In America, midwives often don't get the respect they deserve or the recognition for the opportunities they offer expectant mothers. Of course, that doesn't mean things aren't changing as more and more women are looking for alternative, more natural ways to give birth. These blogs offer some great advice, perspectives and information for those who are currently working in the field and those who are still in nursing school or training to be a midwife.
Blogging Midwives and Students
Check out these blogs to hear from women learning how to be or working as midwives.
- The Midwives of Bethany Women's Healthcare: On this blog, you'll hear stories and information from the nurse-midwives of Bethany Women's Healthcare.
- Hands for Catching: This midwife-in-training shares her experiences in nursing school and learning about birthing babies on this site.
- Minority Midwife: Check out this blog to read posts from an African-American woman who's training to be a nurse and midwife.
- Bloody Show: This midwifery student explores issues of health, sex, gender, sexuality and more through her blog.
- Meconium Happens: Here you'll find a midwife who has a lot of experience, having her own eight children, to share with clients.
- PinkyRN: Visit this blog to read about the trials and tribulations of this midwife student.
- Navelgazing Midwife: This blogger is a professional midwife in San Diego who shares her experiences via her blog.
- Jan Tritten's Blog: Found on Midwifery Today, this blog talks about a number of issues that midwives will find interesting.
- Spinning Babies Blog: Gail Tully, a home birth midwife in Minnesota, shares her thoughts on optimal fetal positioning and more on this blog.
- Radical Midwife: This midwifery professional specializes in water and breech birth, but posts on a variety of topics here.
- Birthworks: Follow news and updates for midwives from blogger and professional midwife Stacey Haugland on this blog.
- Salem Midwife: This midwife owns a practice in Oregon, which can you learn more about by reading her posts.
Midwife and Birth Organizations
These organization's blogs are a great place to find information on midwifery.
- Midwife Connection: Follow midwifery as it is in the news and learn about opportunities to promote the profession on this blog.
- Citizens for Midwifery: This blog is home to the Citizens for Midwifery organization.
- International Caesarean Awareness Network Blog: Learn how to prevent more women from having unnecessary Cesareans with help from this organization's blog.
- Ethics for Midwives: Read through this blog to learn about the importance of a solid book of ethics for your practice.
Birth Blogs
These blogs embrace natural, educated and woman-centered childbirth.
- Birth Sense: Also called the Midwife Next Door, this blog offers simple, helpful advice for having a normal and healthy birth.
- Empowering Birth Blog: This midwifery student shares tips and experiences on how to make birth a more empowering experience.
- Enjoy Birth: Help your clients learn to enjoy and worry less about their pregnancy and birth with help from this site.
- First the Egg: Check out this blog for a feminist, empowering look at pregnancy, birth and women's health.
- Preparing for Birth: You may want to recommend this site to clients to help them to prepare for every step of their pregnancy and birth.
- Woman to Woman Childbirth Education: This blog focuses on passing childbirthing education from woman to woman.
- Science and Sensibility: This blog posts the latest research about healthy pregnancies and births.
- Instinctual Birth: Here you'll find a range of posts all about natural childbirth.
International
Check out these blogs from around the world to learn about being a midwife abroad.
- A Midwife's Muse: This community midwife lives and works in the UK and shares her expertise in the field here.
- VillageMidwife: Check with this blog regularly to learn more about midwifery issues in Australia.
- Homebirth: A Midwife Mutiny: This site talks about midwifery and homebirth in Australia.
- Watts in Nigeria: Here you'll find posts from both the UK and Nigeria from a woman working as a midwife.
- Gloria Lemay: This Canadian blogger is a childbirth activist, editor for Midwifery Today Magazine, an Advisory Board member of the International Cesarean Awareness Network and a midwife herself.
- Private Midwife: This Sydney-based midwife helps women to give birth at home and in the hospital.
- Missionary Midwife Mama: This midwife decided to take her expertise to Thailand, and you can read her blog to learn about her experiences there.
Doulas
Learn how to connect with doulas or make them part of your practice with these helpful blogs.
- Birthing Beautiful Ideas: This mother and philosophy PhD is also a doula and lactation educator.
