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Childbirth Educator Frequently Asked Questions
- What are the prerequisites for the Simkin School Childbirth Educator Training?
- Who attends the Childbirth Educator Training?
- What does the Childbirth Educator Training prepare me to do?
- What organizations provide certification in childbirth education?
- What is the certification process?
- After I’m certified, what jobs are available to me?
- What is the pay like for childbirth educators? Could I make a living doing this?
- What are the advantages of the SMS/Great Starts training compared to other training programs?
- I already have a lot of background and training in the birth field. Is there a way to "test out" of part of the course?
What are the prerequisites for the Seattle Midwifery School Childbirth Educator Training?
Participants are expected to have a basic working knowledge of the experience of pregnancy, the process of labor and birth, and early infant care. Completion of a DONA International-approved Labor Support Course is recommended but not required. It is also helpful if you have attended at least one labor and birth, either as a birthing woman or as a support person. Participants are required to complete the study guide, which will be mailed to you one month before the course starts.
Who attends the Childbirth Educator Training?
The Childbirth Educator Training is primarily designed for people who would like to teach structured childbirth preparation classes, for a hospital or the community. We cover instruction of childbirth preparation, breastfeeding, and newborn care. The course is also appropriate for anyone who works with expectant parents and would like to incorporate client education into their work. Birth and postpartum doulas, midwives, nurses, prenatal exercise instructors, massage therapists and social workers, among others, have completed the training.What does the Childbirth Educator Training prepare me to do?
On completion, you will be well qualified to provide informal education and information to expectant parents, as a supplement to other services that you provide (doula support, midwifery care, etc.).If you want to teach a formal childbirth preparation class, you will want to become a certified childbirth educator. Hospitals and other employers require certification to teach. To teach childbirth education classes in the community, there is no legal requirement to be certified. However, most professionals in the childbirth field consider certification essential to ensure that all expectant parents are well served.
What organizations provide certification in childbirth education?
The Childbirth Educator Training prepares you for certification with Great Starts Birth and Family Education. For information on certification through Great Starts, click here. If you live in the Puget Sound region, this is a good organization to choose. The course may also apply toward certification with other agencies, including International Childbirth Education Association (ICEA). Check with them for details. There are other certifying organizations that require you to attend their specific training program, and this course does not prepare you for their certification. These include Bradley, Lamaze International and Birthing from Within.What is the certification process?
Different programs have different steps to certification. These may include taking a training class such as the Childbirth Educator Training, observing one or more childbirth series, and teaching under supervision. For information on certification through Great Starts, visit their web site.After I am certified, what jobs are available to me?
Hospital education programs hire certified childbirth educators to teach childbirth preparation classes, breastfeeding classes, and newborn care classes. Check with hospitals in your area to find out about job opportunities. You can also organize community-based classes. Community classes can be formed in collaboration with midwives or obstetric practices. They could be offered through parks department educational programs, community colleges or other adult education programs. There may also be public sector employment available to you. Some hospital programs require their educators to also be nurses. A few hospitals will only use certified lactation educators to teach their breastfeeding classes.What is the pay like for childbirth educators? Could I make a living doing this?
Some settings pay by the hour. A hospital in the Seattle area may pay $18 to $20 an hour for a beginning childbirth educator. This typically covers class time, plus some time for setting up for class, and for cleaning up after a class. Some settings pay by the series: for example, $300-350 for a 14-hour series (7 weeks, 2 hours per week). This amount covers your teaching time and any set-up/tear down time needed. Pay rates increase with experience.Note that time spent developing curriculum or handouts, or preparing materials for classes, is not paid time. Childbirth education offers a flexible job to bring in some extra money, to contribute to the community, and to combine professional development with other responsibilities such as parenting. Typically, an instructor has flexibility in setting her own schedule. Some instructors teach for only a few hours a week, or only in summer, or only during the school year. Some instructors teach multiple evenings each week. It is generally not possible to work full-time as a childbirth educator, or use this as a primary source of income, because the available working hours are limited. Because of the work schedules of expectant parents, childbirth classes typically are offered between 6 and 9 pm on Monday through Thursday evenings, and from 9 – 5 on weekends. Even if someone taught all these available slots each week, it is not a full-time job.
What are the advantages of the Simkin School/Great Starts training compared to other training programs?
We offer far more class time than most other programs. This allows for more class content, more bonding between students, more real-life examples from our instructors and, most importantly, opportunities to practice teaching. During the training, you will have the opportunity to present 5 different mini-classes (each presentation is 5 – 10 minutes long) to a supportive group of 4 – 6 other students. An experienced childbirth educator will observe and provide feedback. This opportunity to practice teaching in a supportive environment significantly increases your readiness to teach. The Childbirth Educator Training is taught by experienced childbirth educators, from a variety of backgrounds, who take the best parts of many childbirth education theories rather than sticking solely to one philosophy of childbirth preparation.I already have a lot of background and training in the birth field. Is there a way to "test out" of part of the course?
No. We expect all of our students to have a basic working knowledge of pregnancy, birth, and newborn care. There is more factual information presented in class about these things, so you may find some of that duplicates knowledge you already have. However, throughout the course, the focus is on how to teach this information to a variety of adult learners. There is no way to waive a portion of the course, because learning how to teach is woven throughout the content of both weekends.