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Laurie Jurkiewicz: A Passion for Midwifery and Women’s Health

November 7, 2014
At the University of California, San Francisco, (UCSF) volunteer clinical faculty give students individual insight and hands-on experience in a wide range of health care settings and specialties. To learn more, please visit the UCSF Science of Caring website.

Laurie Jurkiewicz is a certified nurse-midwife at San Francisco General Hospital and assistant clinical professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences.
She earned her master’s in nurse-midwifery in 1991 from UCSF’s School of Nursing and went to work in the Central Valley of California.  After three years, she returned to work at teach at San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH).

“One of the best things about working in this setting is having the opportunity to work on a wide variety of things and develop different skills. In addition to working in the prenatal clinic and attending deliveries at SFGH, I’m involved in research into a dental intervention to teach people to do self-care and assessment; we’re measuring outcomes around preterm birth, which may be associated with periodontal disease. I also work in the Women’s Options Center, which is very important to me. As a midwife, I’m intensely interested in birth, but I also see what women go through to get an abortion. We do late-second-trimester abortions, which is necessary due to reduced access to abortion, particularly for uninsured or underinsured women.”
“One of my favorite activities is leading Centering Pregnancy groups at the San Francisco Homeless Prenatal Program. Centering Pregnancy is a group model of prenatal care, and I love it because it allows me to relate to my patients in a different way. As a facilitator, I go from providing one-on-one care, in a setting in which the provider has the most power and the culture is medical, to a setting where I’m only one of 12 other people, and the culture of the group is most important, so it’s more equal. It’s a powerful way to reach patients and help them make positive changes in their lives. I also work with the national Centering organization, consulting with other sites around the country to help them start Centering programs and train staff.”
We salute nurse educators like Laurie who not only impart their knowledge but give hands-on mentoring and opportunities to our next generation of nurses.
Be sure to read Laurie’s full story and to view the photo essay of her professional life.