- Dou-La-La: Visit this blog to read posts from this postpartum doula, birth advocate and midwife in training.
- Musings of a Montreal Doula: Lesley Everest shares her experiences and thoughts on supporting women in birth and parenting on this blog.
- Vancouver Doula: Find advice and inspiration on helping women give birth naturally from this blogging doula and midwife.
- Bellies and Babies: Follow the life of this midwifery student and doula through this blog.
- Radical Doula: Get a different perspective on being a doula from this pro-choice, Latina, and queer doula.
- Holistic Doula NYC Blog: Holistic RN, doula, and former labor and delivery nurse Andrea Crossman posts to this blog that helps moms-to-be find the help they need.
Other Birthing Health Care Professionals
These blogs track nurses and doctors working in labor and delivery and obstetrics.
- At Your Cervix: Check out this blog to read about the experiences of this labor and delivery nurse.
- Sarah Stewart: This blog is all about providing education to health care professionals involved in midwifery or birthing.
- The Skeptical OB: Harvard grad Dr. Amy Tuteur is a great resource of knowledge for birthing and OB information as well as the medical field at large.
- Birthday Nurse: Here you'll find a nurse working in the labor and delivery ward at the same hospital where she was born.
- OB/Gyn Kenobi: Follow the life of this Texas OB through this fun and informative blog.
- Midwife With a Knife: This site is home to the personal and professional observations of a Midwestern obstetrician.
Women's Health
Check out these sites to learn more about news and issues in women's health.
- Women's Health News: Maintained by a medical librarian, this site attempts to post the latest news and research in women's health.
- Our Bodies, Our Blog: Keep up with news and women's issues through this organization's blog.
- Birth Change: Learn more about the birth culture in the US and efforts to change it on this site.
- Women in Charge: This blog promotes women taking charge of their bodies through childbirth and beyond.
- Women's Health Zone: Visit this blog regularly to learn about new research in women's health.
- Well Woman Blog: Find wellness tips for women on this site.
Becoming a nurse is a great decision for anyone interested in the field of medicine as it can be a rewarding career, both personally and financially. If you're thinking about enrolling in nursing school, check out our list of 100 great reasons to become a nurse.
Altruism Becoming a nurse means that you can feel good about what you do.
- You want to make a positive contribution: You care about your fellow man, and want to make a positive impact on peoples' lives.
- Do something that matters: As a nurse, your work matters to your patients and their families.
- You can save someone's life: As a nurse, you may have the opportunity to save someone's life.
- You want to take away pain and suffering: Become a nurse to help stop the pain and suffering of others.
- You'll bring hope: You can be a giver of hope to your patients.
- See miracles: You can see miracles happen every day in nursing.
- You can uplift morale: As a nurse, you'll be able to improve the morale of patients and their families.
Education Here we'll take a look at the educational perks of nursing.
- It's easy to get started: Registered nurses can get started with a 2 year associate's degree and licensing exams.
- You'll be able to spot problems: Even in your daily life outside of work, you can see problems in bacteria, infections, and more.
- Completing a bachelor’s degree offers even more: For better pay and hiring opportunities, it's easy to complete additional education for a BSN.
- You can help family and friends: As a nurse, you'll be able to help support the people you care about in their health.
- Now is a good time to go to school: It's a great time to further your education with a nursing degree.
- You'll be more aware of your own health: Studying and working in healthcare can help you better focus on your own health.
Rewards These are some of the rewards that come along with nursing.
- Seeing patients cured: The reward of seeing someone return to good health is a great reason to become a nurse.
- You can be proud of your work: Nursing is a career that you can take pride in.
- You'll do good deeds for a living: When your job is helping people, you will do good for a living.
- You will value life more than ever: Becoming a nurse will help you better understand the value of life.
- Hugs: One of the perks of working as a nurse? Free hugs from patients and their families.
- Changing people's lives: Become a nurse for the satisfaction of changing people's lives.
- Personal growth: Nurses often experience strong personal growth and satisfaction.
- Respect: Nurses are well-respected in society.
