Pitt Nursing Introduces Nurse-Midwife Major

The School of Nursing is pleased to announce that a Nurse-Midwife major will now be offered in its nationally-recognized Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program. The on-campus, 100-credit program includes coursework covering patient care, health care organization management, ethics, and public policy as well as clinical rotations in the region’s outstanding hospitals, birthing centers, and obstetrical/gynecological/women’s health practices. Full-time study will permit the student to complete the program within three years: part-time study is an option. Complete details, including admission criteria and the course of study, are available at this Web page

The program is offered at the DNP level, reflecting the increasing demands on Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs) to practice independently within the health care team, to contribute to the management of the health care system or organization, and to be able to effectively evaluate the evidence base and to use research outcomes in daily practice. Pitt Nursing’s DNP program calls for students to acquire skills in clinical decision-making, leadership, and applying research and theoretical understanding to facilitate changes in practice. Graduates of the new Nurse-Midwife major will not only care for women and families during pregnancy and childbirth, they will also offer well-women gynecological and primary care. 

Registered nurses (those who have already earned the Bachelor of Science in Nursing) interested in this career option are encouraged to apply now to the School of Nursing for admission to the Fall 2016 term.  The Nurse-Midwife DNP has only one term of entry each year, the Fall term. Complete admission criteria are available here.  Class sizes are being deliberately kept small to facilitate one-to-one interaction with faculty and to provide optimal clinical experiences: thus, admission selections will be competitive.  For Fall 2017 admissions and beyond, the application deadlines will be February 15 and May 1 of each year. 

The University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing Nurse-Midwife Doctor of Nursing Practice Program midwifery program is pre-accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education (ACME), 8403 Colesville Road, Suite 1550, Silver Spring, MD 20910; 240-485-1802, www.midwife.org/acmeThe program will be reviewed for full accreditation status after the first Nurse-Midwife DNP class graduates. Such accreditation of the degree program means that students will be eligible to sit for national and state certification exams; in addition, employers mandate that potential employees have completed their studies in Nurse-Midwifery at an accredited institution. 

For more information about the School of Nursing and the Nurse-Midwife major, contact us at 412-624-4586 or sao50@pitt.edu.