Birth Doula - Mercy Health - Obstetrics and Gynecology - Medical Office

Thank you for considering a career at Mercy Health!

Scheduled Weekly Hours:

40

Work Shift:

Days/Nights (United States of America)

Birth Doula - Mercy Health  - Obstetrics and Gynecology - Medical Office 

The Birth Doula is a community health worker who will work with pregnant and postpartum women and their families. The doula will promote healthy pregnancies, breastfeeding, and parent-infant attachment. While establishing a trusting relationship with their birthing clients, they will provide prenatal, labor, and postpartum support. They will focus especially on birthing support by providing emotional and educational support during each home visit.

The Birth Doula is an integral member of the overall pregnancy. They will provide culturally sensitive support and serve as a role model for our birthing clients.  The Doula is the link for birthing clients to the healthcare system and assist with resource needs in the community.

Essential Job Functions

• Initiate contact as early in pregnancy as possible. 

• Establish trusted relationships. 

• Visit pregnant and parenting clients in their homes and or other settings that the birthing person is comfortable in. 

• Attend prenatal appointments with pregnant client as needed.

• Prepare birthing clients for labor and delivery experiences and for their new parenting role. 

• Attend and support the mother and family through early labor by phone and active labor and delivery at birth location.

• Support the mother and family after delivery to assist with breastfeeding, bonding, etc.

• Collect required documentation from prenatal visits, labor/births and Postpartum visits. 

• Visit the birthing client-baby pair within 24 hours of discharge. 

• Maintain postpartum contact for 12 months to support breastfeeding, guide infant care, and provide continued emotional support (or 6 months if previously received services).

• Advocate and monitor birthing client-baby pair’s medical needs. 

• Develop and stay connected with older and newly developed relationships with community partners including medical care providers. 

• Maintain confidentiality of families served. 

• Recognize limitations of the role and make appropriate referrals. 

• Work cooperatively with other staff and serve as a resource to them. 

• Participate in interdisciplinary and/or interagency meetings as required. 

• As a mandated reporter, intervene immediately when the client is in an unsafe environment. Intervene in times of crisis and handles required reporting of incidents of child abuse/neglect.

• Ability to carry out delegated tasks and assignments from peers and supervisors.

This document is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills, duties, requirements, or working conditions associated with the job. Employees may be required to perform other job-related duties as required by their supervisor, subject to reasonable accommodation.

Licensing/Certification

Doula Certification in State of Practice (required within 30 days of hire)

Education

High School Diploma/GED (required)

Work Experience

Experience as an NA, STNA, MA, or equivalent (preferred)

2 years of recent experience as a birth doula (preferred)

Training

Doulas of North America (DONA) certified training session (preferred)

Patient Population

Demonstrates the knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of the patients served on his or her assigned unit.

Demonstrates knowledge of the principles of growth and development of the life span and possesses the ability to assess data reflective of the patient's status and interprets the appropriate information needed to identify each patient's requirements relative to his or her age, specific needs and to provide the care needed as described in departmental policies and procedures.​

Neonates (0-4 weeks)

Infant (1-12 months)

Pediatrics (1-12