title: Direct entry midwifery education. Evaluation of program innovations.
abstract: During the 1996-1997 academic year, the State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn, in partnership with North Central Bronx Hospital, implemented the first direct entry (DE) midwifery education program to be preaccredited by the American College of Nurse-Midwives. Five DE midwifery students were admitted and graduated. During their one-year course of studies, these students were provided supplementary didactic and clinical instruction in the medical sciences and basic health skills in addition to the identical course of midwifery studies offered to their registered nurse-student peers. The experience of students and faculty during this first year was that there was no significant difference in academic performance between the DE and nurse-midwifery students. Moreover, once oriented to the clinical environment, DE students progressed through the clinical practicums, and acquired entry-level midwifery skills, at a pace equivalent to that of their nurse peers and consonant with all expectations of safe practice. In addition, the Basic Health Skills and Integrated Medical Science course offerings served as effective instructional supplements to the curriculum by providing DE students with an opportunity to equalize their knowledge base with that previously acquired by registered nurse-prepared students; an unanticipated discovery was that some nurse-midwifery students could equally benefit from enrollment in these courses.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, USA.
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Fullerton
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Holmes
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Roe
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Campau
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D003479:Curriculum; D004511:Education, Nursing, Graduate / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008880:Midwifery / Q000193:education*; D009721:Nurse Midwives / Q000193:education*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015397:Program Evaluation