Dear Students, Faculty & Staff,
As the newest member of the team, I would like to take a moment to introduce myself. I am Tiffany Skillings and I am deeply honored to join the vibrant community of NMI and its hardworking staff as the new Clinical Director!
These past twenty years, I have worked in both healthcare and healthcare education in myriad settings. I have worked in a primary care outpatient office, a small regional hospital and a large tertiary-care /level I trauma hospital. In these settings, I saw a great need for healthcare to be holistic, person-centered, and trauma-informed. Most importantly, I longed to work in a healthcare setting where social justice is woven into every aspect of care. A combination of time spent in conventional healthcare mixed with some deeply personal experiences, including a sorrowful and confusing experience of loss, led to the birth of this midwife!
Over the past 10 years, I have worked tirelessly as the lone Black midwife and lactation consultant between Maine and Massachusetts. While working at NMI, I will continue to provide care to a diverse client population, despite the wide call area and too few of us committed to do this work. My practice will always be open to all and will continue to hold space for the underserved, rural and marginalized communities in Maine.
I have also worked in the midwifery education sector for several years. Previously, I served as the assistant to the clinical director at Birthwise Midwifery School in Bridgton, Maine. I also served on the academic faculty of Birthwise and have taught a wide range of courses, assisted in curriculum re-design and led the curriculum design of the social justice program. For many years, I have mentored students as a clinical preceptor through Birthwise, Midwives College of Utah and the National College of Midwifery.
That said, I am looking forward to a strong start at NMI and have been diligently working to get up to speed as quickly as possible. My primary goal is to support a diverse array of midwifery students in developing exceptional midwifery skills so they can confidently and competently serve their communities. As I see it, one of the strategies that will ensure this goal’s success is developing and maintaining strong partnerships with the Clinical Faculty at NMI. I treasure the ways in which Clinical Faculty enrich a student’s learning journey and want to be sure that happens in a safe, respectful way that is consistent with the mission and philosophy of our school.
It is also my sincere hope to rally both students and preceptors to join me in the work of dismantling oppressive health care systems and developing new strategies for making equitable access to healthcare for all—one prenatal visit, one birth, one postpartum visit and one newborn visit at a time!
As I grow in my role and responsibilities at NMI, I welcome your patience and your feedback. I genuinely desire to see you—students and preceptors alike—meet your highest potential in your work; if there is anything that I can do to support you in that, please let me know.
To your success!
Tiffany
