Intermountain Health’s Nurse Practitioner Shares Expertise Caring for Women, Children, and Families

Elaine Thompson sees patients at four Intermountain Health clinics in San Pete County, Utah which are located in Manti, Mt. Pleasant, Ephraim, and Moroni. She delivers babies at Intermountain Sanpete Valley Hospital

She’s been a nurse for 23 years. She’s worked as a nurse in many different specialties including women’s health, oncology, surgery and emergency medicine.

“I’ve lived in Sanpete County for 13 years and love the area and I want to stay here,” said Elaine Thompson,” a certified nurse midwife, family practice nurse practitioner and certified-lactation consultant with Intermountain Medical Group.

As her family grew, she saw a growing need to round out her education. She recently graduated from the University of Utah with her doctor of nursing practice, and became a certified nurse midwife who can deliver babies in hospitals.

“Labor and delivery and everything that surrounds it, is my favorite part of medicine so becoming a midwife that delivers in hospitals was my goal. I’m also a certified lactation consultant, so I can also help women with any breastfeeding concerns,” said Elaine.

Midwives care for women not just through pregnancy, prenatal visits and childbirth, but during all phases of a woman’s life: from puberty to menopause and beyond.

Midwives provide general women’s preventive and primary care, including things like annual well woman exams, pre-pregnancy health check-ups, immunizations and prescriptions, breast exams, pap smears and gynecologic, menstrual cycle or menopause concerns, and family planning services such as IUDs and other birth control. Midwives can also be primary care providers and refer to physicians in other specialties.

“With my family practice training, I can also see children of any age for well-check or sick visits. I like being able to see my patients throughout their lives. I am one of the few providers at Intermountain that is both a certified nurse midwife and a family practice nurse practitioner,” she said.

The philosophy behind midwifery

The word midwife means “with woman.” The midwifery model of care focuses on individualized care that is a partnership between the woman and the provider. Midwives focus on health, wellness, and prevention; and use interventions at lower rates.

Midwives approach pregnancy as a normal physiologic event in a woman’s life and believe women’s bodies have the innate capacity to give birth. Midwives usually take a little more time for education in prenatal visits and provide more hands-on support during labor and birth.

While pregnancy and delivery complications can sometimes arise, midwives are trained to identify and manage complications as a team with obstetricians and maternal fetal medicine colleagues.

If a woman is considering a midwife who practices outside of the hospital, it’s best to learn about the midwife’s experience and licensure and understand her relationship with and conditions for a transfer to a hospital should complications arise.

Elaine M. Thompson, CNM is a skilled provider with Intermountain Medical Group specializing in Certified Nurse Midwife in Mount Pleasant, UT. For more information or to schedule an appointment with Elaine Thompson, call 1-435-462-3471 or visit her provider page.

About Intermountain Health

Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a nonprofit system of 33 hospitals, 385 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For more information or updates, see https://intermountainhealthcare.org/news.