In pursuit of excellence: quality assurance, documentation, and peer review by home birth CNMs.

The unique characteristics of home birth practice for certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) are applied to a quality assurance program. This article explores the mUltiple purposes, benefits, and elements of documentation as they specifically apply to home birth. The steps of documentation for a home birth practice are outlined and the three current models to consider in setting up positive peer review programs in which CNMs can succeed and learn are presented.

Hearing research career development for deaf students.

One goal of the Americans with Disabilities Act is to enhance access to career opportunities for individuals with hearing loss. Hearing-impaired professionals are woefully underrepresented among the cadre of scientists currently involved in hearing and deafness research. Information was obtained by questionnaire from 190 consecutive attendees (13 through 17 years of age) at a summer program for gifted hearing-impaired adolescents regarding career goals, attitudes toward academic and extracurricular activities, educational placement, primary communication modality, and parental hearing status.