I have helped develop a maternal health program in Guatemala and we now have antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum services. Our antepartum and postpartum services are working well, but the nurses need more education and support for us to operationalize our birth center. As Guatemala does not have Advanced Practice Nurses, and Certified Nurse-Midwives, I am able to provide the education needed through on-line education and then in-person education and simulation training.
I work in the southwestern region of Guatemala, the Trifinio. This area is extremely poor with minimal access to health care services. Because of poor access to services, the region has a 40% home birth rate and high maternal/child morbidity rates and neonatal mortality rate. The nurses and the physicians that work at the clinic also benefit as I am able to support their education in regards to evidence based maternal/child health.
The education and simulation training I can do at the site will allows us to open the birth center and provide access to maternal/birth care for the local populations. While I am there, I will also support the charge nurse (train her as trainer) to continue to lead the simulations and education/orientation for new nurses to the site.
Hello there!
I worked for a week in Guatemala at a clinic that is operated with a collaboration of the University of Colorado and Funsalud (a Guatemalan not for profit organization if the Agroamerica Company). We provided continuing education (as part of a 7 year project) to the nurses on antepartum, intrapartum, postpartum care and focused on obstetric emergency skills, ultrasound skills, and suturing of the perineum. The nurses receiving the education provide care in the communities and intrapartum services at the birth center we developed.
