โ Scribed by Jeanne Raisler
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
This Clinical Practice Exchange focuses on alternative healing in nurse-midwifery practice. It features interviews with six certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) who practice complementary therapies (CTs). The healing modalities they use include homeopathy, Healing Touch, hypnosis, herbal healing, mindfulness meditation, and water healing. The CNMs discuss their training to practice CTs, how they use alternative healing with clients, and how they integrate this with midwifery practice. The interviews are followed by an Alternative Healing Directory composed of 37 CNMs who responded to a Call, which appeared several times in Quickening and JNM. Each midwife's listing includes contact information, CTs practiced, and special interests in networking with other CNMs about alternative healing. The JNM hopes that this Directory will be a catalyst for networking and communication that will move forward the discussion, practice, and research of alternative healing within the midwifery community. แญง 1999 by the American College of Nurse-Midwives.
During the preparation of this home study program, the Journal of Nurse-Midwifery (JNM) set out to learn how certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) are using complementary therapies (CTs) in midwifery practice. A number of announcements were placed in JNM and Quickening, inviting midwives to share their experiences with CTs and to be listed in an Alternative Healing Directory.
Thirty-seven midwives from diverse geographic regions and practice settings replied. Some have undergone lengthy training and become certified to practice CTs, and others have learned about them through apprenticeship or self-study. Some have easily integrated alternative healing into their practices, whereas others have struggled to introduce CTs into the clinical setting. All share the desire to network with other midwives engaged in alternative healing.
The CT practiced by the largest number of CNM respondents was botanical or herbal medicine, which was used by 32 of the 37 midwives. The next most common practices were homeopathy (18), nutritional therapy ( 14), therapeutic touch (13), aromatherapy (11), and yoga (11). Eight other CTs were used by at least two midwife respondents. The number of CTs practiced per midwife ranged from one (three midwives) to 11 (one midwife). Most respondents practiced less than five CTs: 11 practiced two, eight practiced three, and six practiced four CTs.
Information from these midwife respondents has been compiled into the Alternative Healing Directory that follows. This contains a list of CTs and the midwives who practice them as well as contact information for each midwife. It is hoped that this Directory will be a catalyst for networking and communication that will move forward the discussion, practice, and research of alternative healing within the midwifery community.
JNM also carried out more in-depth interviews with a number of midwife-healers. They were asked about their midwifery backgrounds, their use of alternative healing modalities, their training to practice CTs, and how they integrate alternative healing and midwifery. The results of these interviews are the six "Portraits of Midwife-Healers" that follow. Their interesting and thoughtprovoking stories might prove instructive for other midwives who are considering incorporating CTs into their clinical practices.
๐ SIMILAR VOLUMES