DISCLAIMER: This content is designed to enhance the study of nursing. This content is generic and is not designed to take into account the specific objectives, needs, and/or circumstances of any particular region or country. To become a nurse, learners must successfully complete a program of study approved by the government or state-regulatory agency in their place of residence. We cannot guarantee that the successful completion of these materials will enable you to practice in your place of residence. Make sure that you are in compliance with the scope of practice of your regulatory body before attempting to put into use or practice any of the knowledge gained.

This Maternal Health Course provides comprehensive instruction to the student on the concepts and principles for providing patient and family-friendly nursing care to women during normal pregnancy through the ante-natal, natal, and postnatal periods in hospitals and rural community settings. The goal is to provide a holistic nursing emphasis on the bio-psycho-socio-cultural-spiritual needs of the pregnant woman and her family during the phases of pregnancy, childbirth, and the neonatal period common to populations in both the minority and majority world populations. 

Global nursing scope of practice varies widely depending on the country, national, regional government, and professional regulatory agencies.  In an attempt to be relevant to the entire global nursing community, this course addresses nursing skills and practice on several levels. It is the nurse’s responsibility to know what particular regulations apply to their area of practice. 

The Maternal Health Course is a competency-based course developed in partnership with Nurses International (NI) and NextGenU.org (NGU).  Competencies were developed in collaboration with maternal health and public health subject matter experts. The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education direct the course objectives. The course uses learning resources from accredited world-class organizations such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. National Institutes of Health,  the World Health Organization,  universities, international guidelines, and peer-reviewed journals.  The Moodle Learning Management System (LMS) is utilized for facilitating distance learning. The course was designed by NextGenU’s Instructional Design team and Nurses International’s team members with particular thanks to Kathleen Capone MS, RN CNE, EdD; Stephanie Marfurt Ph.D., ARNP-BC; Renee Marg DNP, RN; Sarah Bohling MSN, RN, APRN-NCNS; Aundrea Bevis, RN, BSN, MPH; and Melissa Turner, DNP, RN, FNP-C.                   

There are 6 units/modules to complete, which include:

• Unit  1: Introduction to Pregnancy
• Unit  2:  Changes in Pregnancy
• Unit  3: Nursing Care during Antenatal Period 
• Unit  4: Nursing Care during Labour and Delivery
• Unit  5: Postnatal Nursing Care
• Unit  6: Nursing Care for High-Risk Pregnancy, Labour, and Delivery

Approximate time for completion of this course is 238 hours at an average reading rate of 144 words/minute.

Instructions:

The course consists of six learning units. Included in the units are individual lessons with accompanying assigned reading resources, PowerPoint reviews, and student self-assessment. Learners are directed to carefully read the speaker notes in the PowerPoint reviews as they elaborate on important information and are considered an essential part of the didactic course content. Through self-assessments are not graded they help the learners to evaluate their learning for the respective lesson. 

There is no time limit for course completion. The learner may return to the course and resume the lessons at any time. There is a 50- question multiple-choice exam at the end of the course.  A grade of 80% is required. If a grade of 80% is not achieved, the learner may self-remediate and take another exam. The second exam is of comparable content, and 80% is required for a passing grade. If you were directed to this course by your learning institution then your learning institution may have different requirements for course passage and time limits.

The course may be taken again in its entirety. Certification of completion may be downloaded upon successful completion of the course. This content is designed to enhance your study of nursing or to prepare you to enter a program of nursing education.  To become a nurse, you must successfully complete a program of study approved by the government or state-regulatory agency in your place of residence.

Engaging with this Course:

You may take this course at no cost for your personal enrichment; there are no course prerequisites.

To obtain a certificate, a learner must successfully complete:

• All the reading requirements,
• All quizzes and pass with 100% having unlimited attempts,
• All activities and case studies,
• The final exam with a minimum of 80% and a maximum of 3 attempts, and
• The self and course evaluation forms.

NextGenU.org is happy to provide your institution with

• A link to and description of the course training, so they can see all its components, including the cosponsoring universities and other professional organization cosponsors; 
• Your grade on the final exam;
• Your work products (e.g. case study activities), and any other required or optional shared materials that you produce and authorize to share with them;  
• Your evaluations -- course, and self-assessments;
• A copy of your certificate of completion.

To obtain a degree, NextGenU.org co-sponsors degree programs with institutional partners. To obtain a full degree co-sponsored with NextGenU.org, registrants must be enrolled in a degree program as a student of a NextGenU.org institutional partner. If you think that your institution might be interested in offering a degree with NextGenU.org contact us.

We hope that you will find this a rewarding learning experience, and we count on your assessment and feedback to help us improve this training for future students.

Here are the next steps to take the course if you would like to download a certificate:

• Complete the registration form.
• Take the pre-test.
• Begin the course with Module 1. In each lesson, read the description, complete all required readings and any required activity, and take the corresponding quizzes.
• Nurse educators may contact info@nursesinternational.org with any questions or for permission to access faculty files for this course which includes didactic and clinical syllabi, teacher’s guide, suggested teaching activities for classroom and clinical, and a question bank.

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Unit Objectives:

• Identify the nurse’s role in delivering compassionate care. 
• Support the mother’s role in self-care.
• Apply holistic principles of maternal and family care to support the cultural integrity of child-bearing families. 
• Understand the transition to pregnancy, including major tasks as they relate to maternal, paternal, and family adaptation.

Unit Objectives:

• Understand the process of conception.
• Understand fetal development.
• Describe the physiologic changes in pregnancy, their accompanying discomforts, and appropriate nursing interventions.
• Identify methods for determining gestational age.
• Describe the elements of antenatal, maternal, and fetal assessment.

Unit Objectives:

• Identify the nurse’s role in the care of the antepartal woman.
• Describe the nutritional needs of the pregnant and lactating woman.
• Apply holistic principles in the identification and care of a women experiencing IPV.
• Relate the significance of the comprehensive exam, including maternal history, to pregnancy outcomes.
• Explore the role of the nurse in assisting the pregnant woman and her family to prepare for childbirth.

Unit Objectives:

• Identify the stages of the delivery process.
• Explore methods of pain management in labor.
• Identify the key factors for assessment of the fetus during labor.
• Identify the nurse’s role in the care of the laboring woman.