On February 24, Ann Schaeffer came to our class as a guest speaker to discuss women’s health issues and client/provider relationships. She is an assistant professor in EMU’s nursing program, as well as a certified nurse midwife in current practice in Harrisonburg. Schaeffer goes into detail about her background and scope as a certified nurse midwife. She has complete autonomy in her practice and in the state of Virginia, serving as the main healthcare provider for many women in Harrisonburg. Unlike physician assistants, her interaction with physicians is collaborative due to the autonomy given in her field. In preparation for her discussion on the aforementioned issues, we were given two articles to read which highlighted the importance of building a relationship with a client, as well as a woman’s right to accept/refuse consent of unwanted procedures. I liked how the first article compared two different scenarios side by side and proceeded to explain the major differences between the interactions involved in each. Unfortunately, I think the events taking place in the first scenario happen more often than usual, subsequently leaving many women patients feeling fearful and apprehensive of medical providers. Schaffer spoke further on the importance of maintaining trusting client/provider relationships that are built over time. When meeting with a client who has come for her annual gynecological exam for example, Schaeffer makes sure that she is attending to her client holistically by inquiring about their state of mind and preventive health practices to understand the best ways to continue advising her client. Taking time to understand and build a relationship will not only provide the client with some peace of mind, but also manifest into high levels of patient satisfaction.

Currently, Ann Schaeffer works at a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) here in Harrisonburg, which is a community-based organization that provides various types of healthcare, including primary care, preventive care and oral care. These services are typically provided for the uninsured and those living in underserved communities. Although many policies in healthcare are changing, Schaeffer is confident that FQHC’s will remain an active form of help in communities across the United States. She remarked, “The cynical part of me thinks that our current administration does not want all the poor people of color flooding the ERs, so they’re going to keep FQHC’s open to have a place to send them”. I honestly appreciated her cynicism, because it’s honest and bears truth. During her discussion, Schaeffer told us what she believed is one of the most important objectives for us to accomplish in the medical field, which was to gain a firm understanding of the business aspect of healthcare. For example, when people become licensed healthcare professionals, they are given an NPI number which allows healthcare insurers and services like Medicare to observe medical activity (i.e. looking up medical records, prescribing medications, etc). A law that will take effect this year will hold healthcare providers accountable for the quality of care delivered, which could ultimately manifest in compensation adjustments. Therefore, if patient satisfaction and the amount of successful patient outcomes are often negative, this will be seen by anyone who looks up an NPI number. Although it may seem like having such a large magnifying glass looking over your shoulder can be unnerving, I think that it may be an effective strategy for making sure that healthcare providers provide their patients with the highest and most professional care as possible.