Health and Wellness Through the Life Span—Before Birth: The Best Possible Start

How do you save the life of a new mother who might be hemorrhaging? What’s the best way to examine and immunize a newborn? As part of Nursing Care of Evolving Families, Adelphi nursing students learn the answers to just those sorts of questions.

“Good prenatal and early healthcare is the foundation for a healthy life,” said Karen Mancini, Ph.D. ’16, clinical assistant professor in Adelphi’s College of Nursing and Public Health.

Nursing students develop hands-on skills using incredibly lifelike simulation manikins, all before they head out to practice with real-life patients in obstetrical and pediatric units at area hospitals.

Dr. Mancini estimates that up to a quarter of Adelphi’s nursing students go on to specialize in maternal and child health, ultimately working as labor and delivery nurses, in neonatal intensive care units or as pediatric nurses. What’s more, Dr. Mancini said, a significant portion of the obstetric nursing force will be retiring in coming years, making Adelphi’s well-trained maternal/child health nurses in even higher demand.

Preparing nursing students to be outstanding practitioners is just the start of Adelphi’s work toward improving maternal and child health. Graduate researchers and faculty have also examined the effects of the opioid crisis on infants, explored the experiences of unwed mothers in group homes before they deliver, looked at women’s body image and its relationship to breastfeeding and much more. “We have a really strong group of researchers here,” said Dr. Mancini. “It’s a great community to be a part of.”