POEP instructor, Cathy Jones, MSN, RN-BC, RNC-OB, C-EFM, and former POEP learner, Michaela Williams, discuss their experiences utilizing simulations as part of AWHONN’s Perinatal Orientation and Education Program.
About the Speakers
Cathy Jones, MSN, RN-BC, RNC-OB, C-EFM
Cathy is a professional perinatal nurse educator for Wellstar Health System in Metro Atlanta where she serves as the lead educator for the organization’s Perinatal Quality and Safety alliance. She is a board-certified professional development specialist and holds certifications in In-Patient Obstetrics and Electronic Fetal Monitoring. Cathy earned her bachelor’s and master’s in nursing education from Liberty University.
She previously led the system’s Perinatal Fellowship utilizing the POEP curriculum and now serves as adjunct faculty in that fellowship. Her career as a registered nurse was born from a negative experience with a nurse during a childhood hospitalization which grew in her a desire to do better for people in need. She began her nursing career in a trauma ICU in 1992 and shifted to obstetrics in 1994 where she found her love and has remained. She has authored and hosts review courses for both In-Patient Obstetrics and Electronic Fetal Monitoring Certification examinations and has taught extensively on active learning strategies and communication and teamwork. Cathy is the current AWHONN Georgia Section Chair and serves as an instructor for AWHONN’s Fetal Heart Monitoring and POEP programs, NRP, Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics and TeamSTEPPS. What she loves most about nursing is the opportunity to positively impact the lives of others on so many levels and in such a variety of settings.
Michaela Williams, BSN, RN
Michaela is a Staff Nurse at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital in Kennesaw, GA, specializing in postpartum, labor and delivery. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Mercer University’s Georgia Baptist College of Nursing.
In 2009, when my nephew was born, the healthcare professionals told my sister that if she had not arrived to the hospital when she did, both of their lives could have been lost. At that very moment, I knew that I wanted to understand the intricacies of how to take care of women, specifically pregnant women. After watching the nurses take care of my sister and nephew, I ventured down the path of becoming one of them. In 2016, I accomplished that goal by graduating from Mercer University’s Georgia Baptist College of Nursing. Currently, I am a Staff Nurse at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital in labor and delivery. I also have a background in postpartum, as I was a postpartum nurse for two years, before transitioning to the labor specialty. I love that my profession allows me to empower and comfort patients and their families during some of the most vulnerable times in their lives. I am honored to be a nurse and take great pride in what I do.
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