Birth Assistant

Position Type: Per Diem / On-Call 
Hourly Pay: $5/hour for on-call hours, $20-25/hr (licensure-dependent) for working hours (called in) 
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