Karen Woods, MS CNM

While being a part of the senior leadership team at Kaiser Permanente as the Director of Midwifery Services through developing and promoting strategies to best serve our members, I am 70% clinical, providing full-scope midwifery care in a very busy, high volume, high-risk OBGYN practice.

• Assisted in the development of clinic protocols to maintain best practices in midwifery care while adhering to institutional guidelines
• Improved birth outcomes by developing individualized birth plans that incorporated patient preferences and medical needs. This leads to promoting informed decision-making among patients by providing evidence-based information on available birthing options and interventions.
• Provide comprehensive gynecological care.
• First Assistant with cesarean births
• Mentoring student nurse midwives interested in pursuing careers as certified nurse midwives, sharing clinical expertise and professional guidance.
• Followed professional standards and guidelines by adhering to ethical and legal guidelines and maintaining continued education certifications.

• Full-Scope Midwifery
• High-risk Obstetrics
• CNM Schedule Coordinator
• Certified Centering Pregnancy Facilitator
• Childbirth Instructor & Breastfeeding Educator
• Obstetric Quality Assurance/High-Risk Chart Review Committee

• Full-Scope Midwifery care.
• First Assistant with cesarean births.
• Co-lead in developing a practice agreement to start a CNM practice and obtaining prescriptive authority.

Neurosurgical Unit, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Unit, and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

• Utilized critical thinking skills to prioritize nursing interventions based on patients'' acuity levels and individual needs.
• Conducted thorough patient assessments to identify changes in condition, promptly notifying physicians and initiating appropriate interventions when necessary.
• Administered medications safely according to established guidelines while closely monitoring for side effects or adverse reactions requiring intervention.
• Enhanced patient satisfaction by providing compassionate, holistic nursing care that addressed physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.