CLNC 1010 Holistic Clinic Plan

Claire Sandrock
August 7, 2017

My clinical experience will be completed at the freestanding birth center where I am

currently observing births. I plan to work with the primary midwife to complete the MCU

preceptor paperwork in the coming months. I plan to take my Phase I Practicum in December

and being Phase II assisting in January 2018. I am currently dedicating one day per week to

shadowing the midwife (Amanda DeVoodgt) during prenatal appointments and observing births

when possible over the remaining days of the week. Over time, I plan to work with other

midwives (Alison Peralta, Heather Kramer, Kate Chantry) in the practice to facilitate their role as

preceptors and learn from them during births and post-partum visits.

The clients are entirely women from Anabaptist (Amish and Mennonite) communities. I

am familiar with these communities from my work organizing a genetic testing program for

children with rare genetic conditions in the same clinic where the birth center is located. I have

met many community members through outreach efforts and look forward to working with this

community in the future. There are cultural and economic considerations when working with this

community. As noted previously, most women are very modest in dress, low-income, disinclined

to seek medical care, and do not have easy access to telephones. From this experience, I have

noted tendencies for families to seek care later in pregnancy (often third trimester), have

uncertain dating of pregnancies, and present as grand multiparous women. Keys to caring for

these clients includes consulting with physicians when warranted, developing care plans that

meet the needs of the clients, and keeping financial restraints in mind.

I plan to complete both clinical phases 2 and 3 in this setting, as I am familiar with the

community, the midwives and the supporting physicians at the clinic. I live 20 minutes from the
clinic and work there 4 days per week. I do worry that the limited nature of the practice will

restrict future employment opportunities. Therefore, I plan to also complete some phase 2 births

with local home birth midwives. In addition to expanding my education and exposure to other

styles of practice, it will fulfill my NARM home birth requirements.

Skills inventory

While I am completing my observational clinical phase for MCU, I already have my

Temporary Permit (TPH) in Wisconsin, which includes CPR and NRP training. During some of

the observational births, I have been able to monitor maternal vitals, listen for fetal heart tones,

administering Pitocin and vitamin K, keep time, complete the placenta exam, offer labor support

to mother and assist with cleaning.

Beginning in January, after I have completed my phase 1 practicum, the primary midwife

(Amanda DeVoodgt) will be teaching and evaluating my phase 2 skills. These skills include

performing the complete newborn exam, assessing cervical dilation and effacement, handling

baby after birth, lactation support, assessing APGARs, newborn screening and postpartum home

visits. I feel that I am well positioned to complete my phase 2 and 3 births considering the local

and integrated nature of my clinical work and employment.