Pennsylvania becomes first state to offer a doula training apprenticeship program

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Pennsylvania has launched the nation’s first apprenticeship program to train doulas to support their clients before, during and after childbirth. The Pennsylvania Statewide Registered Doula Apprenticeship Program will formalize doula training across the state and increase the maternal healthcare workforce.

“Working with a doula connects pregnant women with a skilled advocate and advisor through pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum — an ally who can help navigate the many changes that occur during pregnancy, prepare for and assist through delivery, and help identify when problems arise and additional supports are necessary,” said Val Arkoosh, Secretary of Pennsylvania’s Department of Health and Human Services. “Doulas help ensure mothers and their babies have a safe and empowering birth experience.”

Doulas are non-medical professionals who provide physical, emotional and informational support to a person before, during and after major life events such as giving birth.

“A doula is providing educational support, informational support, emotional support, and advocacy,” said Gerria Coffee, founder of Genesis Birth Services and president of the Pennsylvania Doula Commission. “Having a doula present is another set of eyes, it’s another set of ears. It’s helping to prepare families, helping families to know what questions to ask, how to identify a physician or a practice that’s best suited for them and their needs.”

Pennsylvania’s year-long apprenticeship program combines structured classroom instruction, supervised clinical experience and professional development, according to state officials. The program includes eight weeks of online training, a 16-module doula school with certified trainers, a two-day in-person training where apprentices learn comfort measures, childbirth education, signs of labor and other practices.

Those in the program will also receive a subscription to Evidence Based Birth, which offers continuing education courses and the latest field research.

Applications for the program opened earlier this month through the Lancaster-based Patients R Waiting.

“As a physician, I have seen the value of having doulas as part of the care team to help patients feel heard, supported, and empowered throughout their birth experience,” said Patients R Waiting Founder Dr. Sharee Livingston. “By investing in a trained and supported doula workforce, we can strengthen our maternal health system and work toward more equitable birth outcomes for families across Pennsylvania.”

Research shows that doula support improves delivery outcomes by reducing the rate of preterm births and labor duration. Hemorrhage complications are among the leading causes of maternal mortality in Pennsylvania, most often associated with cesarean births. Doulas have been shown to reduce the rate of cesarean births by nearly 53%.

Birthing parents who receive doula support after giving birth have a nearly 58% lower risk of postpartum depression. Parents are also more likely to seek medical care with the support of a doula during the postpartum period, Coffee said.

Once a parent gives birth, the doctors aren’t in the home in postpartum with the families, the doulas are,” she said.

Coffee is optimistic that training more people to become doulas in Pennsylvania can improve maternal health outcomes.

“Having more doulas that are available and trained to recognize emergencies, to guide families and support families, is absolutely going to be able to help reduce those maternal mortality rates that we’re seeing in Pennsylvania,” Coffee said.

Doulas who complete the state program will also be certified to receive Medicaid reimbursement for their services, which could encourage more practitioners to offer support among lower income communities and in rural areas.

The apprenticeship program is the latest of several programs state leaders hope will improve professional training access among Pennsylvania workers, according to the state’s Labor and Industry Secretary for Workforce Development Patricia Blumenauer.

“This doula apprenticeship demonstrates the power of collaboration – bringing together community members, health care expertise, and workforce development resources to create a structured career pathway that will benefit both aspiring health care professionals and the families they serve,” Blumenauer said.