BIRTH ASSISTANTS: what do we need them to do and how may we support regulation?

This information is to guide the Midwifery Advisory Committee and legislative efforts on the topic of regulating birth assistants (non-students & non-midwives)

Question Title

* 1. What tasks do you routinely ask require your birth assistants to do? (Check all that apply)

Set up and clean up

Sterilize instruments (autoclave or other methods)

Handle and/or dispose of placenta

Take maternal vitals (BP, temp, HR, RR)

Take newborn vitals (HR, RR, temp)

Auscultate FHR in labor

Charting (all stages of labor)

Collect cord blood

Inject medications and/or vaccines

Administer medications and/or vaccines (e.g eye ointment)

Draw blood

Place IVs

Urine catheterization

Cervical exams

Perineum assessment

Suturing

Attend the entire birth and PP

Attend later in labor (e.g. second stage)

Attend until 1 hour PP

Phone triage and/or phone follow up

File birth certificates

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 2. What tasks do you need your birth assistants to be able to do? (Check all that apply)

Set up and clean up

Sterilize instruments (autoclave or other methods)

Handle and/or dispose of placenta

Take maternal vitals (BP, temp, HR, RR)

Take newborn vitals (HR, RR, temp)

Auscultate FHR in labor

Charting (all stages of labor)

Collect cord blood

Inject medications and/or vaccines

Administer medications and/or vaccines (e.g eye ointment)

Draw blood

Place IVs

Urine catheterization

Cervical exams

Perineum assessment

Suturing

Attend the entire birth and PP

Attend later in labor (e.g. second stage)

Attend until 1 hour PP

Phone triage and/or phone follow up

File birth certificates

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 3. Do you think that the designation of Medical Assistant- Registered meets the training and certification needs for birth assistants as you utilize them in your practice? (Please refer to the document differentiating between MA Certified and Registered)

Yes

If no, please list the reason(s) why

Question Title

* 4. Do you think that the designation of Medical Assistant- Certified meets the training and certification needs for birth assistants as you utilize them in your practice? (Please refer to the document differentiating between MA Certified and Registered)

Yes

If no, please list the reason(s) why

Question Title

* 5. In the physical therapy profession, there is a category for PT Assistants. One proposal is to create another profession within Midwifery to specifically support the work that we do. This is very different legislative and DOH work than working within the definition of an existing profession (e.g. MAs).

Do you think it would be most advantageous for our profession to create a category of Midwifery Assistants rather than work with the Medical Assistant categories? (You may choose more than one answer)

Yes

I don't have enough information

I need to know the following things to best answer this question:

Question Title

* 6. If you consider the idea of Midwifery Assistants as a subset of our profession, which of these tasks should be part of the scope as distinct from and not encompassed by the MA law? (In other words, how would this profession be different from what is already there? and Check all that apply)

Set up and clean up

Sterilize instruments (autoclave or other methods)

Handle and/or dispose of placenta

Take maternal vitals (BP, temp, HR, RR)

Take newborn vitals (HR, RR, temp)

Auscultate FHR in labor

Charting (all stages of labor)

Collect cord blood

Inject medications and/or vaccines

Administer medications and/or vaccines (e.g eye ointment)

Draw blood

Place IVs

Urine catheterization

Cervical exams

Perineum assessment

Suturing

Attend the entire birth and PP

Attend later in labor (e.g. second stage)

Attend until 1 hour PP

Phone triage and/or phone follow up

File birth certificates

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 7. Do you think we, as midwives, should be attempting to certify, regulate, and/or recognize birth assistants as a profession? (You may choose more than one answer)

Yes

I don't have enough information

Leave things as they are

I need to know the following things to best answer this question:

Question Title

* 8. In what ways would you like to contribute to the work that any of these avenues would entail? (Check all that apply)

Attend MAWS meetings

Engage in legislative effort with MAWS

Volunteer your help to Northwest Birth Assistants

Attend MAC meetings

Not at all

Other (please specify)