Kelsey Durham

Honors in Nursing

Major: Nursing

Supervisor: Deborah Pollard, Nursing

Experiences of Certified Nurse Midwives in Providing Culturally Competent Care to Hispanic Women in Southeastern North Carolina

The Hispanic population in North Carolina has more than quadrupled since 1990. Several studies have shown an increasing number of health disparities in the area of women’s health for this population, specifically HIV, cervical cancer, and late initiation of prenatal care. While several studies examine these health care trends, there is little research about the experiences healthcare providers have in providing care to Hispanic women. One care provider to Hispanic women is the certified nurse midwife (CNM) who specializes in providing women’s healthcare. The purpose of this study is to examine CNM experiences with providing care to Hispanic women to identify any specific challenges and recommendations to address this health disparity. This qualitative research study consisted of semi-structured interviews with CNMs. Five CNMs were interviewed to obtain information about past experiences with Hispanic women, barriers to providing care, resources to overcomes barriers, and levels of preparedness in providing culturally competent care. Flanagan’s (1954) critical incident technique was used to describe the experiences of CNMs caring for Hispanic women in Southeast North Carolina. Data analysis indicates that CNMs face many barriers when providing care to Hispanic women. Language was the most commonly reported barrier by participants in this study, followed by a lack of additional time needed for the use of a translator. Resources to overcome these barriers include the availability of Spanish-speaking care providers and the use of language lines. CNMs emphasized the need for their profession to recognize the cultural differences among this unique population of women while providing them care. Implications of this study highlight the increasing need for women’s health care providers to provide culturally competent care to women of Hispanic origin in order to improve their overall health status.