apprentice midwife

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This is a general overview of what a midwifery apprenticeship/internship looks like at ABBM.

At Austin Better Birth Midwifery (ABBM), we are committed to continuing the time honored tradition of "each one, teach one". Midwifery has long been passed on from generation to generation, with elder midwives training and teaching new midwives through hands on intensive training lasting between 2 to 4 years while didactic education is being completed or is complete. In the state of Texas, licensed midwives must complete a set amount of births, prenatal, postpartum, and newborn exams before they are qualified to become licensed.  If the student is seeking licensure in a different state, those requirements can differ. I do NOT offer short term apprentice placements. My clients deserve true continuity of care with providers that they get to know for some time prior to their births if at all possible. They are people, not "numbers" to be gotten for your own gain. I am very protective of my clients, their families, and the integrity and reputation of my practice. 

We will attend between 2 to 4 births a month with 2-3 clinic days per week. This is a small, community based practice. If demand increases, we may add additional midwives and increase client load.

We are especially committed to the expansion of the practice of traditional, out of hospital midwifery. Opportunities to apprentice are announced on social media as they become available. All apprentices/interns are required to be enrolled in a midwifery school, maintain current BLS and NRP certification, take a HIPAA compliance course, take a cultural competency course, have reliable childcare and transportation, be available on call when clients are due, attend skills check offs/trainings with the midwife and/or at  their school, attend monthly or quarterly luncheons for signatures and evaluations, have basic computer skills, have a working smart phone, sign a confidentiality agreement to protect client/midwife privacy, and must take at least 2 weeks of vacation per year. 

Students must put their personal biases at the door when they provide care. We serve a diverse community and I expect you to treat each client with honor, humility, dignity, and respect while also maintaining appropriate professional boundaries. Our clients may be very conservative or very liberal, they may be devoutly religious or nonreligious, they may be a part of the LGBTIA++ community or be strictly hetero-normative, they may not vaccinate themselves or their children or may follow a differing vaccine schedule, or they may fully vaccinate themselves and their children, they may seek alternative modalities for their healthcare or they may wish to only partake in allopathic medical modalities, they may want limited testing or want all of the testing. Our job is to meet people where they are and to provide the best care we can within the parameters of our scope of practice while practicing informed consent and choice and maintaining safe evidence based care. We do attend births of breech, vbac, and twin births when informed choice and consent has been obtained after appropriate medical consultation has occurred.

BIPOC and LGBTQIA++ students are strongly encouraged to apply. We recognize the inherent disparities in these communities and strive to do our part to support these communities at risk for poorer outcomes by educating more midwives. Apprentices with prior birth or clinical experience are preferred.

Students in phase 1, observes, are not paid. Students in phase 2, assist under supervision, are given a gas stipend and their own equipment (doppler, stethoscope, fetoscope, etc.) and will have meals paid for while at births or in clinic, these students are expected to  attend clinic on their assigned clinic days and to attend all births unless ill or on vacation. Students in phase 3, primary under supervision, are paid an assist fee and are expected to be at all of their primary or continuity of care clients' clinical visits (barring vacation or illness of course). All students are expected to secure their own backup if not available for births. Students may continue to work as a doula, CBE, or as a birth assistant for other midwives outside of ABBM. If you are able to coordinate it, it may be possible for you to work as a student with other midwives as well. This would need to be something you arrange and coordinate and cannot interfere with your responsibilities at ABBM.

You will get more experience than necessary to become an entry level midwife, this is to your benefit and your future clients' benefit. Repeated absences at clinic will not be tolerated and are grounds for dismissal. Unavailability for a birth you were expected to attend is grounds for dismissal. My goal is to make you competent and highly skilled as a midwife. If I do not see that you are yet ready to proceed to the next phase of your training, you and I will put together specific goals/criteria that you must meet and a time frame for completion. You will only be held back once per phase if necessary, if the midwife determines that you have not met the agreed upon goals you will likely be dismissed from the practice unless there are extenuating circumstances.

You will be given a handbook of expectations and responsibilities prior to accepting a position as a midwifery apprentice with ABBM.

Bullying is not tolerated at ABBM. We will adhere to your school's anti bullying policy and expect you to maintain healthy boundaries with your preceptors, as they must with you. If you are experiencing burnout or health issues of any kind, make it known to us so that we can do our best to accommodate you if possible.