Birth Assistant

Benefit Eligibility: Not benefit eligible

Overview

The Birth Assistant plays a key supportive role during labor, birth, and the immediate postpartum period. Working closely with the primary midwife, the Birth Assistant helps provide safe, attentive, and family-centered care for birthing clients. This role is focused exclusively on birth assisting and does not include routine clinic, administrative, or home visit duties. This position may be filled by a licensed nurse or a certified medical assistant with appropriate training and experience.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide hands-on labor support, including comfort measures such as positioning, massage, hydrotherapy support, and emotional reassurance
• Assist the midwife with clinical tasks during labor and birth, including intermittent fetal heart tone monitoring with Doppler and maternal assessments as directed
• Prepare and maintain the birth space, ensuring rooms, supplies, and equipment are clean, stocked, and ready for use
• Assist with sterile procedures and set-up as needed during birth and immediate postpartum care
• Support immediate postpartum and newborn care, including APGAR scoring, newborn measurements, thermoregulation, and initiation of breastfeeding
• Assist with medication administration and IV support as allowed by licensure and birth center protocols
• Assist the midwife in the management of birth and newborn complications, including but not limited to postpartum hemorrhage and newborn resuscitation, in accordance with training, licensure, and established protocols
• Assist in accurate documentation and charting of care provided during labor, birth, and the immediate postpartum period
• Communicate clearly and collaborate with midwives, student midwives, and other team members
• Follow all birth center policies, safety guidelines, and infection-control standards
• Respond calmly and effectively during urgent or emergent situations, following established protocols

On-Call Expectations

• This position includes on-call birth assist shifts, scheduled in 12-hour increments
• Birth Assistants are expected to work a minimum of one (1) on-call shifts per week
• Birth Assistants may be scheduled for a maximum of six (6) on-call shifts per week to maintain per diem status
• Ideal team member lives within a 30-minute travel radius of birth center (or makes plans to be within a 30-minute radius while on call) and be able to arrive promptly when called in
• On-call team members must remain available, reachable, and able to respond reliably for the duration of their scheduled shift

On-Call Hour Equivalency

• Birth Assistant positions are per diem and not benefit eligible
• For workload and scheduling purposes, each 12-hour on-call shift is considered the equivalent of four (4) working hours
• Time actively worked during a birth is paid separately at the applicable hourly rate and does not count toward benefit eligibility or full-time status

Required Qualifications

• Licensed nurse/nursing assistant (RN, LPN, CNA) or Certified Medical Assistant in good standing in the state of Minnesota
• Training or experience in birth assisting, labor support, or maternal-newborn care
• Current BLS certification required
• Current NRP certification required (or willingness to obtain within a specified timeframe)
• Strong communication skills and ability to work collaboratively in a team setting
• Ability to remain calm, flexible, and supportive in high-intensity situations
• Availability for on-call shifts, including nights, weekends, and holidays

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in labor & delivery, birth center care, postpartum care, or home birth
• Doula training or experience providing labor support
• Lactation training or certification (IBCLC, CLC, CLE, CLS)
• Completion of an AABC-approved Birth Assistant course or similar training