Birth Assistant Training & CERTIFICATION
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There is a gap between midwife and doula that holds a space for those who want more in their birth journey, but may not be sure it is right for them. This program is great for those wanting to see if the next step of their journey is birth assistant or student midwife.
Often taking a birth assistant course is your first step to becoming a professional midwife yourself. Births as an assistant can count towards your births needed for midwifery application. The program is an online- hybrid workshop with an assistantship model to practice the hands on skills with midwives in your community. This course is part of our Maternal Health Specialist Program. 
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what is a birth ASSISTANTA birth assistant (BA), or sometimes referred to as midwifery assistant, is a trained professional who assists midwives in out of hospital births. Assistants attend births with a Licensed midwife in a home setting or at a birth center.
Role of a Birth AssistantA Birth assistant has many roles, but their primary duty is to assist the midwife. An assistant performs duties including fetal heart tones, blood pressure checks, charting, setting up equipment, keeping space clean and organized, provide assistance in emergency situations, setting up IV's and medications, and many other duties.
A birth assistant is not a doula. While they may perform some comfort services for clients their duty is to support the midwife. They also do not provide midwifery duties. They do not perform cervical checks, deliver babies, or provide medical advice. |
What Does This Course Teach?
Our newly updated and expanded course gives you a solid foundation to build your birth assistant skills whether you are headed down the midwifery pathway or going in as an independent birth assistant. During this course, you will learn the basics of birth assisting and what it means to be a birth assistant. This workshop includes the following :
- Birth kit supplies, setup and use, and what is expected of a midwife assistant
- Basic sterile technique; packing and sterilizing birthing instruments, and keeping the birth environment clean
- Introduction to charting, record keeping and medical terminology
- Introduction to midwifery assistant skills, including taking blood pressure, vital signs, fetal heart tones and fundal measurements – hands-on with a live model
- Monitoring baby’s fetal heart tone
- The midwife assistant’s role during labor, delivery and immediate postpartum care
- Immediate postpartum care of mother and baby
- Introduction to care and assessment of the newborn
- Helping the breast-feeding mother
- Cultural competency in childbirth and care of women
- Bloodborn Pathogens/Disease Prevention: HBV, HIV/AIDS and the midwife
- Birth Emergencies
- Business Skills
- How to find a preceptor
- How to become a professional midwife
Courses Included
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Philosophy of Midwifery Care
Assistant Basics Medical Terminology & Charting Fetal Surveillance Bereavement Human Lactation & Breastfeeding Birth Trauma |
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Certification Process
- Complete Online Course Work- 7 monthly modules
- Attend a hands-on workshop (optional)
- Attend 8 Births (3 in any capacity including observer or prior doula births if they are within the last year and 5 performing any birth assistant duties)
- Current NRP & CPR
- Blood-borne pathogens certification (can be found online free here)
- Labor doula course taken within the last five years or a refresh doula support course from any organization
- Evaluations from Licensed Midwife 8 (birth prior to course can provide evaluations from clients)
- Three letters of recommendation (client, professional, personal)
- Commitment to attend at least 2 advanced trainings in the next two years
