Course Description
Resilience is the ability to “bounce back” after a challenging situation, and lacking resiliency is a predictor of career burn-out. The modern midwifery profession, like much of the healthcare world, is not built to support the sustainability of the clinician's career, as it prioritizes the success of systems over the needs of the midwife. In this presentation the concept of personal resiliency will be challenged, as the presenters discuss paths that lead to either burn-out or to a midwifery career of longevity. This presentation will challenge the traditional "grind culture" of midwifery, where client care comes first. The presenters will discuss how rejecting the adage of "pulling yourself up by your bootstraps" and, instead, developing a deeper form of resilience can reimagine a vision for the future of midwifery, where clinicians flourish because of supportive systems rather than relying on personal resiliency alone.
This course has been previously recorded. The presenters are available for a LIVE Q&A session at 7:45 pm ET on Wednesday, July 24. So, you can watch the presentation on Wednesday at 7 pm ET and then head over to the Q&A at 7:45 pm!
Learning Objectives
By the end of this presentation, the learner will be able to:
1. Define the concept of resilience and its historical application to oppression, healthcare, and midwifery.
2. Understand that the need for resilience stems from those in power misusing their power.
3. Apply the key steps to increase resilience in midwives, including creating a supportive environment where failure is not feared.
4. Evaluate the evidence that supports building resilience as a means of preventing burn-out and increasing belonging in the midwifery profession.
5. Discuss how improving resilience in midwives can lead to less turnover in a practice and longer careers for midwives.
6. Analyze their own level of resilience and their biases regarding this concept.
Speakers
Dr. Ellen Solis, DNP, CNM, FACNM,
Dr. Katie DePalma, DNP, CNM, WHNP-BC, FACNM
Dr. Signey Olson, DNP, CNM, WHNP-BC, FACNM
Dr. Elizabeth G. Muñoz, DNP, CNM, FACNM
Speaker Bios
Dr. Ellen Solis, DNP, CNM, FACNM (she/her) is a Teaching Professor at the University of Washington and the program director of the nurse-midwifery program and the Graduate Certificate in Sexual and Reproductive Health (GCSRH) and is the co-director of the UW-ACTIONS (Abortion Cre Training Incubator for Outstanding Nurse Scholars) program. She is also a practicing nurse-midwife with HealthPoint FQHC in Seattle and the board secretary of Nurses for Sexual and Reproductive Health. As a midwife, and educator, Ellen is committed to centering the voices of her clients, students, and colleagues—especially those from BIPOC and queer communities—and working towards increasing their voices in healthcare, education, and policy development.
As a teacher, Ellen’s focus is on building anti-racism and trauma informed care into every course taught in the nurse-midwifery curriculum at the University of Washington, and on educating midwives to enter the workforce understanding that increasing the nurse-midwifery work force is an actionable solution to the maternal-child health crisis in the United States. As a midwife, she endeavors to provide excellent, evidenced-based care that centers the client and family in all interactions. Ellen has published multiple articles on evidenced-based ways to care for people seeking midwifery care, midwives as change makers, resilience for health professionals, and is the co-editor of the “Gynecological Healthcare,” textbook.
Dr. Katie DePalma (pronouns: they/she) is a CNM/WHNP-BC with expertise in: trauma-informed and consent-based care, queer and gender-affirming care, and reducing weight bias in healthcare. Katie is an Assistant Professor in the midwifery/WHNP program at Georgetown University where most of their focus has been on incorporating health equity content into the curriculum and supporting graduate students as they transition to become clinicians. Clinically, Katie is the postpartum program manager at Community of Hope in the District of Columbia, where they are working with a team to eliminate barriers to thriving in the postpartum year. Katie has a DNP from Frontier Nursing University, an MS from Georgetown University, a BSN from Johns Hopkins University, and a BS from Loyola University. Katie is a dual citizen of the US and Ireland and enjoys traveling, cooking handmade pasta, and being in perpetual search of the world's best oyster. They live right outside of DC in Mount Rainier, MD with their spouse, pets, an array of plants, and a new human baby!
Dr. Signey Olson (pronouns: they/she) is a board-certified nurse practitioner and board-certified nurse-midwife in Washington, D.C. where they serve as an Assistant Professor at Georgetown University’s School of Nursing. Her educational background includes degrees in nursing, political science, and community development. She completed her undergraduate training at the College of St. Scholastica in Minnesota and her graduate training through Frontier Nursing University and George Washington University Hospital.
Dr. Olson is a passionate educator and clinician committed to providing evidence-based fertility care to people of all backgrounds in an individualized and culturally responsive environment, with a focus on members of the LGBTQIA+ community. She believes in helping students feel empowered about their educational process by providing a strong foundation of curiosity. She welcomes open, collaborative discussion between herself and her students and believes that healthcare must be taught as a partnership between provider and patient.
Clinically, they have worked in reproductive endocrinology, fertility/IVF, and complex gynecology for the majority of their career. Their specialties include the impact of trauma on the body and care for patients with disordered eating patterns. Their doctoral work focused on ways to increase eating disorder screening within outpatient settings and how weight stigma may negatively impact clinical outcomes, particularly in the realm of reproductive health. She stays active in her professional community by helping develop national curriculum guidelines on gender-affirming hormones and weight-inclusive care for medical education programs. In 2022, she was inducted as a Fellow in the American College of Nurse-Midwives.
Dr. Liz Muñoz (she/her) is the Director of Clinical Education in the Nurse-Midwifery Pathway and Assistant Professor of Nursing at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and practices per diem in Urbana, IL at Carle Foundation Hospital. She is a Fellow of the American College of Nurse-Midwives and received her Master’s and Doctoral degrees from Vanderbilt University School of Nursing in Nashville, TN. Originally from Alabama, Liz remains passionate about improving the reproductive outcomes of her home state and is focused on making more opportunities for midwives there. She advocates for expanding the nurse-midwifery scope of practice and getting midwives into new spaces. Liz focuses her scholarship and service efforts on reducing bias in healthcare settings, specifically concerning pregnant individuals in larger bodies and pregnant individuals with substance use disorders. She sits on the board of The Recovery Project, a non-profit housed within the Florida Studio Theatre that aims to reduce bias toward people living with substance use disorders.