UTMB School of Nursing launches new maternal health digital badge program

One line stood out as the nurse reviewed the laboring patient's chart: "Previous pregnancy was complicated by amniotic fluid embolism and fetal loss."

This wasn't just another delivery. This was a mother returning to a space shaped by trauma.

Drawing on her training in trauma-informed care, the nurse focused on what mattered most at this moment: safety, trust, and connection.

The nurse spoke to the patient at eye level: "We're here with you every step of the way."

Together, they reviewed the plan - each monitor, each step, each choice. During labor, the nurse checked in often, listening carefully to the patient, asking permission before providing care, calmly explaining alarms, including the patient's support person.

The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) School of Nursing (SON) recently launched the Birth Advocacy: Bridging Instruction, Education & Support (BABIES) program, which aims to ensure nurses are equipped to better care for and support patients from pregnancy through postpartum.

This new maternal health digital badge, supported through grant funding, is a cocurricular program that allows select undergraduate nursing students with a strong interest in maternal health to receive specialized training, demonstrating advanced preparation as they enter the workforce while also making a real impact for local mothers and families.

"Texas continues to face serious maternal health challenges, and many pregnancy-related deaths are considered preventable," Jacquelyn Svoboda, DNP, said. "The BABIES Program directly addresses these concerns by strengthening student preparation in six core maternal health-related competencies that are essential to improving patient education, advocacy, and outcomes."

The BABIES Program reflects the direction of the SON SHINE Strategic Plan, which positions innovation as a cornerstone of educational excellence. By blending emerging learning models, digital credentials, and real-world clinical experiences, the program demonstrates how the SON is preparing future nurses through innovative, workforce-responsive education.

"This program grew out of the work we have been doing for years in other UTMB maternal health settings," Svoboda said. "We've seen firsthand how student-led education, labor, birth, and bedside support can make a meaningful difference for pregnant patients, even in the most complex settings. This maternal health digital badge allows us to expand this work and explore new models of care support for our patients."

Building on strong partnerships and evidence-based care

Led by Svoboda, assistant dean for Educational and Practice Innovations at the SON, the BABIES Program guides students through six core maternal health competencies using an innovative instructional model, culminating in student-led patient education, bedside labor, birth, and postpartum support, and a digital badge recognizing their specialized expertise.

This initiative builds on the strong partnership between the UTMB SON, the UTMB Health System (women's, infants' and children's nursing, and OB-GYN departments), and the Regional Women's Services & Pediatrics Program (RMCHP/RWSP). It also reflects collaboration with local, state, and national experts in maternal health who are contributing to the competency content to ensure it is current, evidence-based, and presented in innovative ways.

The six competencies the students work through are:

• Childbirth education
• Lactation
• Perinatal bereavement
• Trauma-informed care
• Maternal mental health
• Opioid use disorder in women's health

Three-phase learning model supports workforce readiness

This cocurricular program is designed to prepare nursing students in the pilot cohort for modern maternal healthcare delivery. At the center of the program is a structured three-phase learning framework that supports the SON's competency-based education goals.

Students begin with foundational learning, building essential knowledge through expert instruction and skill development. To deepen their understanding of maternal health emergencies, trauma-informed care, and maternal mental health, students engage in a powerful storytelling component that includes a live documentary film screening, followed by panel discussions featuring patients, nurses, and providers who share their lived experiences and perspectives.

They then move into hands-on learning through simulation and skill practice using live simulation and a virtual learning platform, which allow them to apply their knowledge in simulated patient-care scenarios. This layered approach, combining education, storytelling, reflection, and simulation, helps students develop the knowledge, skills, and empathy needed to provide patient-centered maternal healthcare.

In the final phase, students transition into clinical settings, where they provide real-time patient education and advocacy support at the UTMB Health Regional Women's Services Texas City Clinic and offer labor, birth, and postpartum bedside support for pregnant mothers who register for the service. Students demonstrate competency in real clinical scenarios as they navigate the program.

The program's emphasis on bedside patient support and workforce readiness aligns with recommendations from the 2024 Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee (MMMRC) Report, which highlights bedside support as a strategy to reduce maternal mortality and calls for stronger preparation of student nurses to meet workforce needs.

"The recommendations from the MMMRC reinforce what we know to be true," Svoboda said. "Improving maternal health in Texas requires both enhanced patient health education and better preparation of the maternal health nursing workforce. This program is designed to do both: support patients in meaningful ways today while preparing nurses to deliver high-quality maternal care in the future."

One of the first UTMB open digital badges

Cynthia LaBrake, PhD, director of personalized professional success, said the School of Nursing maternal health digital badge is one of the first digital badges offered at UTMB. Digital badges recognize specific competencies (knowledge, skills, and value-aligned behaviors) gained through targeted learning. Digital badges are secure, portable, and interoperable across platforms, with embedded metadata (badge title, description, earning criteria, and workforce-aligned skills) that make achievement transparent and verifiable.

"Digital badges enable learners to easily and securely share evidence of differentiated learning to enhance employability and support ongoing professional growth," LaBrake said. "For students, digital badges provide a practical way to supplement their degrees with targeted expertise that can strengthen their resumes and job prospects."

Preparing the next generation of nurses

The BABIES Program reflects the School of Nursing's broader commitment to innovation in healthcare education and to preparing practice-ready nurses. The digital badge aligns with the UTMB mission to improve health outcomes across Texas through excellence in education and clinical care, while bringing together educators, clinicians, and community health system partners to address real-world maternal health challenges.

"This is where education, the voice of the patient, and practice come together," Svoboda said. "When we connect innovation with compassion, evidence-based practice, and clinical expertise, we're not just teaching knowledge. We're shaping how care is delivered in the future."

Off to a busy start

The first cohort of eight undergraduate nursing students was selected in the spring and is piloting the digital badge program over three semesters.

In July, the students participated in an interactive screening of the documentary film "24 Days Without You," which tells the story of a mother and newborn baby impacted by amniotic fluid embolism. The condition occurs when amniotic fluid enters the mother's bloodstream, triggering a life-threatening immune and inflammatory reaction. The screening event included a panel discussion and additional learning about traumatic birth experiences and how healthcare professionals should respond.

In August, the students participated in a birthing support simulation as part of their training to better advocate for pregnant mothers who take part in the bedside support in their final semester of the BABIES program.

"The BABIES Program is strengthened through the collaboration and expertise of many dedicated partners," Svoboda said. "We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of School of Nursing faculty and staff, including Jalessa Franklin; UTMB WIC leaders Souby George, Dr. Amanda Hancock, and Dr. Deb Mortecai; UTMB Ambulatory Care leaders Dr. Aimee Jackson, Maria Wilson-Jimenez, Dr. Shauntrel Sarvaunt, and Monica Barba from the UTMB Regional Women's Services Program (RWSP); community partners including MAMMHA, the AFE Foundation, Miranda Klassen, and Annie Sterle of 24 Days Without You; and our Maternal-Fetal Medicine collaborators, Dr. Shannon Clark and Dr. Karin Fox.

"We also extend our sincere appreciation to The Discovery Foundation, whose generous support has helped advance this important work."

The BABIES Program grant team includes Jacquelyn Svoboda, DNP, APRN, WHNP-BC (program coordinator), Christen Sadler, PhD(c), RN, CNM, CNE, LCCE, FACCE, and Latia Hickerson, PhD, MPH, APRN, WHNP-BC, CNE.