- Medical TV is more exciting: When you live what other people only watch, medical TV shows are more interesting.
- Free consultations: When you work with doctors, much of your medical advice is free.
- You may learn how to decipher doctor handwriting: As a nurse, you just might earn a skill that others don't have-the ability to read what doctors write.
- Free lunch: Often, pharmaceutical reps bring in free lunches for doctors and nurses.
- Self esteem: Working as a nurse, you can feel good about yourself knowing that you're helping people.
- You'll get satisfaction from stopping suffering: When your patients recover, you'll enjoy seeing their suffering reduced.
- You can quickly earn vacation time: When working long hours at a time, you'll be able to earn vacation days quickly.
- You will be appreciated: Although not all patients will recognize your importance, many will be very appreciative of your hard work.
Practical These are some of the very practical rewards you'll get from nursing.
- Benefits: Many nursing jobs come with great medical and dental benefits.
- Free housing: Many travel nurses are given free housing.
- Retirement: You'll generally find nursing positions with retirement savings plans.
- Bonuses: Many nursing positions come with sign on bonuses and special pay for taking on certain positions.
- Overtime: You can be paid well for time worked over your regular hours.
- Incentives: Many employers offer sign on bonuses, tuition reimbursement, and more.
- You can take days off: When you work long hours, it's easy to create a schedule where you have a number of off days grouped together.
- Life insurance: You'll generally find life insurance as a part of a nursing benefits package.
- You can have weekdays off: With a nurse's schedule, you may often end up with weekdays off to run your errands.
Career Here you can examine some of the great things about a career in nursing.
- You'll always have a job: There's always a place for nurses to work, so nursing will give you a guaranteed job.
- You can work anywhere: Medical professionals are needed everywhere, so you can work wherever you'd like.
- Job satisfaction: Job satisfaction among nurses is very high.
- Nursing is recession proof: Although markets can fluctuate, people will always get sick.
- There's good pay: Even new nurses will earn a generous paycheck, and those who fill shortages can earn even more.
- You'll have a flexible schedule: You can create a flexible schedule with a variety of different shifts.
- You'll be connected to technology and humanity: Nursing offers a science to technically caring for people.
- You can work on the road: Many nurses find success in travel nursing.
- You can change your specialty: You can take on opportunities in new specialties if you'd like.
- There's lots of variety: The possibilities are endless when it comes to nursing-you can work in a hospital or clinic, work in pediatrics, insurance, or schools.
- You can take on expanding opportunities: As physicians spend less time with patients, nurses can take on opportunities that offer more hands-on interaction.
- Nursing offers transferable skills: As a nurse, you'll learn skills that are great for any career in health care.
- There's plenty of room for growth: Your nursing career can grow into much more with further education.
Traits Do you have what it takes to be a nurse? Check out these traits.
- You'll get over bodily functions: You will no longer have any problems with other peoples' toilet use and bodily functions.
- You're detail-oriented: You must be able to remember, write a lot, and be organized as a nurse.
- You are empathetic: Sharing empathy with others is essential for becoming a nurse.
- You have the skills: If you have the ability to communicate and instill trust in people, you have the basic skills for becoming a nurse.
- You're emotionally stable: As a nurse, you have to be able to deal with a roller coaster ride of emotions.
- You can deal with blood: If you're faint of stomach, you'll have trouble with nursing.
- You're able to adapt: Every day will be different, so being able to adapt is essential for nursing.
- You can prioritize: Nursing is fast paced and needs constant prioritization.
- You have physical endurance: Nurses often work on their feet all day with minimal breaks.
- You're dedicated: Nursing is not just a job-it's a lifestyle.
- You can think quickly: If you're able to think on your feet, chances are you can keep up with nursing.
- You have a commitment to learning: Nurses are constantly learning, so if you love to learn, nursing is a great profession.
- You have good judgment: You should be able to judge quickly and accurately.
- You're caring: As a nurse, you'll care for people every day, so caring for others is a must.
- You're hardworking: Nursing is never ending, and needs hard workers.
- You're willing to work hard: Nursing is hard work-if you can handle long hours in exchange for rewarding work, nursing may be good for you.
