For more than a decade, certified nurse-midwives have played an integral role on the healthcare team at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, providing comprehensive pregnancy, birth and postpartum care to women and their partners. UCLA's nurse-midwives care for thousands of patients and attend nearly 450 births each year as part of the UCLA obstetrics group. Certified nurse-midwives [CNMs] are professionals who earn a master's degree in nursing, complete an accredited midwifery education program and pass a national certification examination. The scope of practice for CNMs includes well-woman gynecology and family planning as well as pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum and early newborn care. In providing care for women with low-risk pregnancies, they focus on health promotion, individualized wellness education and planning for labor and birth. At UCLA, their close collaboration with obstetricians and anesthesiologists ensures that any women who experience complications or desire pain medication have easy and quick access to the medical team. UCLA's certified nurse-midwives also provide a valuable service by educating the next generation of UCLA-trained obstetricians in strategies that support holistic care and the natural childbirth process. Learn more at http://midwife.ucla.edu

• published: 04 Dec 2013
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