WEAU Eau Claire
by Hayley Spitler

Fewer doctors are pursuing careers in Obstetrics, according to Mayo Clinic Health Systems. They estimate there will be a shortage of 6,000 to 8,000 OBs this year. As a result, Mayo in La Crosse has created a collaborative care model with certified nurse-midwives. "We will stay in-house all the time, take care of triaging all of the patients," said Theresa Hagen, a certified nurse-midwife. "Seeing all of the low-risk to moderately high-risk patients, delivering them, rounding on them, anything we could do to help our OB colleagues out."

Reach: WEAU-TV is the NBC affiliate for much of western Wisconsin, including Eau Claire and La Crosse. WEAU is licensed to Eau Claire and its transmitter is located in Fairchild, Wisconsin.

Additional coverage: Becker’s Hospital Review, MD Magazine

Context: Fewer physicians are pursuing careers in obstetrics, in part because of the intense, round-the-clock demands of the job and a high burnout rate. An unusually large number of practicing obstetricians are expected to retire within the next decade, which will add to an already acute physician shortage.

One solution to this staffing challenge is a collaborative care model used at Mayo Clinic Health System ― Franciscan Healthcare in La Crosse, where certified nurse-midwives lead the care team. Certified nurse-midwives provide care for obstetric patients who are at low to moderate risk as part of a team model described in Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Innovations, Quality & Outcomes.

You can read more about the model on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Contact: Rick Thiesse

Tags: Mayo Clinic Health System, midwifes, Uncategorized, WEAU-TV Eau Claire