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Perinatal Nursing
Fellowship
St. John’s Mercy Medical Center’s Perinatal Nursing Fellowship
is designed to promote quality perinatal nursing care and to mentor and
nurture nurses new to the perinatal specialty.
Few professional nursing
experiences are more rewarding than attending the birth of a healthy newborn
and sharing the joy with the new mother and family. There is nothing to
compare with emerging from a potentially disastrous clinical situation,
such as a prolapsed umbilical cord, abruptio placenta or shoulder dystocia,
with a healthy mother and baby. No other specialty in nursing offers a
wider range of activities and opportunities to make a difference in the
lives of women, newborns and their families.
Nursing care during
labor and birth offers the opportunity for autonomy, clinical action and
quick decision-making unique to this specialty. During the intrapartum
period, perinatal nurses must function in many critical roles that overlap
those of other subspecialties such as emergency nursing (obstetric triage),
perioperative nursing (cesarean birth), postanesthesia nursing (recovery
from birth-related anesthesia), medical-surgical nursing (pregnant women
with medical complications), intensive care nursing (critically ill pregnant
women and newborns), and pediatric nursing (newborn care).
Fellowship Content
The didactic phase of the program includes forty hours of formal classroom
instruction during the first two weeks followed by eight-hour classes
every other week for sixteen weeks during the clinical preceptorship.
The meetings consist of presentations and group discussion. Presentations
will include the following topics: normal physiologic changes of pregnancy,
maternal assessment, labor and birth process, fetal assessment, high-risk
pregnancy, nurse-physician communication and collaboration, case studies,
perinatal grief and support, professional development, and perinatal
risk management.
Workshops will include
labor support, fetal monitoring, common complications of pregnancy, newborn
assessment/newborn complications, neonatal resuscitation program, advanced
computerized documentation program, cervical ripening and induction of
labor, and second stage labor management.
Ongoing assessment
during the fellowship year will include written assessment and clinical
skills verification.
Presenters and
Preceptors
The program presenters include a perinatal clinical nurse specialist and
an labor and delivery nurse clinician. Fellowship participants are paired
with experienced perinatal nurses who have volunteered to share their
expertise.
During the classroom
and hands-on experience, participants are encouraged to ask questions
and seek clarification in a nurturing learning environment.
 Candidates
Applicants must possess a valid nursing license in the State of Missouri
or have recently graduated from an accredited nursing school with eligibility
to take Missouri State Boards within 90 days of graduation. The successful
candidate should demonstrate excellent communication and interpersonal
skills, an enthusiasm to learn, and a commitment to professional development.
Interested candidates
should contact a Human Resources representativeat 314-251-6232 or the
LDR nurse manager at 314-251-6874.
Selection Process
Resumes, applications and transfer requests should be sent to the St.
John’s Mercy Human Resources department. Applicants will be required
to participate in interviews with the LDR management and clinical support
team.
Commitment
St. John’s Mercy Medical Center’s Perinatal Nursing Fellowship
is committed to enhancing the professional practice of nurses pursuing
the perinatal specialty. The fellowship is designed for the newly graduated
nurse or experienced nurse seeking a new specialty.
Perinatal Nursing
Fellowships are offered throughout the year. The fellowship is a commitment
of one year including:
- 16 weeks’
clinical preceptorship
- 20 weeks’
mentored clinical assignments
- 16 weeks’
ongoing continuing education program
The fellowship covers
the following specialties:
- OB triage
- high-risk antepartum
care
- labor and birth
- circulating nurse:
vaginal and cesarean birth (perioperative care)
- OB PACU/recovery
care
- breastfeeding support
- high-risk postpartum
care
Contract
Those chosen for the Perinatal Nursing Fellowship are required to sign
a commitment in which they agree to work for St. John’s Mercy after
completion of the program.
During the fellowship,
students will work various shifts. After the fellowship, the course participants
work as nurses at St. John’s Mercy Medical Center.
Contact Information
Interested candidates should contact Kathleen R. Simpson, PhD, RNC, FAAN,
Perinatal Fellowship Coordinator at 314-251-6087. Or, click here
to contact
Dr. Simpson by e-mail.
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St.
John’s Mercy
Medical Center is the area’s leader in perinatal services, and the
largest perinatal service in the Midwest. The experienced nurses, nurse
midwives and physicians in our specialized perinatal center provides
care to over 8,100 mothers and their babies each year.