K atey Jones, ’18, and Heather Laflam will be the first to graduate from Georgia College’s nurse-midwifery master’s program, the only state program in Georgia. 

Still in its infancy, the midwifery program is first of its kind in Georgia. The university is using the degree to educate more nurse-midwives in Georgia, a state ranked 49th in maternal mortality nationally.

The program is unique, because its training nurse-midwives are required to complete clinicals within the state.

“Two years of working, planning and creating programs and classes—and here we are with our first graduating class. It’s very exciting,” said Monica Ketchie, associate professor of nursing and nurse-midwifery coordinator. “This is for the women of Georgia, and I’m very proud of Katey and Heather—both of them have a lot to offer women’s health.”

Nurse-midwives, opposed to lay midwives, are certified, registered nurses that specialize in caring for women throughout their lives. Nurse midwives receive focused education in pregnancy, labor and birth, but also learn primary, contraceptive and menopausal care.
And while they can deliver outside hospitals, this is not the norm and most practice within hospitals. 

From Conyers, Georgia, Jones has wanted to be a nurse-midwife since high school. Following her graduation in 2020, she was a medical-surgical nurse for a year and has worked as a labor and delivery nurse for three years. She joined the program as soon as it began.

“My mom was traumatized from her birth experience,” she said. “I wanted to prevent that from happening to other women. If I’m a midwife, I can do that. This program was rigorous, but I’ve learned a lot, and I’m a better provider for it.”


In contrast, Laflam has been a nurse for 22 years—working mostly as a labor and delivery nurse, but a gynecological nurse as well.

“Midwife means ‘with woman,’ so we advocate for these patients,” she said. “It’s a great thing to grow with your patients—from teenage to young adult and on—and be there for their special time. You’re making a mother, and you want it to be a good start.”

The work is rewarding. While seeing a patient for her six-week postpartum visit, Jones recalled the woman insisting that she hold the baby.
“I was the first person to hold that child because I delivered her, and now her mother was insisting I hold her again,” Jones said. “The rapport and trust I get to build with women in my community is truly a privilege.”

With graduation looming, both women are interviewing for positions as nurse-midwives in Georgia. They’ll take the skills they’ve learned with them.

“I’m used to being the one fulfilling orders,” Jones said. “Patients would look to my preceptor for answers. But now, I’m going into an exam room by myself and people are listening to me, they actually want to know what I have to say.”