- You're tactful: Nurses need to be able to deal with doctors, patients, and coworkers in a tactful way.
- You're good at multitasking: Multitasking is an essential skill for nurses.
- You have a sense of humor: As a nurse, you have to be able to let things slide off your back.
- You like a challenge: Nursing will stretch your limits, in a good way.
- You're dedicated: Nurses take on their vocation to dedicate their lives to helping others.
- You're courageous: Nursing can sometimes be a scary job, so if you've got courage, you may have what it takes to be a nurse.
People See how people can make your work as a nurse worth it.
- Interaction: You'll be able to interact with different people every day.
- You'll work with patients and their families: You will spend time working with not only patients, but their families as well.
- You'll be a mentor: Nursing allows you to mentor patients, families, and other nurses.
- You'll work as part of a team: You will interact with lots of other health professionals as a nurse.
- You'll enjoy camaraderie: As part of a health care team, you will enjoy camaraderie with your fellow workers and patients.
- You'll educate people: Much of your job as a nurse will be educating patients, their families, and the general public.
- You can become more than a caregiver: Long term care can take a personal turn with patients you really care about.
Advantages Over Becoming a Doctor These are a few reasons why nursing may be better than becoming a doctor.
- Fewer educational requirements: You'll study for 2-4 years instead of 12-14.
- You have less liability: Doctors are responsible for malpractice insurance, while nurses are not.
- You can spend more time with patients: Doctors do not generally get to spend a lot of time with patients-but nurses do.
- You'll take care of patients, not the disease: As a nurse, you can treat the whole patient.
- There's more flexibility: Once doctors pick their specialty, they generally have to stay in it, but nurses can move from one area of medicine to another.
- You can have a life outside of work: Although you will work strange hours, your life will not be completely devoted to work.
- There's less of a commitment: You do not have to own a practice, employ staff, and stay in one place as a nurse.
- You won't start your career in a massive amount of debt: Most doctors start their careers deep in debt from years of education, while nurses tend to have limited debt or none at all.
- It's difficult to get into medical school: Being accepted in medical school is not easy, but nursing school is easy in comparison.
- You won't have to be on call constantly: Doctors normally have to spend certain hours on call, while nurses don't.
Environment Here you will learn why a nurse's working environment is great.
- Nursing is exciting: Every day at work is different for nurses.
- You can embrace change: Even if you work in the same hospital for 25 years, you can change specialties, hours, and more to switch things up.
- You'll avoid the typical 9-5: You can avoid working typical business hours as a nurse.
- Flexibility: Nursing offers lots of flexibility.
- There's lots of variety: You'll be able to work in lots of different settings and positions.
- Nurse staffing agencies are useful: If you'd like to earn high hourly wages with lots of flexibility, you may want to look into working for nursing staffing agencies.
- You can use all of yourself: A career in nursing uses your mind, body, and soul.
- It's easy to move: Nurses can work anywhere, so moving to a new city is not a problem.
- Nursing is intellectually stimulating: As a nurse, or nurse educator, you will work in an intellectually stimulating environment.
- Nurses can work in a variety of settings: Nurses can work in hospitals, clinics, offices, schools, homes, and more.
According to the Institute of Medicine, approximately 1.5 million patients are the victim of some sort of medical mistake. The results lead to an estimated 98,000 deaths a year.
If you thought only the “common” people are victims of this, think again. Below, we have gathered the ten scariest celebrity malpractice cases. They include some of the most famous celebrities and the most heart-breaking stories.
1. Michael Jackson Dies From Drug Poisoning : The world mourned the loss of one of its most noted entertainers in 2009. The cause of death? A myriad of drugs including Propofol, a sedative used during general surgery, and two other related drugs were found in Michael’s system even though he didn’t need them. Because he was under the care of a physician, the case has gone beyond malpractice. The physician who oversaw Michael will now be charged with manslaughter.
