Kate Fouquier, CNM, PhD, FACNM
“As a young nurse, I witnessed firsthand how the medical model of care focused on disease and dysfunction and the woman’s perspective was ignored or dismissed, especially during pregnancy and birth. The midwifery model of care puts the woman at the center of care, and this approach made perfect sense to me. I found my passion.”
Kate Fouquier, CNM, PhD, FACNM lives that passion as a Certified Nurse Midwife at Regional One Health and coordinator of the DNP Nurse Midwifery program at University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Nursing. After 25 years in midwifery, she’s honored to have a chance to both care for patients and prepare the next generation of nurse midwives.
As a practicing nurse midwife, she gets emails and cards from patients that let her follow the lives of the families she helped them create. As an educator, she gets to welcome students who want to pursue the career she loves. “I see this same passion in our students and know the future of women’s health and normal birth is in good hands,” Kate said.
It’s easy to stay motivated. “There is still much to do. The United States has an abysmal maternal mortality rate, and this has to be corrected. No woman should die because of a pregnancy or birth. Gaining independent practice for nurse midwives and other advanced practice nurses will expand access to high quality care that so many families lack.”
While Kate’s passion for the field of midwifery is a driving force – “I love the song lyric that says ‘find something you love and call it work,’” she says – she also enjoys a full life outside of her career. “I am blessed with a wonderful husband of 45 years and a large extended family that includes two schnauzers. When not traveling (pre-COVID), I enjoy quilting. When I win the lottery, I will open a quilt/book/coffee shop and spend the day with like-minded friends!”