Elisabeth Howard, M.S.N.,
VUSN instructor and nurse-midwife elected to national midwifery board
Margaret McGill, certified nurse midwife and instructor in the School of Nursing, has been elected to the board of directors of the American College of Nurse-Midwives. McGill will represent nine Southeastern states, serving as a liaison between the board and the region.
“This is a competitive position sought after by many for its ability to ‘keep a hand on the pulse’ of the profession, information about the political milieu, the health care industry and advanced practice nursing,” said Barbara A. Petersen, Ed.D., certified nurse-midwife and director of the program at VUSN. “This is a tremendous honor for the university, the school of Nursing, and our program. Margaret’s intelligence, diplomacy, familiarity with the region, and grasp of clinical and professional issues will serve all of us well.”
McGill’s new position on the board will provide the opportunity for her to be directly involved with and among the most influential people in the Nurse-Midwifery profession.
“I will be in touch with chapter chairs and American College of Nurse-Midwives members all over the Southeast U.S. — by telephone, electronically, and in person,” McGill said. “I will be among the first to know about issues in our profession, and I will participate in their resolution.”
McGill said some of the issues facing the ACNM are professional liability insurance, fair rates of reimbursement from third party payers, and educating the public about the care a Nurse-Midwife offers.
“ACNM’s always practice in a system that allows for safe consultation, collaboration, and referral to a qualified physician, so we believe our patients get the best of both worlds — personalized management of women’s health care that supports normal reproductive processes with vigilance for problems, and excellent medical management when problems arise that are not within our scope of practice,” McGill said.
McGill’s position on the ACNM board will last for three years. To learn more about midwifery visit: www.acnm.org or www.vanderbiltnursemidwives.org.