“See one, do one, teach one,” is a philosophy guiding labor and delivery nurse Jenna Ricks‑Cosens, MSN, RN, PHN.
Ricks-Cosens was among a group of 5 Kaiser Permanente Roseville Medical Center team members, including another nurse, a midwife and two physicians, who traveled to Sierra Leone in May to train local health care providers.
The Kaiser Permanente care team was led by Joanie Seacrist, CNM, a Roseville certified nurse midwife and founder of Hawa’s Hope, an organization created to help promote safe birth in Sierra Leone, which has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in West Africa according to the World Health Organization.
The cost of the teaching materials for the trip was sponsored by nurse leaders at the Roseville Medical Center.
The team shared their vast knowledge and years of clinical expertise in a series of lectures, and hands‑on skills and simulation trainings at midwifery schools on topics including team communication, how to protect the health of an expectant mom, and complications which can arise during pregnancy and childbirth such as hypertension, sepsis, hemorrhaging, and obstructed labor.
“We had them practice as if they were providing real patient care by walking through a scenario that escalated or became emergent,” said Jane Jach, MSN, RN, PHN, RNC‑OB, EBP‑C, nursing professional development specialist. “They were
able to practice hands‑on, real‑time responses and develop their muscle memory for critical thinking.”
“With each trip we are working towards capacity building,” added Seacrist. “I could go and deliver 100 babies, but I can also go and train 100 midwives.”
Empowering care + measuring impact
Hands‑on training is their secret sauce, according to Janel Crawford, MD, Roseville OB/GYN, and co‑director for Hawa’s Hope. “People and companies like to donate equipment and other things, but nobody gives them any training on how to use it, or the teachers on how to teach it. And so, it just sits there.”
“If you can teach people, then there’s a ripple effect and they teach others,” said Andrea Sherman, MD, OB/GYN. Initially planning to deliver their workshops to about 200 people, they ended up with nearly 300 participants at a handful of midwifery schools, and accommodated a group of physician residents who heard they were in town.
To assess how well they were able to reach the goals teaching the midwives, they administered tests before and after each workshop. Overall, they saw a 13.6% increase in knowledge.
A rewarding experience
“The joy and resilience of midwives there was palpable despite the adversity and the conditions they are working in,” shared Jach.
“The experience helped solidify my own nursing knowledge and bettered my practice,” said Ricks‑Cosens. “Going into a different country and having to pull yourself out of your own life and putting your own bias aside, it gave me a whole new perspective.”
“I honestly walked away from this experience really knowing in my heart we’ve saved women even though we didn’t directly touch any patients,” added Sherman.