To address the maternal mortality crisis and the nationwide shortage of obstetric care professionals, Boston College has launched a new master’s degree program in nurse-midwifery. The new graduate program is supported by a recent $1 million grant from the Massachusetts Department of Health to establish the Birthworker Equity in Education Collaborative, which will provide midwifery students with mentoring and training opportunities.
Housed within the college’s Connell School of Nursing, the new graduate program will prepare students to become certified nurse-midwives with expertise in the care of pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period for mothers of all ages, as well as care for newborns in their first month of life. Students who choose to study nurse-midwifery will also learn how to support health education, health promotion, and risk assessment and management to vulnerable and underrepresented communities.
“We at the Connell School of Nursing are thrilled to be able to offer this new master’s degree in nurse-midwifery,” said Katherine Gregory, dean of the Connell School. “Since 1947, the Connell School has been dedicated to ensuring academic excellence in nursing education, and the graduates of the nurse-midwifery program will use their education, skills, and compassion to provide evidence-based and uniformly excellent care that addresses an unmet need among patients, their families, and the wider community.”
The first cohort of students for the master’s degree in nurse-midwifery will begin their studies in May. The 24-month program is fully in-person, and will include clinical training through the Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the Mattapan Community Health Center.