Yale University School of Nursing Offers Connecticut's Lone Nurse-Midwifery Specialty Program

Yale University is one of only two institutions in New England that offers an academic nurse-midwifery specialty.  The program, in the Yale School of Nursing, “prepares students as competent midwives who provide family-centered primary health care,” the university’s website explains, noting that “more now than ever, the need and demand for midwives is at an all-time high.”

The Yale program is “founded on a number of beliefs about health care for women and all persons. This includes the belief that all people have a right to safe and culturally respectful health care. Midwifery supports the normalcy of life processes through education, support, and safe clinical practice. Midwives can serve as advocates when needed and support the growth of client autonomy, empowering women and all persons to create health and wellness in their lives.  Furthermore, the midwifery program supports health care delivery by a collaborative, multi-disciplinary, approach, which encourages continuity of care and satisfying health care relationships.”

A 2020 ranking in US News ranked Vanderbilt University’ nursing-midwifery program as the nation’s best, followed by Yale University, University of Minnesota, University of Michigan, and Oregon Health and Science University, tied for second.  Rounding out the top 10 were University of California, University of Pennsylvania, Emory University, University of Colorado and University of Washington.    

A 2012 article published by the New England Board of Higher Education pointed out that expectant mothers are “showing interest in using the midwife model for a more holistic method of perinatal care than they might get with the traditional obstetric approach. There has been extensive research done showing the benefits of the midwife model of care. Notably, the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group published its report “Midwife-led Versus Other Models of Care for Childbearing Women” that noted promising outcomes of midwife care, concluding that most women should at the very least be offered the choice of the midwife model.”

The article indicated that a satellite program at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Mass. (in which the degree-granting institution is Thomas Jefferson University in  Philadelphia) is the only other nurse-midwifery program in the region. There were fewer than 40 accredited programs across the United States.  The Baystate program was ranked by US News at number 17.

According to the American College of Nurse Midwives’ 2012 report “A Summary of Research on Certified Nurse Midwives in the United States,” the philosophy of midwives to use more touch than technology results in the same healthy outcomes for low-risk women in labor with fewer expensive medical interventions and an overall lower cost,” the article notes.  The article further explains that according to the ACNM, a certified nurse-midwife must have two degrees: a bachelor of science in nursing and a master’s in nurse midwifery. He or she must earn a master’s degree in an accredited midwifery education program, and pass a national certification exam administered by the American Midwifery Certification Board.

Nurse-Midwifery Specialty students at Yale “are prepared with the skills necessary to provide advanced care to women throughout the lifespan with a specialized emphasis on reproductive health care, labor and birth, and integrated midwifery care,” the academic program explains.   From 2013 through 2019, there were 137 full-time dual midwifery & women’s health nurse practitioner students graduated from the Yale program.    

Connecticut’s Department of Public Health is responsible for issuing nurse midwife licenses to qualified registered nurses in the state.