ORLANDO, Fla. — A growing demand for women’s health care services is prompting an additional program to be offered at a local college. AdventHealth University has added a midwifery degree to its schooling.
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“We have people retiring at a faster pace and people moving here at a high pace, which leads to a gap in care,” Tanya Vaughn-Deneen, the Associate Director for the Inpatient Hospitalist Team at AdventHealth, said.
Those two factors have led AdventHealth and AdventHealth University to develop its newest Certified Nurse Midwife Program.
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“Midwives provide a special type of care that is just different because it’s based in nursing philosophies instead of medicine philosophies,” Vaughn-Deneen said. “There’s a difference in care, and there’s a difference in the way the care is delivered.”
Vaughn-Deneen has also worked as a Certified Nurse Midwife for more than 15 years.
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“Culture wants to tell us having a baby is scary,” Vaughn-Deneen said. “I’m here to say that this is a natural and normal process, and we have ways to help facilitate this for you in a positive way.”
In this program, nurses will learn about prenatal, childbirth, and postpartum services. Vaughn-Deneen said these are critical skills to prevent a predicted 500 OBGYN provider shortage by 2035.
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“That’s outstanding considering the number of people who are moving to this region and the ability, I should say lack of ability, to provide care for these people,” Vaughn-Deneen said. “This is exactly where the certified nurse midwife and advanced practice nurses come into play.”
The program will accept 10 students for the fall of 2025.
AdventHealth University will host an open house on March 12
More information about the program can be found here.
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