Shelley Beth McGrew
- Assistant Clinical Professor
- Member of the Graduate Faculty
- Health Sciences Innovation Bui, Rm. 216
- Tucson, AZ 85721
- shelleymcgrew@arizona.edu
Biography
Dr. Shelley McGrew has been caring for pregnant people and attending births for 32 years. Her roles have included perinatal massage therapist, childbirth educator, doula, nurse, and midwife. Shelley earned a BFA in dance and choreography from Arizona State University, an ASN in 1997 from LICH School of Nursing, an MSN with a midwifery specialty in 2014 and a DNP in 2022 from Frontier Nursing University. Her doctoral quality improvement project was “Improving Equitable Care in an Urban Community Hospital Through Person-Centered Labor Support and Discharge Teaching.” Shelley is a full-scope midwife in Arizona serving diverse populations at the FQHC El Rio Health. As a Certified Nurse-Midwife, she attends births on the labor unit and an accredited Alongside Midwifery Unit at Tucson Medical Center. Shelley has taught creative movement for children, health and sex education in primary and secondary schools, perinatal and infant massage therapy, anatomy and physiology, doula trainings, and is a clinical preceptor for midwifery students and fellows. She is an Assistant Clinical Professor for the University of Arizona’s midwifery program. In 2024, Dr. McGrew was honored to become an ACNM fellow. Her current exploration is in developing toolkits to support students and entry into practice midwives’ emotional wellbeing.
Degrees
- DNP Nurse-Midwifery
- Frontier Nursing University
- M.S.N. Nurse-Midwifery
- Frontier Nursing University, Kentucky, United States
- Associated Of Science in Nursing Nursing
- Long Island College School of Nursing, Brooklyn, New York
- B.F.A. Dance Performance and Choreography
- Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
Work Experience
- University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona (2023 - Ongoing)
- El Rio Health (2014 - Ongoing)
- North West Hospital Women's Center (2004 - 2014)
- Tucson Medical Center (1998 - 2000)
- private practice (1993 - 2014)
Awards
- Fellow
- American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM), Winter 2024
Licensure & Certification
- Advanced Practice Nurse Practitioner, Arizona Board of Nursing (2014)
- Certified Nurse-Midwife, American Midwifery Certification Board (2014)
- Registered Nurse, Arizona Board of Nursing (1998)
Interests
Research
Person-Centered communication techniques and how these can improve perinatal clinical care experiences and outcomes.Methods for addressing and healing secondary trauma in midwifery students and practitioners.
Teaching
Midwifery PathophysiologyQuality Improvement
Courses
2025-26 Courses
-
Routine Antenatal and Gyn Care
NURS 681A (Spring 2026) -
Advanced Midwifery Gynecologic
NURS 681C (Fall 2025) -
DNP Project
NURS 922 (Fall 2025)
2024-25 Courses
-
DNP Project
NURS 922 (Summer I 2025) -
Women's Hlth In Adv Prct
NURS 680 (Summer I 2025) -
MW Care - Birthing Experience
NURS 681B (Spring 2025) -
Routine Antenatal and Gyn Care
NURS 681A (Spring 2025) -
Adv Hlth and Phys Assessment
NURS 609A (Fall 2024) -
Advanced Midwifery Gynecologic
NURS 681C (Fall 2024)
2023-24 Courses
-
Women's Hlth In Adv Prct
NURS 680 (Summer I 2024) -
DNP Project
NURS 922 (Spring 2024) -
Routine Antenatal and Gyn Care
NURS 681A (Spring 2024) -
Advanced Midwifery Gynecologic
NURS 681C (Fall 2023) -
Health Assessment
NURS 609A (Fall 2023)
Scholarly Contributions
Presentations
- McGrew, S. B., Holland, M., Flanders, K., & Condon, S. (2025, October).
Building Systems of Support & Resilience in Future Generations of Midwives
Podium Presentation
. ACNM 70th Annual Meeting, national annual conference. Palms Springs, CA: American College of Nurse-Midwives.More infoA survey of U.S. midwives found that 40.6% met the criteria for burnout and idnetified the practice environment as a key driver (Thumm et al., 2022). By the first 5-year recertification cycle, 30% of midwives are leaving practice (ACNM, 2023). There is a deficit in midwifery education andlack of support once in practice on methods for healing secondary trauma and moral injury. Because the causes of secondary trauma are multiple, the outcomes have significant impact on the individual's emotional, physical, behavioral, and professional quality of life. This presentation offered recommendations for building a new structure of support for midwife learners and educators. - Holland, M., McGrew, S. B., & Kiser, L. H. (2024, May). Holland, M., Kiser, L., & McGrew, S. (2024). La Mesa Redondo: Rol de la Enfermera-Partera de Practica Advanzada y El Uso de Investigación (Panel Presentation: Role of the Advance Practice Nurse-Midwife and the Use of Research). May 3rd, 2024, . III Congreso Internacional IIESS. San Carlos, Sonora, MX..
- Kiser, L. H., McGrew, S. B., & Holland, M. (2024, May).
Holland, M., Kiser, L., & McGrew, S. (2024). La Mesa Redondo: Rol de la Enfermera-Partera de Practica Advanzada y El Uso de Investigación (Panel Presentation: Role of the Advance Practice Nurse-Midwife and the Use of Research). May 3rd, 2024,
. III Congreso Internacional IIESS. San Carlos, Sonora, MX.. - McGrew, S. B. (2024, May).
Two Virtual Presentations during the event:
1. Person-Centered Labor Support2. Teach-Back of Postpartum Warning Signs
. 2024 ACNM Midwifery Research & Quality Exchange, QI Initiative Presentations. Virtual: ACNM. - McGrew, S. B. (2023, June).
Tools to Address Disparities by Putting Our Humanity into Action.
. Podium Presentation at the National AWHONN Convention. New Orleans, LO: AWHONN.More infopodium presentation based on my DNP QI project results - McGrew, S. B., & Wood, S. (2023, September). Relational Communication for Improved Outcomes. Arizona Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health, 2023 annual conference. Phoenix, Arizona: Arizona Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Healt and Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association, Arizona Department of Health Services.More infoDissemination of my DNP QI project results.
