The Parkland School of Nurse-Midwifery is a certificate basic program in nurse-midwifery with full accreditation status from the Division of Accreditation of the American College of Nurse-Midwives, an agency recognized by the United States Department of Education. Completion of the program enables a graduate to be eligible to take the National Certifying Examination offered by the ACNM Certification Council.

The nurse-midwifery education program is committed to the education of nurse-midwives who are prepared to practice in concert with standards of nurse-midwifery practice as established by the American College of Nurse-Midwives. A one page philosophy of Parkland School of Nurse-Midwifery is available.

The Parkland School of Nurse-Midwifery exists in order to:

A graduate from the Parkland School of Nurse-Midwifery will be able to:

Manage the care of women and families using the nurse-midwifery process which includes a use of theory that is scientific in nature and current in content with an application that is family centered in approach and reflective of the art and skill of nurse-midwifery.

Assume the roles and responsibilities inherent in being a professional Certified Nurse-Midwife. In addition to clinical competency, the roles and responsibilities include an appreciation of life long learning, the implications of current nurse-midwifery/health care issues, and the importance of participation in professional activities, including research and education.

Participate in the health care team, recognizing the multidisciplinary nature of knowledge as well as the roles and functions of all the health care providers.

Advocate for recognition of the role of the patient as an integral member of the health care team with distinct rights as well as responsibilities.

The Parkland School of Nurse-Midwifery has two options, full-time or part-time. The full-time option is twelve months (52 weeks) in length. One week of vacation is planned approximately mid program. The part-time option is twenty-four months (104 weeks) in length including 1- 2 weeks vacation.

The Parkland School of Nurse-Midwifery uses courses in a modified modular curriculum. Modules are self contained mastery learning documents which facilitate learning in a specific area. Modules contain all the objectives which a student will be expected to achieve. The following clinical modules can be found in the nurse-midwifery program: Primary Care of Women, Family Planning, Antepartum, Intrapartum/Postpartum, Pathophysiology of Obstetrics, Pathophysiology of Gynecology, Neonatology, and Integration.

Four other special courses will be taught concurrently with the above clinical modules. These are Pharmacology (approximately 24 classes), Professional Issues in Nurse-Midwifery (12 classes) and Breastfeeding (1-2 day seminar) and Cultural Diversity (1-2 day seminar).

All major clinical courses have clearly stated requirements, module objectives, clinical behavioral terminal objectives, content units with separate objectives stated in behavioral terms and evaluation methods. Clinical objectives are not appropriate for the special modules. Each clinical module begins with a week of intensive lecture and study time in preparation for clinical experiences. Each clinical module terminates with a week designated for final written examinations and oral examinations in order to assess the successful completion of all objectives.

A description of each module is available, including approximate clinical time.

The Parkland School of Nurse-Midwifery is affiliated with The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. An affiliation between the Parkland School of Nurse-Midwifery and Texas Woman's University has been established in order to facilitate students obtaining their Master of Science degree in nursing. In order to receive academic credit for nurse-midwifery course work, students must be concurrently enrolled in the Parkland School of Nurse-Midwifery and Texas Woman's University (TWU). Students desiring such credit must meet the admission requirements of the Graduate School at TWU and the requirements to the College of Nursing. General requirements include a nursing theory course (5013) and nursing research course (5023) before admission to the nurse-midwifery program. Students meet regularly at TWU during the year.

Completion of the Master of Science curriculum at TWU does not guarantee successful completion of the nurse-midwifery program or successful completion of the ACNM certification examination. Completion of the Parkland School of Nurse-Midwifery does not guarantee successful completion of the Master of Science curriculum at TWU. Retroactive credit is not available. Academic credit for Parkland School of Nurse-Midwifery courses may be applicable to other degrees at TWU. Individual requests are considered on a case by case basis, but must be determined prior to class registration in order to obtain credit for course work.

Information about the affiliation is subject to change. Therefore, applicants who wish to receive academic credit are directed to Texas Woman's University at 214/689-6510. Clarification of status at TWU is imperative before the nurse-midwifery begins, should a student wish to avail him/herself of the affiliation.

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