2. James Woods’ Brother Dies In Hospital : Forty nine year old Michael Woods went to the hospital in the afternoon in 2006 with a sore throat and vomiting. Three hours later he suffered a heart attack and died. Instead of being put on a heart monitor as ordered after an electrocardiogram showed an abnormal heartbeat, he was taken to x-ray and then left on a gurney in a hallway where he experienced his fatal heart attack. Three years later James Woods and family were awarded 1.25 million to create the Michael J. Woods Institute at Kent Hospital.
3. Dennis Quaid’s Newborns Given Accidental Overdose : In one of the scariest malpractice cases involving celebrities, it was the children who were harmed. In November of 2007, Dennis and his wife Kimberly gave birth to two healthy twins. The joy soon turned to horror when the babies accidentally received a massive overdose of a blood thinning drug. In an insane error where the comma was placed three digits over, the twins received 10,000 units of Heparin instead of ten. This error happened when the pharmacist restocked the different vials in the wrong place and the staff didn’t catch it. The Quaids eventually settled with the hospital for a reported $750,000.
4. John Ritter Dies of Aortic Dissection : He continues to make us laugh in reruns of “Three’s Company” and many other shows and films. That is why it was such a tragedy when he died in 2003 from a tear in his aorta, also known as an aortic dissection. His lawyers alleged that a denied chest x-ray two years before would have led to the correct diagnosis. Instead he has treated incorrectly for a heart attack. The family ended up settling in 2008.
5. Kanye West’s Mother Dies From Surgery : In 2007, Donda West died at age 58 from complications due to a tummy tuck and breast reduction. The doctor who operated on her suspected that the cause of death could have been a heart attack, pulmonary embolism, or massive vomiting. The scary part is that the doctor had two malpractice suits filed against him that ended in payouts and was arrested twice for driving under the influence, according to medical board records.
6. Freddie Prinze Commits Suicided : The only mental health malpractice suit to make the list, this one involved Freddie Prinze, Sr. He starred in the popular television series “Chico and the Man” in the seventies. After several problems with drugs, he sought the help of a psychiatrist. Believing that the Qualludes prescribed helped cause the suicide, a court settlement was reached in the amount of one million dollars for his surviving family.
7. Throat Operation Ends Julie Andrews’ Singing Career : With the lyrics “the hills are alive,” Julie forever changed the way we see musicals on the screen. In addition to “The Sound of Music,” she sang in such classic works as “Victor/ Victoria.” and “Mary Poppins,” for which she won an Oscar in 1964. In 1997, she had throat surgery to correct voice problems. However, the result left her with hoarseness and permanent vocal damage. She ended up settling in a New York court with the hospital.
8. Dana Carvey Undergoes Botched Bypass Surgery : We all know him as the SNL favorite who brought us Garth from “Wayne’s World” and did an unforgettable George Bush 41. However, he wasn’t smiling in 1998 when he underwent a double bypass operation. When the chest pains continued with no improvement, Carvey again returned to the hospital. After undergoing an angiogram, it was discovered that the wrong artery had been bypassed. Luckily, he ended up having the correct surgery and settling his 7.5 million dollar case out of court.
9. Ed McMahon Leaves Hospital With Broken Neck : He entertained for decades at the side of the legendary Johnny Carson on “The Tonight Show.” However, in 2008 the now deceased Ed McMahon went to the hospital after a fall and was discharged without x-ray. Ed would later allege he had suffered a broken neck and two subsequent botched spine operations. He would later go onto to settle with the hospital for an undisclosed amount.
10. DJ AM Dies of Drug Overdose : After surviving a brutal plane crash with Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker that left others dead, DJ AM would later go onto die of a drug overdose. His mother then amended a wrongful death suit against the plane company. She alleges that as a result of medication he received at a hospital, he again became addicted to drugs. Barker settled separately with the plane company.
With healthcare and TORT reform at front stage, it is unlikely that the above ten scariest medical malpractice cases are will be the last. One of the best ways to avoid becoming a victim yourself is to get educated. Know which drugs you are taking, how much, when, and why you are taking them. Be sure and check the containers yourself. If feeling ill and going to the hospital, have a family member or loved one join you to make sure orders are carried out quickly and correctly. If you have any other concerns about scary malpractice cases, consult your physician for other tips to avoid them.
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