The maternity care workforce is faced with a shortage of obstetricians and gynecologists and both certified nurse-midwives and certified midwives. At the same time, the number of babies born in the United States is projected to increase dramatically over the next ten years. This situation coupled with increasing health challenges for women including a rising maternal mortality rate is an extremely precarious situation for women in the United States today. This session will outline some strategies that can improve this situation.

What makes some leaders and their organizations soar while others falter when challenges arise? Today, a growing body of literature indicates that leadership resiliency can be the difference between the success and failure of leaders and the organizations they lead. In spite of this seemingly straightforward principle, many leaders are unable to weather the storms of budget shortfalls, disenchanted subordinates, inadequate manpower resources, and complex and shifting organizational requirements. Instead, leaders should develop resiliency by: viewing loss as a gift, nurturing relationships, and cultivating leadership resilience through disciplined practice.

This LIVE session is for you if you are considering becoming a nurse-midwife or if you are a midwifery student. Join the Associate Dean of Midwifery and Women's Health and ask your pressing questions. No question is too small or too silly---Find out about Frontier nurse-midwifery education and how to thrive as a student. Listen in and hear about real life as a nurse-midwife student and the joys of life as a midwife.

There is a paucity of research in this specific area related to how health care providers generally identify themselves related to gender and sexual orientation. However much is known specifically about the effects of lack of access or denial of care may have on marginalized populations who identify as gender nonconforming or LGBTQI+. This presentation initially examines the origins of gender assignment at birth and impacts on gender biases and stereotyping.

With enormous wealth, yet a fragmented health care system, a high level of poverty and illness, and poor health outcomes among many vulnerable populations, the U.S. has an unparalleled health paradox. In line with the 2010 landmark document, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, the DNP innovation is beginning to demonstrate impact in clinical practice, health systems change and nursing education. The critical question is: Will it make a difference in health care outcomes and health justice? This presentation reviews progress to date and the increase in DNP authorship on vulnerability.

This session will highlight the work of nurse Maude Callen who provided care the poor, and women of color in the South from 1920-1970's. The presentation will focus on cultural competency when providing care to communities of color and vulnerable, underserved populations.

Join this session to be informed and inspired by our very own visionary and mother of midwifery care Kitty Ernst, RN, CNM, MPH, DSc (HON)​, Mary Breckinridge Chair of Midwifery. She will be interviewed by Associate Dean of Midwifery and Women's Health, Tonya Nicholson,​ DNP, CNM, WHNP- BC, CNE, FACNM​.

Do you own your own business or have you considered owning your own business one day? Why should you consider starting a business and what is the impact on the care of families when midwives and nurse practitioners are entrepreneurs? Kitty is sure to inspire you to find the entrepreneur​ in yourself.

Through this story-telling focused session hear a firsthand account of how a nurse-midwife had to carve out a niche to find her place. Examples will be shared of how expanding services (i.e. transgender hormone therapy) may be one strategy. By hearing examples and experiences, hopefully you will be inspired to carve out your own place.

This session will use current evidence and storytelling to guide providers in activities that can be used to enhance client satisfaction and safety. Effective communication, caring, and civility in the clinical setting will be discussed. Learn how to make every client encounter matter - from reception, to provider, to lab. Each interaction influences the patient and family's experience. Today's consumer demands and deserves more than an accurate diagnosis - they deserve an optimal experience.

Indian health services (IHS) is grossly underfunded in the U.S., yet they may be leading the way in terms of patient centered and culturally safe care. IHS clinics serve Native American/Alaskan Native communities in urban and rural areas, and services and care providers are often closely tied to the communities they serve. Community health and traditional health practices are typically incorporated into clinical care and truly collaborative practice is the norm. Health care rhetoric in the U.S. calls for holistic, family centered care, but the reality is, health care delivery often falls short. Come find out what IHS does differently, and in many ways, better.

Although nearly 50% of reproductive-age women are overweight or obese, providers remain uncertain how to approach conversations about weight. The techniques of motivational interviewing (MI) are an effective way to discuss behavior change and weight loss. This session will review the current research on obesity and reproduction, discuss how basic MI techniques can be incorporated into routine clinical care, and increase provider awareness of societal weight bias.

Join us LIVE from the AABC Birth Institute in Anchorage, Alaska, for a panel discussion with co-editors and some authors of the new book, "Freestanding Birth Centers: Innovation, Evidence, Optimal Outcomes." Through a Q&A discussion, learn about the evolving role of birth centers and the future outlook for the birth center model of care. Compared to the hospital-based birth model, the freestanding birth center offers a well-documented, healthier, more cost-effective, and more humane way to care for women and newborns. This rapidly expanding model of care has many positive implications for high-quality, individualized care and birth outcomes across the United States.

This "reflections" session will reflect on many of the key messages from the sessions shared during FNU's 2017 Virtual Event for National Midwifery Week. Are you wondering "How can I make a difference?" or "What steps can I take to make a change?" Join us as we reflect on some of the key take-aways from the week and the action steps that you can take as a nurse-midwife or future nurse-midwife to truly make a difference in maternity and primary care.