I am the practice director for the Vanderbilt Midwives at Melrose and Mt. Juliet. We have 22 CNMs and 4 NPs in our busy practice and offer full-scope midwifery care as well as GYN and primary care for women. We provide care from puberty through post-menopause in one location and deliver our pregnant patients at VUMC.
My current APN role provides many opportunities and challenges. During my time as the director, we have had the opportunity to add childbirth and breastfeeding education courses, a part-time lactation consultant, and have begun sharing space with the Shade Tree Clinic. I’ve also been able to support our clinicians as they’ve earned new credentials to increase services at our clinic, such as colposcopy training and menopause society certifications. Lastly, we have VUSN students in our clinic or at the hospital with us almost every day, which is both an opportunity for our providers to precept, and a challenge to stay current in all areas of our care. Our biggest challenges are related to physical space in our clinic, but we always make it work!
The professional accomplishments of which I am most proud is being able to wear many “hats”. I’ve been at Vanderbilt 19 years and have had many different roles! I love having a position that allows me to combine full-scope midwifery practice, teaching at VUSN, and serving in a leadership role.
I am married and have 3 children. My hobbies mostly consist of attending their various activities! My oldest son plays lacrosse for Hendrix College in Conway, AR, and we try to watch him play as often as possible. My daughter is a junior in high school and runs track year-round, does pole vault, and is part of HOSA at her school, so we spend a lot of time watching her as well. Our youngest is in the 5th grade and still deciding on his interests. When I’m not watching my kids at events, I love to read, play Mahjong with my girlfriends, and work out at Orange Theory Fitness.