Philosophy, Mission & Program Objectives | Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center

Nurse Midwifery Philosophy, Mission & Program Objectives (Post-Master's)

Philosophy

We, the faculty of the TTUHSC Nurse-Midwifery Program, affirm the dignity, individuality, and diversity of students and acknowledge their importance in shaping the future of women’s health care in their local, national, and global communities.

We believe the following:

  • Learners enter the TTUHSC Nurse-Midwifery Program as professional clinicians with demonstrated experiences and knowledge capabilities. They have a right to self-determination, active participation, and access to accurate information. Building on this foundation, learners progress to understanding nurse-midwifery knowledge and science, followed by developing competence by applying that knowledge through skill performance and clinical reasoning.
  • Learning is a lifelong process of scholarly educational endeavors that are characterized by excellence, accountability, and integrity. This quality learning is most effective when research is translated into evidence-based practice in evolving health care systems.
  • Teaching encompasses the responsibilities of determining an acceptable level of (a) formal and tacit knowledge; (b) psychomotor and behavioral skills, and (3) professional and ethical comportment. All teaching and learning is influenced by the interconnectedness of the student/teacher relationship, transforming both. Transparency through open communication and respect is at the core of our student/teacher interactions.
  • Nurse-midwifery educators are first accomplished clinicians who affirm the power and strength of women. They enhance the quality of their teaching through additional pursuits of educational and leadership development.
  • All women deserve quality, woman-centered, evidence-based, interprofessional health care where the woman is the central focus of the team activities within the family unit context. We promote a model of care that honors the normalcy of women’s lifecycle events and encourages a compassionate partnership.

Mission

The purpose of the TTUHSC Nurse-Midwifery Program is to educate nurse-midwives for improving women’s health across the reproductive life cycle and beyond through scholarship, interprofessional teamwork, woman-centered care, professional service, and community engagement.

Student Learning Outcomes (Program Objectives)

  1. Provide woman-centered care in the master’s-prepared nurse-midwifery role.
  2. Work in interprofessional teams to address the needs of women and their newborns using master’s prepared nurse-midwifery role skills.
  3. Employ evidence-based practice (EBP) by integrating the best research evidence into the master’s-prepared nurse-midwifery role.
  4. Apply quality improvement as a master’s-prepared nurse-midwife.
  5. Utilize informatics in the master’s prepared nurse-midwifery role to reduce errors, manage knowledge and information, make decisions, and communicate effectively.
  6. Integrate best practices in implementation of the master’s prepared nurse-midwifery role to ensure safety and risk reduction for their populations.