Doula Perinatal Care Navigator

Position Summary: A Doula Perinatal Care Navigator will be an integral part of the obstetrical team at Esperanza Health Center, coming alongside mothers during their antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum care. The doula’s responsibilities include visiting with mothers during their routine prenatal visits, attending births, and providing postpartum support in the clinic or with home visits. This is a Temporary Position.

 DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Essentials

• Completed doula training.
• Passionate about women's health and perinatal care
• Ability to multitask and manage schedules for multiple patients
• Desire to attend deliveries and postpartum home visits
• Demonstrates lifestyle consistent with Biblical standards
• Ability to communicate effectively with other health care professionals
• At work or staff meeting on time.   Communicates with supervisor if more than 10 minutes late.
• Checks and responds promptly to urgent care-related calls and messages.
• Must be bilingual in Spanish and English

• Trained as a prenatal/postpartum doula and matched with panel of obstetrical patients to follow through prenatal and postpartum care
• Receives training as lactation counselor
• Receives training as medical interpreter
• Confidently communicates with hospitals and other outside medical institutions to advocate for prenatal patients, additionally assisting in scheduling obstetric ultrasounds and referrals
• Empowers patients by encouraging them to be the primary agent in seeking wellness
• Connects patients to community resources and programs or internal referral such as social services and behavioral health.
• Completes charting in the electronic medical record and sees each patient during prenatal visits as much as possible.
• Works efficiently to decrease patient waiting time
• Encouraging, positive, and constructive in interactions with team members.  Gives feedback and contributes ideas to the team.
• Is approachable and teachable, receiving constructive criticism well.
• Keeps work area neat and organized.
• Documents in medical record the progress report from labor and delivery clearly and in a timely manner.

Clinical Skills/General                         

• Provides continuous emotional, physical, and informational support to mothers before, during, and after childbirth                                                   
• Ability to answer questions and provide guidance in a non-judgmental manner
• Ability to remain calm and provide emotional support in potentially high stakes and stressful situations
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills
• Attending prenatal visits to get to know the mother and her birth preferences 
• Keeping up to date on childbirth support, birthing techniques, pre and post-natal care by conducting research, connecting with other doulas and mothers and attending workshops and lectures
• Practices according to biblical ethical worldview, ascribing sacred value to all human life from the time of conception.    Accordingly does not refer for elective pregnancy terminations.

• Assesses psychological needs of patients and makes referrals to behavioral health as needed
• Assesses social needs of patients and refers to social services or outside resources as appropriate
• Provides effective spiritual intervention with patients, sharing hope and salvation through Jesus Christ, sharing helpful Biblical instruction and scriptures, praying for pts, and connecting/referring to Christian churches as appropriate and according to the leading of the Holy Spirit, motivated always by love.
• Avoids taking advantage of status and privilege as doula as opportunity for spiritual coercion or manipulation. Gives spiritually uninterested or antagonistic pts greatest respect and appropriate space, continuing to provide exemplary care.
• Serves all pts in a Christ-like manner, with respect, humility, love, and self-control.

• Communicates directly and in a timely fashion with co-workers to resolve conflicts/disagreements
• Avoids negative comments in the hearing of others; refrains from discussing any information critical of anyone in the hearing of uninvolved persons.
• Expresses enthusiasm, contributes to the morale of other staff.

Additional Responsibilities

• Effectively explains to patients his/her role as a doula.
• Seeks supervision and input from the obstetrical provider of the patient.
• Operates within the training that has been provided.
• Seeks all appropriate co-signatures in a timely fashion.
• Uses administrative time effectively.
• Participates in staff devotions daily.  Leads devotions periodically.  Contributes to the spiritual life of staff.
• Accountable to and active in a Bible-teaching church congregation.
• Suggests improvements and works to help implement practice improvements.

Competencies

• A good active listener
• Able to provide practical advice with interpersonal and cultural sensitivity
• A natural ability to nurture and guide
• Compassionate, patient, and kind
• Self-directed and motivated.
• Exceptional organizational and interpersonal skills, with attention to detail required.
• Strong oral/written communication is required. Establishes and maintains open lines of communication with other staff.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team
• Maintains discretion and confidentiality in communicating with others.
• Seeks to serve Christ and proclaim the gospel in word and deed.