Nurse-Midwife EmploymentWhat type of job are you looking for? Certified Nurse-Midwifery position which will allow me to see gynecologic, antepartal, post-partal and well women visits in an office/clinic and be a part of a midwifery based team with MD backup in a hospital setting for deliveries and to first assist on c/sections when warranted. What nationality are you? American - My family geneology stems from the English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, German and French nationalities. I am caucasian. What languages do you speak (and at what level)? English is my first language. I speak basic Spanish. What country or area are you looking to work in and why? I would like to work in the Grand Cayman's - especially Cayman Brac due to the low crime rate and the opportunity to have a simplier more peaceful life style. What countries have you worked in? United States of America. What countries do you have a visa to work in? I do not have a work visa for any countries at this time. What field do you currently work in? Nurse-Midwifery. I have been a certified nurse-midwife since 1998. I became an registered nurse in 1983 and worked on a medical/surgical unit until 1985 and have been in Labor and Delivery since that time. What fields have you worked in before? I have been in the field of nursing since 1983, became a nurse-midwife in 1998. Prior to nursing, I was a paper girl, a waitress, and a nurse's assistant at a camp for disabled children. What qualifications do you hold? BSN - Bachelor of Science in Nursing obtained in 1983 from Niagra University, Niagara Falls, New York. MSN - Master of Science in Nursing obtained in 2001 from Case Western University, Cleveland, Ohio. Certificate of Nurse-Midwifery obtained in 1998 from the Frontier School of Nurse-Midwifery and Family Nursing in Hyden, Kentucky. MBA - Master of Business Administration in 2006 from the University of Phoenix, the Cleveland, Ohio campus. Which do you consider more valuable? Formal education or skills and why? Both formal education and skills are considered valuable to me but I would have to say formal education is the most valuable because it is the vehicle which will enable one to advance in their career and to establish a solid foundation to build upon in the future. One should always strive to improve oneself no matter how accomplished they look on paper. Those who do well in the nursing field are the nurses who can adapt well to change and utilize their cognitive abilities to improve their physical surroundings for the better. Describe the benefits of working with others As John Donne stated so eloquently, "No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main...". When accomplishing a task, it usually is achieved much more easily when working within a well oiled team. I think that is why I enjoy working within the hospital system. Everyone has a job, with well defined parameters. When all members preform their duties to the best of their ability then patients have good outcomes and are pleased with the care that they received. The members of the team feel satisfied with their work and look forward to coming to their place of employment. The hospital reputation improves as patient satisfaction scores rise. All this occurs when we remember that there is no "I" in "TEAM". Service for others should be our mantra, our goal. Describe the benefits of working alone The main benefit from working alone is that you are able to concentrate more effectively with little to no distractions. The danger is that their is no one to bounce ideas off of and you could be headed down the wrong path. One should never assume that they hold all the answers and should never be afraid to ask for help or seek advice from others. It shows greater knowledge to know when working alone is no longer beneficial and that you require another's input. I guess I am not a proponet of working alone since I do not see many benefits in it. What was your worst working experience? The worst working experience - I have had several situations which I would say could be considered horrible working experiences but, honestly because of them, I feel as if I have grown and matured into the nurse-midwife I am today. I'll have to say that it is always horrific when a mother arrives on the unit with a stillborn and you have to tell her that the baby that she has loved and dreamed about for the past 8 to 9 months is no longer with us. That has to be the hardest part of working in Labor and Delivery as a nurse-midwife. What is the most important lesson you have learnt throughout your career? The most important lesson I have learned as a nurse-midwife is "Listen to your patient" - be it the mother, the fetus, the family members. Stay in-tuned to what the patient has to say to you and you rarely will go wrong. The patient knows her own body, knows her fetus and it's behavior, a husband knows his wife, a mother her daughter. Take all of their opinions into account and let that information sink in and help guide your decision for further lab work, ultra sounds or to admit and deliver if indicated. Never discount what the patient has to say - it may save her life and the baby's as well. What unique skills do you have? I am a workaholic; I enjoy my job and I do it well. I like challenges and like working with primips in labor, especially when they are in the occiput/posterior position and need special coaching to help rotate the fetus. I have good people skills and enjoy teaching midwifery students and medical students how to see the new mother-to-be in the labor room and not just another laboring patient. What would you consider as your 'dream job'? My dream job would be to work as a certified nurse-midwife in a hospital setting for labor and delivery within a group of other like minded dedicated nurse-midwives and obstetricians. We would share rotation at the hospital and see patients at the office or clinic prior to their delivery so as to be able to develop a relationship with them and their families prior to delivering them at the hospital. In this way we would be able to know what they would desire for their birth experience and would make it that more special. It would then be a satisfying feeling to then have them follow/up at the office after the delivery for post partum visits and gyn visits and perhaps follow them through future pregnancies and become an integral part of their family. What are the most interesting aspects of your field? The most interesting aspect of nurse-midwifery is that their is seldom a dull moment. When I enter the labor and delivery unit and obtain report from the midwife going off call, I can find myself suddenly in a labor room assisting a gravida 5 Para 4 give birth, rush into the room next door to assess an hour post delivery patient's bleeding status, assist the MD as a first assist at a scheduled c/section or an emergency add on with a mother hemorrhaging d/t a placenta previa, then make my way to triage and assess patient's who have been sent in from the office d/t post dates, rule out labor etc, and finally with the medical student at my side asking me a million and one questions about vaginal exams and interpreting monitor strips we rush to post partum to discharge patients home and give post partum instructions and guidance. This job is not for the light hearted and the weak kneed. It requires much stamina and for those who can take the adrenalin rushes, it has great rewards and satisfaction. All I have to do is see the look of relief and gratitude in the eyes of a mother or her partner to know that what I do is worth while and is definately interesting. What are the least interesting aspects of your field? The least interesting is charting. It is a very important aspect of the job and I do it very well. I have a reputation for attention to detail and although not my favorite part of the job, I am very consciencious about completing all my charting on time in a clear, concise manner that is easily ledgeable. Please replace this with a question of your own Are there currently any nurse-midwifery positions available in the Grand Cayman's and if there are, how difficult is it for someone out of the country to obtain the position? How can potential employers contact you? Through my email: orthoshoes@aol.com Thanks | 
