ODU, SHENANDOAH UNIVERSITY BEGIN MIDWIFERY PROGRAM

The Old Dominion University master's degree in nursing with a nurse midwifery specialty is currently accepting students. The new program is offered jointly by Old Dominion and Shenandoah University in Winchester, Va. Students will complete their first year at Old Dominion and second year in the midwifery program at Shenandoah University using on-campus and distance learning methods.

According to Laurel Garzon, the graduate program director for nursing, there is a shortage of nurse midwives and a shortage of programs to train them. "Start-up costs are very high for midwife programs. It just makes sense to use the resources we have to make this available in underserved areas," she said. "This program builds on our existing distance network and is a really good example of how two schools can use their best attributes to put together a needed program."

The courses will be offered at ODU's Norfolk campus, and its Virginia Beach, Tri-Cities, and Peninsula higher education centers, as well as distance learning sites throughout the state. Students will attend classes at Shenandoah in two and four week blocks during each of the last three semesters of the program.

The master's degree in nursing will be awarded by ODU and Shenandoah will award a certificate of midwifery specialty. Graduates will be eligible to take the national midwifery certification examination.

Full-time and part-time students may complete the program. For more information or to register, call 683-4298, (800) 572-2762 or e-mail sparker@odu.edu.