About BWH

Bellingham Women's Health is the woman-to-woman micro practice of Kathleen Malnor, offering personalized supportive gynecology care.

Meet the Provider

Kathleen Malnor, CNM, ARNP
Certified Nurse-Midwife, Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner

Welcome to my micro-practice! One provider, serving one patient at a time, woman-to-woman. Here, I strive to create a warm and comfortable space, offering you the time and personalized medical expertise I feel everyone deserves.

Gynecology issues coexist with many facets of our personal lives. Whether you come to see me for concerns about your periods, pelvic pain, sexuality, hormones, or seeking contraception, testing or well-woman care, I listen openly to better understand your unique needs, clearly explain your options for care, and support your own health goals. Let's work together to help you get what you need for more healthy, fulfilling, and vibrant living.

Background

Education
Masters of Science of Nursing (Midwifery), Yale University, 1996
Bachelors of Science of Nursing, Creighton University, 1990
Bachelors of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1986

Fellowship
National Migrant Health Fellowship, El Paso, TX 1996-97

Certification
American College of Nurse-Midwives

Experience

Kathleen Malnor has provided gynecology care in NW Washington since 1997 as a Certified Nurse-Midwife, Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner. She enjoys working with patients of all ages, helping them to feel well and to better understand their gynecologic and sexual health. She especially enjoys working with women to find a contraceptive or hormone replacement regimen that works best for them and offering solutions for pelvic pain, menstrual or sexual issues.

Personal

Kathleen relocated from Ohio to the beautiful Pacific Northwest in 1990 and has called Bellingham home since 2000. She and her husband raised their kids in here. Throughout her career, she has worked to support traditional indigenous midwifery practices and advocated to improve care for recently immigrated patients. She’s often out walking or biking local trails or exploring the mountains. She also enjoys organic gardening, baking & canning, dancing and restoring old houses.

About GYN Care with a Midwife

GYN Care with a Midwife-What to Expect

As a Certified Nurse-Midwife, Advanced Registered Nurse-Practitioner, in Washington State, I am an independent mid-level OB/GYN clinician with full prescriptive authority. I am fully licensed to complete medical examinations, prescribe medications, and order offsite laboratory tests, including bloodwork and imaging such as ultrasound, mammogram or MRI's. I am not a medical doctor, nor am I associated with a medical doctor’s practice.
I assess and manage a breadth of normal and common conditions and problems that meet the gynecologic needs of most healthy women and screen for more severe medical problems. As a part of this care, I may refer you to another provider for evaluation or treatment that I order for you. Some examples could include physical therapy or nutrition counseling.
For some common higher-risk conditions that are still familiar to me and fit my practice, I may consult with a medical doctor or specialist, and together, we will make an appropriate plan for your care which may not require you to be seen by them in person, and I will continue to manage your care with their limited input. Some examples could include added tests for hypothyroidism, prescriptions for endometriosis, or additional ultrasounds for ovarian cysts.
In other cases, the medical doctor or specialist and I will collaborate and arrange for you to be seen in person by them, and your care is managed by them for the specific medical issue until it is resolved, while the rest of your GYN care continues to be managed by me and you continue to be my patient. Some examples would include GYN surgery consults or evaluations of pituitary tumors. Also included would be some general care issues uncovered through my assessments but more appropriate to be managed by your PCP. Some examples could include GI issues, heart murmurs, or diabetes.
For other more complex or severe conditions, in order for you to receive appropriate care for your needs, I may transfer your care to another provider or specialist completely and permanently, and then you would no longer be my patient. Some examples could include active cancer, severe autoimmune disease, uncontrolled chronic conditions, or multiple condition complexity.
Certified Nurse-Midwives are Registered Nurses who receive advanced training in obstetrics, gynecology, and women’s primary care; complete a master’s degree in Nurse-Midwifery; and are granted accreditation in midwifery from the American College of Nurse-Midwives. In addition to providing maternity care, Nurse-Midwives specialize in gynecology care and women’s health.
In Washington State, CNMs are licensed as Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners to practice independently and with full prescriptive authority.
We do not see patients experiencing complex medical conditions such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, seizures, organ failure, COPD, heart disease, stroke, uncontrolled diabetes, uncontrolled lipidemia, uncontrolled hypertension, severe mental illness, or other significant or specific chronic medical complications
To better serve our community of patients, Bellingham Women’s Health reserves the right to decline or terminate care at any time for any patients whose care needs do not fit the scope of this clinical practice.

Referrals From Providers

Primary Care Providers or Midwives often refer patients to Bellingham Women's Heath for specific short-term procedures such as IUD or Nexplanon insertions, endometrial biopsy or for assessments of gynecologic issues, or routine paps when the patient prefers a female provider for their pelvic exams.

Patients referred for such specific care will otherwise remain in the care of the referring provider for their health care needs. If BWH accepts the referral and the patient is seen for care here, copies of the consult notes will be provided to the referring provider, and the patient will be directed back to their referring provider for the remainder of their care.