Karen E. Swift, CNM

Karen Swift, MSN, CNM, FACNM, ARNP Karen Swift is an experienced and compassionate nurse-midwife who has dedicated her career to supporting individuals through all stages of reproductive health. Specializing in obstetrics and gynecology, Karen brings a deeply personalized, evidence-based approach to care, grounded in over three decades of clinical experience. Karen first discovered her calling to midwifery as a sophomore at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. That early inspiration led her to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. After four years of nursing practice, she was accepted into the midwifery program at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she completed her Master of Science in Nursing. Karen’s early midwifery career took her to Texas, where she gained invaluable experience at two of the nation’s busiest maternity hospitals—Jefferson Davis Hospital in Houston and Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. She later practiced at Kaiser Permanente in Anaheim, California before relocating to the Pacific Northwest in 1990. Since then, she has attended births in homes, birth centers, and hospitals, and has been offering birthing care at Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia since 1997—most recently with Providence Swedish Obstetrics and Gynecology. In addition to maternity care, Karen has a long-standing passion for supporting individuals through menopause and promoting wellness across the lifespan. She is deeply committed to patient-centered care and clinical excellence, and she enjoys mentoring future healthcare providers, including midwifery students, nurse practitioner students, physician assistant students, medical students, and residents. Karen is also active in shaping clinical practice behind the scenes—developing workflows, policies, and systems that support evidence-based care and uphold patient choice. Outside of her professional life, Karen cherishes time with her family and friends, adores her pets, and enjoys yoga, sustainable gardening, reading, traveling, creating art, watching British mysteries, and savoring delicious vegetarian food.