Northern Marianas College nursing graduate Peachy Quitugua recently earned a Master of Science in Nursing degree from the University of Cincinnati (UC) and also earned her national certification in Nurse Midwifery from the American Midwifery Certification Board or AMCB.
“It feels very surreal that I completed my masters and Nurse Midwifery program,” Quitugua said. “I set a plan for myself when I decided to start this program and told myself that no matter the obstacle I was doing this for myself and to contribute to the healthcare community of the CNMI.”
A former Miss Marianas, Quitugua earned an Associates of Science in Nursing from NMC in 2016, and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from UC in 2018. Quitugua completed her Masters program last December, and passed her nurse-midwife certification on February 8 of this year.
According to Quitugua, she wanted to pursue further education in the field of nursing as she felt that she needed to grow more in her career. She was inspired to do more in her field, and to be able to care for her community.
“I started this journey to become a Certified Nurse Midwife as a way to educate, empower, and care for the women in my community,” Quitugua said.
“There are many barriers to good health and becoming a midwife is my first step to decreasing health disparities among women and their children of diverse backgrounds. I want to be able to make midwifery care accessible to all. I hope to start as a Certified Nurse-Midwife at the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation and contribute to our community first and foremost,” Quitugua added.
NMC Nursing Department Chair Rosa Aldan said she was proud and thrilled to hear the phenomenal news about her former student’s latest accomplishments.
“We are very proud of Peachy for this amazing accomplishment and cannot wait to see her make an impact in nursing and women's health,” Aldan said.
Upon graduation from NMC and after passing the NCLEX-RN, Quitugua worked as a labor and delivery nurse at the CHCC. She hopes she can now work at both the Womens’ Clinic and the Labor and Delivery department of CHCC, and to also provide birth and breastfeeding classes.
Quitugua also launched a health and wellness Instagram page (@midwifeinparadise) for women who are seeking guidance in gynecological care, pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.
For other aspiring nurses such as herself, Quitugua’s advice to them is to believe in themselves.
“Get a mentor who can guide you through your career path and seek out opportunities that would benefit your future practice,” Quitugua said. “Working towards a goal that you are passionate about will not seem like ‘work,’ instead you will look forward to it each day.”