Health (AIM) Care of Pregnant and Postpartum People with Substance Use Disorders Patient Safety Bundle.

This session is presented by FNU assistant professor and course coordinator Dr. Charlotte Morris.

During this educational session you will be inspired to take action and implement change in your own practice or work environment to build a culture that is inclusive and caring for all.

This session is presented by moderator Dr. Tia Andrighetti and FNU faculty co-presenters.

Creating a Culture of Innovative Quality Improvement – Tools for Practicing CNMs to Implement at Your Birth Setting

Births can be unpredictable and midwives need to be prepared for events that may not happen often, but that can have deleterious effects on our clients. In order to keep these skills honed, we need to practice reacting in the moment to complications. This can be done with simulations. The Joint Commission also requires that birth settings simulate these events with their staff. Come join Frontier Nursing University for some information about the use of simulation as a quality improvement technique. We will share a birth complications simulation with you and you will spend some time working with peers to tailor this to your birth setting leaving the session with a take home simulation you can implement.

This session is for current midwifery students or anyone who is considering nurse-midwifery. Get the inside scoop from current midwifery students about their experiences as an FNU student.

This session is presented by FNU Assistant Professor Dr. Heather Clarke and FNU President Dr. Susan Stone

It is well known that maternal and infant mortality affects black and indigenous women at a much higher rate than other races. Racism is the core of the problem. How do we rebuild systems that are based on structural racism and put strategies in place to start to build true change. This session will review the issues related to health care disparities and discuss how midwives can engage in meaningful strategies for change.

This session is presented by FNU faculty members Dr. Ruth Ellen Elsasser and Dr. Ana Verzone

This session will provide a review of the most common conventional and evidence-based integrative medicine interventions used during perimenopause and menopause.

This session is presented by FNU faculty members Dr. Tanya Belcheff, Dr. Cassie Belzer, Dr. Judith Butler, Martha Harvey, Dr. Audrey Perry and Heidi Loomis.

This session will provide an overview of telehealth from a midwifery perspective with special emphasis on the areas of patient engagement, group care, provider satisfaction and best practices for meeting compliance requirements.