Katie Jackson ’24 MSN: Air Force Veteran Pivots to Midwifery

May 16, 2024
The Yale School of Nursing (YSN) Class of 2024 holds the distinction of earning diplomas during the school’s centennial year. As graduating students prepare for the conferral of degrees on May 20, YSN is checking in with just a few of the extraordinary students adding hoods to their regalia this year.

Katie Jackson ’24 MSN

Hometown: Chandler, Oklahoma

Specialty: Nurse Midwifery/Women’s Health


Katie JacksonYou entered YSN as an experienced registered nurse (RN). What inspired you to take the next step in your career?

Left: Katie Jackson ’24 MSN catching her breath moments after catching her first baby.

I began working as an RN on a labor and birth unit as soon as I graduated nursing school. During my four years at the bedside, as I learned more about caring for patients and their families during pregnancy and birth, I began to feel the setting I was in did not allow me to provide the kind of care those families needed. I ultimately realized I needed additional training and education and to be surrounded by people who shared my values in all aspects of reproductive health. Midwifery proved to be the best avenue for me to accomplish all those goals.


You previously served in the Air Force. How did bringing your military expertise into the classroom add greater texture to your YSN experience?

I learned many skills in the Air Force that have served me well through my entire academic career, including organization, time management, resilience, and perseverance. I also learned that very few things can be accomplished alone. Community is essential for both support of the individual and accomplishing the common goals we share. The community I have found here at YSN is more than I could have hoped for, and I am so grateful for it. I have made lifelong friends and look forward to contributing to the growth of this community as I begin my career as a midwife.


How does being a parent inform your midwifery practice?

The births of my children were the catalyst that brought me to nursing. I had an experience with a medical provider that ultimately had a highly detrimental impact on my postpartum experience. I learned that many new parents had similar experiences, so I wanted to help people receive better care. Evidence-based guidance from a trusted provider can make all the difference as a new parent, so I do my best to support them in making the best choices for them and their families.


What are your post-commencement plans?

My family has grown to love this area, so we are staying close to New Haven. I am looking to start my career at a local practice and begin building relationships with people in our community. I have also recently been elected as co-treasurer for the Connecticut affiliate of the American College of Nurse Midwives (ACNM), so I will also begin working to grow our local affiliate as well as ACNM at large. 


As you reflect on your years at YSN, is there anything you’d like to share with people considering a nursing or midwifery career?

It’s never too late to begin, and great things come from humble beginnings. I earned my associate degree in nursing from a community college after the birth of all my children and well into adulthood. With the support of my incredible family, I have been able to accomplish amazing things and will now step into the next chapter of my life as a Yale midwife.


More Commencement Coverage

To read more student profiles and advice from six decades of YSN alumni to the Class of 2024, please visit the Commencement 2024 sidebar on the left (mobile devices, scroll down).

For more information on Yale’s commencement festivities, please visit commencement.yale.edu.