Responsibilities:
Students at Shreveport Birth Center will be expected to attend scheduled clinic days, routine in-service, staff meetings, and work on-call to attend births with the midwife, as well as help with day-to-day tasks that ensure the facility is in peak operational capacity. Students are expected to be actively enrolled in a midwifery education program to obtain their theoretical knowledge.
General Clinical Responsibilities:
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Accurately take and document maternal vital signs and fetal heart tones during labor/birth/postpartum. Understand normal limits of both and notify the midwife (if attention is elsewhere) if outside of these limits.
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Assist midwife with set up of equipment including, but not limited to, unloading equipment from car, oxygen tank set up, birth supply stock and set up, water birth set up, and postpartum set up
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Attend to the needs of the mother as directed by midwife: comfort measures, hydration, nutritive intake
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Assist midwife as directed with injections of Pitocin, vitamin K, lidocaine
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Assist midwife as directed with sterile field set up, suturing, and proper sharps disposal
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Help mother move from birth site to tub, shower, or bed as directed
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Document events and other activities related to the clients
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Respect and maintain client confidentiality as per HIPAA guidelines
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Charting and time keeping according to midwife’s protocols
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Proper sanitization and disinfection protocols before, during, after, and in the preparatory phase of labor and delivery.
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Maintaining an organized workspace to allow for efficient and effective clinical management
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Setting up for clinic days
Requirements:
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CPR current and maintained
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NRP current and maintained
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TB test confirming negative status
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Louisiana Apprentice Midwife License current
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Terminology - you will be expected to have a working knowledge of the terminology of birth.
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Anatomy - you will be expected to have a working knowledge of basic female and neonatal anatomy
Obtaining Skills:
Students are given the privilege of providing direct care for clients in a midwifery practice. Because safety and ethical care are at the forefront of the care we provide, before providing any hands-on or educational care for a client, students will be expected to:​
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Demonstrate relevant clinical skills
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Demonstrate clinical knowledge and aptitude
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Demonstrate social etiquette and an understanding of the many cultural factors that impact a client's care
Professional Guidelines:
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Working as student, it in now way, no how prepares one to act, advertise, or insinuate you are qualified to attend births as a primary care provider, midwife, or advisor. To ever do so will immediately and permanently result in posting/notification by name of said violation on any and all midwife board/associations
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With the exception of bona fide family emergencies, students are expected to remain with the midwife for as long as they deems necessary
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In the event of a bona fide family emergency, students agree to make every effort to locate a replacement assistant for the midwife, at their discretion
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Students should never enter the home or birth site of the client until instructed to do so by the midwife. Under no circumstances are students to enter the birth site before the midwife arrives on the scene.
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All questions regarding care from clients should be answered under the supervision of the midwife
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Client’s personal information and birth experience is held in strict professional confidence.