The primary focus of the DNP - Nurse Midwife program is the care and management of well-women's primary and reproductive health care needs throughout the life span. Certified nurse midwives provide preconception counseling, care during pregnancy and childbirth, immediate newborn care, gynecological services and care of the peri-menopausal and post-menopausal woman. Priority consideration for admission is given to candidates living in or willing to work in underserved areas or in other areas with critical maternal and infant indicators.
Graduates from the KU Nurse Midwife program are employed in privately-owned OB/GYN practices, hospital-based midwifery practices, birth centers, family planning clinics, family practice locations, and health departments. They are working in academic institutions, military hospitals, and federally-qualified health centers.
The nurse midwife curriculum requires 76 credit hours of coursework. The majority of required courses are available online. Attendance on campus at the KU Medical Center in Kansas City is required for NRSG 810 Advanced Health Assessment. During the 19-credit hour Midwifery Specialty Core, students will come to the KU Medical Center two to five times each semester for clinical seminars. Students also participate in synchronous learning by meeting as a group, online, with audio/computer interface each week for three hours.
Clinical practice sites are generally located in the Kansas City metropolitan area, but may extend across the state of Kansas and other communities where students are located. Clinical hours in the Midwifery courses are arranged with the course coordinator at the beginning of each semester. Please review the preceptor process for more information.
Graduates of the Nurse Midwife program are eligible to take the national certification examination of the American Midwifery Certification Board and to apply for the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) license. KU students have a 91% pass rate on the AMCB certification exam since the program began. Results include first-time pass rates plus retakes. The program has a 94% overall graduation rate. (2011 data)
Application for accreditation of the Nurse-Midwifery DNP Program has been made to the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education of the American College of Nurse-Midwives, 8403 Colesville Rd, Suite 1550, Silver Springs, MD, 20910-6374; 240-485-1800. Documents relating to accreditation status are available at the department office by request. Information for students may be found at www.midwife.org.Summary of Course Requirements
| Common Core | Course |
Credit Hrs. |
NRSG 748 |
Theories for Practice and Research: Individual, Family, Community |
3 |
NRSG 754 |
Health Care Research |
3 |
NRSG 755 |
Health Care Professionalism: Issues and Roles |
3 |
Advanced Practice Core |
||
NRSG 731 |
Pharmacokinetics & Pharmacodynamics |
1 |
NRSG 806 |
Advanced Physiology |
4 |
NRSG 810 |
Advanced Health Assessment |
5 |
NRSG 812 |
Advanced Pathophysiology |
3 |
NRSG 813 |
Applied Drug Therapy |
3 |
Nurse Midwifery Specialty Core |
||
NRSG 835/838 |
Primary Care of Women Through the Lifespan & Practicum |
3 & 2 |
NRSG 830/831 |
Care of Women in the Antepartal Period & Practicum |
2 & 2 |
NRSG 832 |
Nurse Midwifery in the Neonatal Period |
1 |
| NRSG 835/837 | Nurse Midwifery in the Intrapartal/Postpartum Period & Practicum | 3 & 2 |
| NRSG 840 | Care of Women Integration Practicum | 4 |
DNP Core |
|
|
NRSG 808 |
Social Context for Health care Policy |
2 |
NRSG 804 |
Interpreting Research for Applied Science |
3 |
NRSG 941 |
Preparing the Doctoral Leader |
3 |
PRVM 800 |
Principles of Epidemiology |
3 |
Capstone |
|
|
NRSG 980 |
Capstone Project for DNP |
6 |
DNP Specialty Area: Nurse Midwifery |
|
|
Student selects 15 credits of DNP specialty courses, in nursing or other related disciplines |
15 total |
|
Total Credits Required for DNP degree |
76 |
|
Sample Plans of Study: Full time ------ Or ------ Part time
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