Andrea Cole, RN, MSN, CNM, Now Seeing Patients at Women’s Way to Wellness OB/GYN Clinic
Carthage Area Hospital is pleased to welcome Andrea L. Cole, RN, MSN, CNM, to its provider team as a Certified Nurse Midwife at Women’s Way to Wellness OB/GYN, 117 N. Mechanic St. She began seeing patients June 4 and will focus her practice on a wide range of women’s health and pregnancy care.
Cole is a native of Clymer, a small town near Jamestown in New York’s Southern Tier. She Graduated in 2008 from Jamestown Community College with an Associate of Applied Science in Nursing and earned her RN. She graduated in December 2017 from the Certified Nurse Midwife program at Frontier Nursing University, Hyden, Ky., with a Master of Science in Nursing, after which she passed the American Midwifery Certification Board qualifying exam to become a Certified Nurse Midwife.
Before completing her midwifery education, Cole worked as a labor and delivery nurse at St. Vincent Hospital in Erie, Pa., for four years and as a home birth midwife assistant for four years. She aspired to a midwifery career while attending nursing school and set a goal to continue her education “because of a bad experience during childbirth” with her third child. “I didn’t want other women to have to go through that,” she said.
Cole said she was drawn to the field because midwives are “trained to treat pregnancy and birth as normal life events” and see birth as a holistic, natural process. “We strive to spend more time with patients and build close relationships with shared decision-making between the caregiver and woman,” she said.
Midwives work to minimize technological interventions for the mother and baby and offer strong emotional support. They also routinely work with obstetrics doctors to identify issues that may require the more advanced care of a doctor in the practice.
“More high-risk cases, especially any that require surgery, are referred to our doctors,” Cole said. “The relationships between providers on our obstetrics team are very supportive and collaborative.”
Midwives care for women in all stages of post-pubescent health, including primary gynecological care, pre-conception and prenatal care to pregnancy and postpartum, Cole added.
Cole said she was attracted to the practice in Carthage because of its “very low rates of interventions” with patients. “It’s a very easy-going team of providers and staff who respect the wishes of the patients and what they want for a birth plan.”
She recently moved to Natural Bridge with her husband, Wesley, and eight children: Ryan, 18; Logan, 14; Wesley, 12; Lucas, 10; Nolan, 8; Gavin, 6; Finnegan, 4; and Eliana, 2.
Outside of practice Cole enjoys time with family. She and her husband home-school the children, who are also very active in karate. Her three oldest boys are fourth-degree black belts and the younger children are also progressing in martial arts. She and her husband plan to open a karate studio in Carthage.
Women’s Way to Wellness staff see patients Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Carthage Area Hospital’s Community Health Center, 117 N. Mechanic St. Call 315-493-3100 to schedule an appointment today.
About Women’s Way to Wellness
Carthage Area Hospital’s Women’s Way to Wellness clinic serves all women in need of gynecology or obstetrics services. Staff strives to deliver professional, compassionate care and personalized wellness services. From routine gynecological care to pregnancy and childbirth, the team of Board-Certified Physicians, a Nurse practitioner, and Midwife evaluate and treat each woman’s needs uniquely.
In addition to complete OB care, services include surgical interventions; full routine and complex gynecological care; midwifery; evaluation and treatment of urinary incontinence and pelvic pain; and fertility evaluation.
About Carthage Area Hospital
Carthage Area Hospital was established as a not-for-profit rural community hospital in 1965. It operates today as a fully accredited 25-bed Critical Access Hospital, serving approximately 83,000 residents in Jefferson, northern Lewis and southern St. Lawrence counties. The hospital formed a clinical affiliation with Crouse Health, Syracuse, in 2017.
The hospital also operates a network of community-based clinics, including its Philadelphia Medical Center, Family Health Center, Pediatric Clinic and Women’s Way to Wellness and provides a range of specialty care, including general surgery, orthopedics, podiatry, urology, neurosurgical care, physical and occupational therapy and behavioral health.