Making a positive impact across the lifespan with nurse midwife JoAnne Burris

For this week’s Making the Rounds, we interviewed JoAnne Burris, APRN, CNM, of the UK Midwife Clinic, about the compassionate care she provides to empower women across their lifespan. 

From her own personal experience, she knows that putting each woman’s thoughts and feelings at the center of their care and encouraging them to believe they are in control are crucial first steps for ensuring positive outcomes.

What do you like most about your work?

I love working with pregnant women. That is what most people generally associate nurse midwives with. But I also really love working with teenagers, college students, and women who are young or thinking about starting a family but haven't yet. 

I also really love the other end of the lifespan, working with women who are going through or just finished menopause. They have a whole set of other concerns and needs that I really like providing care for.

Tell us more about the compassionate care that you and your team provide.

I see my role as an educator and a guider. And after that, I want the woman to feel like she has enough information to make the decision that's right for her. 

There's no way that I can know all aspects and all dimensions of the things that are impacting her health. I can know what she tells me and answer answers to the questions that I ask her. But after that, it really is her decision.

Women impact not only the health of their spouse and their children, but that ripple effect really goes out far beyond the family. If I can create a relationship where a woman feels like she's in partnership and making her healthcare decisions, then that impact goes far beyond just that one patient.

Watch our full interview with Burris.