Martha Merrill-Hall 4/1/25 Martha Merrill-Hall 4/1/25

Crocodile Court

If it were not bad enough to worry about the threat of malpractice litigation and potentially facing trial, since 2009 that anxiety has taken on enhanced significance and . . .validation.

Martha Merrill-Hall 3/26/25 Martha Merrill-Hall 3/26/25

Mary Breckinridge and the Color of Nurse-Midwifery

While the historical aspects of early nurse-midwifery are portrayed as brave and heroic, on a superficial level, there are additional issues to consider.

Martha Merrill-Hall 3/24/25 Martha Merrill-Hall 3/24/25

Sometimes The Meek Won’t Inherit The Earth - Part 1

Midwifery care is associated with the concepts of gentleness and patience. In fact, they are a hallmark of midwifery care. In corporate healthcare, these qualities are frequently undermined and disrespected.

Martha Merrill-Hall 3/19/25 Martha Merrill-Hall 3/19/25

What Happened to Midwifery in America? Part 1

What happened to midwifery in America? Part 1

Throughout history midwives have been ever-present, often in the background, but always with us. They have been women in the community other women have turned to for support with women’s unique physical and emotional issues. Most people know the word, midwife; early English for “with woman”.

Martha Merrill-Hall 3/14/25 Martha Merrill-Hall 3/14/25

Insurance Defense Attorneys

Insurance defense attorneys will advertise for clients the same as trial attorneys, but their targeted audiences are insurance companies, not injured plaintiffs. An insurance defense attorney is hired by a hospital insurance company to protect their interests when claims for malpractice arise. As a CNM/CM hospital employee, named in a claim for malpractice, you will eventually become acquainted with this individual. Although many midwifery/medical defendants may consider this person to be “their” lawyer, that is not really the case.

Martha Merrill-Hall 3/12/25 Martha Merrill-Hall 3/12/25

Filing The Midwifery Negligence Lawsuit - Part 3

According to National Vital Statistics, birth injury is defined as “impairment of an infant’s body function or structure as the result of an adverse event during childbirth. Injuries mostly occur during the process of labor and delivery.

Martha Merrill-Hall 3/12/25 Martha Merrill-Hall 3/12/25

Legal Standard of Care Part, 1

Standard of care is a legal term, not a medical or midwifery one. When referring to the quality of care provided in a situation of healthcare, standard of care is the term of lawyers, not healthcare providers.

Martha Merrill-Hall 3/4/25 Martha Merrill-Hall 3/4/25

Filing the Midwifery Negligence Lawsuit - Part 2

The type of legal case that may be filed against you as a midwife is civil litigation. This encompasses medical malpractice and personal injury. A personal injury lawsuit begins when a plaintiff (injured party) files a complaint against a defendant (the party deemed responsible for the injury).

Martha Merrill-Hall 3/3/25 Martha Merrill-Hall 3/3/25

Cheating On Call Part 2

Midwives, on-call time is not your time. Your time belongs to the patients that may need you and the institution/entity that is paying you to be available for patients who require your presence. While on-call, your time should not be dedicated to your family, young baby, toddler, partner, or your much-needed rest. I do not deny that this is hard.

Martha Merrill-Hall 2/27/25 Martha Merrill-Hall 2/27/25

Medical and Midwifery Burnout Part 3(b)

Hospital corporate business is BIG business. Making money is the mission.

Martha Merrill-Hall 2/25/25 Martha Merrill-Hall 2/25/25

Myth of the Ordinary Midwife Part 2

Myth of Ordinary Midwife Part 2

After decades of effort by the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM), CNMs/CMs continue to be adversely affected by historical myth and modern legend, which affect the public profiles of modern midwives.

Martha Merrill-Hall 2/25/25 Martha Merrill-Hall 2/25/25

Medical and Midwifery Burnout - Part 3(a)

Abuse of power within hierarchical structures is nothing new. We are see it in our news feeds everyday. Hospital corporate entities are structuredaround a traditional hierarchy, particularly relating to the hiring, supervision, advancement, and responsibilities of professional healcare providers.

Martha Merrill-Hall 2/22/25 Martha Merrill-Hall 2/22/25

Substance and Structure of Midwifery Practice

“ Why would

anyone

want to go to a midwife?” These were the first words from a physician in-law on the day we met. I was accustomed to a different question: “Why did you

want

to be a midwife?”

Martha Merrill-Hall 2/16/25 Martha Merrill-Hall 2/16/25

To Err Is Human: To Sleep Divine

With the possible exception of airline pilots, air-traffic controllers, parents of newborns and owls, registered nurses working night shifts and advanced practice providers with demanding on-call responsibilities, tend to experience unprecedented levels of sleep deprivation from their career choices.

Martha Merrill-Hall 2/12/25 Martha Merrill-Hall 2/12/25

Working Relationships in Midwifery Practice: Clinical Encounters of the Dysfunctional Kind: Part 2

Situation

Unfortunately, the long history of friction between CNMs and RNs on labor and delivery will probably not resolve any time, soon. Accept that this dysfunctional dynamic may remain inherent in the culture of care on many L&D Units. Unhealthy cultures of care transcend State lines and territorial boundaries, capable of reaching every hospital labor and delivery unit in the United States.

Martha Merrill-Hall 2/11/25 Martha Merrill-Hall 2/11/25

Medical and Midwifery Burnout Part 2

One well-documented aspect of work stress that destroys a sense of well-being and confidence for hospital midwives is the aura of hostility and disrespect toward midwives on many labor and delivery units.

Martha Merrill-Hall 2/9/25 Martha Merrill-Hall 2/9/25

Medical and Midwifery Burnout - Part 1

Unfortunately, striving for our professional place in healthcare may come with a steep price, not the least of which is basic recognition. Forget gratification or peace-of-mind. Burnout in healthcare has been documented for years. Signs and symptoms include: exhaustion, depression, work-life conflict, diminishing joy, and physical and mental stress, to name just a few. We all know what it is.

Martha Merrill-Hall 2/6/25 Martha Merrill-Hall 2/6/25

Two Basic Legal Concepts Impacting Certified Nurse-Midwifery Practice

There are two areas of the law in the United States, Criminal Law and Civil Law. Criminal law applies to legal issues in the public sector, and civil law applies to violations in private matters, typically between individuals.

Martha Merrill-Hall 2/2/25 Martha Merrill-Hall 2/2/25

Attorney Advertising - Personal Injury

For many years, some personal injury attorneys’ websites have advertised for business in varying forms of media, attempting to alert and attract those clients who may have suffered injuries at the hands of medical professionals. Midwives have always been a popular target since the profession is frequently maligned and misunderstood. What better profession to target when mining for potential economic windfalls?

Martha Merrill-Hall 1/30/25 Martha Merrill-Hall 1/30/25

Mid-level Mortification

Years ago, I worked in a hospital-owned and administrated Certified Nurse-Midwifery group. Practice meetings occurred, periodically, to discuss administrative concerns and other pertinent issues regarding patient care in our clinic. One particular meeting was assembled to meet and welcome a new hospital CEO who was making rounds on the various clinics and departments. Executives had a tendency to come and go in this hospital so these meetings were not a new experience for our group. I have no clear memory of other meetings that I attended, but this one stands out.