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work-study: Financial Assistance for becoming a community birth doula

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If you have financial need, you may qualify for FREE or reduced cost training through our work-study program.

 

We provide all the classroom requirements and mentoring for completing DONA birth doula certification = STUDY. 

Participants provide birth doula support to 2-3 BirthWell Partners clients = WORK.

 

It's a Win-Win!

Participants receive classroom training, mentoring and hands-on experience with clients, while BirthWell's under-resourced clients get the support of a trained and compassionate doula.  

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Work Study priority areas for 2023 and 2024 include:

  • Residents of the City of Birmingham, AL

  • Residents of rural counties of Alabama

  • Certified Recovery Support Specialists in Alabama. 

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Note: Please read the first 3 pages of the application carefully. These pages contain important information about the application process, commitment required, and training schedule. 

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Applicants for Work-Study Must:

  • Exhibit financial need

  • Be at least 21 years of age

  • Have reliable transportation

  • Have a valid driver's license

  • Carry automobile liability insurance

  • Pass a background check

key information about work-study

  • We Look at a Range of Applicants:  We want to make doula training and DONA certification widely accessible. 

  • We Look at a Range of Financial Need:  We have full and partial work-study options. This approach allows us to spread our limited resources to more applicants.  

  • All Work-Study Program Participants Agree to Attend Births for BirthWell Partners: After training and orientation, participants agree to provide doula services (prenatal visits, labor support and postpartum visits) to 2-3 clients that we match them with (number of clients depends on whether it is a full or partial work study). Services provided in the state of AL.

  • All Work-Study Program Participants Document Services Provided: Doulas document services provided and de-identified client outcomes via data collection forms.

  • Work-Study Participants Receive Mentoring: All participants can take advantage of mentoring from staff, who are experienced doulas.

  • Work-Study Participants are not prohibited from taking private clients while fulfilling your work-study commitment: In fact, we encourage establishment of a private doula practice as soon as one feels ready.

The work-study commitment

BirthWell Partners Agrees to Provide:

  • A comprehensive Birth Doula Workshop that fulfills all of the classroom education requirements for doula certification through DONA International, i.e. Introduction to Childbirth + Birth Doula Training Workshop + Breastfeeding Class for Doulas ($650 value)

  • A Perinatal Health Advocate Training ($40 value) & ACTT Workshop

  • A Doula Orientation to working with BirthWell Clients

  • Monthly meetings to assist you with meeting certification requirements through DONA International

  • Mentoring and support from experienced doulas

  • Reimbursement for a one-year DONA membership and certification application fees ($255 value) when full work-study recipient has attended 3 client births and submitted all required paperwork in a timely manner. (A partial work-study recipient is not committed to attending 3 births, but may elect to attend 1 additional birth to receive this reimbursement.)

 

Work Study Participant Agrees to:

  • Attend the Introduction to Childbirth Education for Doulas course

  • Attend the Doula Training Workshop

  • Attend the Breastfeeding Class

  • Attend the Perinatal Health Advocate Training & ACTT Workshop

  • Attend the Doula Orientation

  • Attend at least half of the monthly doula meetings (2023 meetings will be held the 1st Wednesday of each month from 5:30 to 8 pm or 6:30 – 8 pm)

  • Follow the DONA Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice for Birth Doulas

  • Check and respond to messages (email, phone, or text) within a 24-hour period of time, and stay in regular communication with program staff.

  • Update staff regarding contact with doula clients and promptly notify staff if a situation arises in which doula is unable to fulfill a commitment to a client.

  • Provide birth doula services to the required number of BirthWell Partners’ clients (3 for full work-study/2 for partial work-study) within 12 months of attending the classroom training.  Services include 2 prenatal visits, birth support, and 2 postpartum visits.

  • Arrange backup with another doula in the program for each client doula is assigned

  • Provide backup to other doulas in the program (Note: if you attend a birth as a back-up, it counts toward your required births)

  • Complete and submit documentation for each client in a timely manner as outlined in volunteer procedures. In order to count a birth as “attended,” we must receive all required documentation (client services agreement, prenatal visit forms, birth data, postpartum visit forms). If doula provides services but does not provide documentation, we cannot count the birth towards the work-study commitment.

  • Represent BirthWell Partners in a professional manner at all times

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