• A personnel file will be kept on all apprentices with a copy of current certifications, basic information, and copies of all Apprentice/Preceptor evaluations.

• Only students willing to commit to a minimum 12 month apprenticeship will be considered. The first 90 days are considered a probationary trial period. After the initial 90 days, the preceptor and student will sit down for an evaluation of their time together and mutually decide if the apprenticeship should continue. At this time, neither party is obligated to pursue the apprenticeship and may discontinue for any reason. Any skills/clinicals that the apprentice may have performed will be signed off on at this time (if applicable) so she may still get credit for her time here.

• If both parties agree to continue the apprenticeship, evaluations will be completed on a regular basis depending on the student’s program requirements. It is the student’s responsibility to schedule a time with her preceptor for evaluation periods and to have clinical paperwork signed off on. It is never appropriate to wait until the week your paperwork is due to try and get your preceptor to sign things. It is recommended that you schedule at least one day each month (during your own off time) to come into the office and document things you need for your clinical paperwork.

(Please keep in mind that if your apprenticeship ends for any reason, and you do not have all of your clinicals documented you will not be allowed to freely come into the office to catch up, for confidentiality reasons. If the Office Manager is then having to document clinicals for you, you will be charged an hourly rate for her time. This should be one of the many incentives for staying on top of your paperwork at all times.)

• At JBBC, we strive to keep the lines of communication open at all times. If you have a concern, let’s talk about it! If it is a general question, please wait until after an appointment is finished to discuss with your preceptor. It is never okay to question a preceptor’s care in the presence of a client. For other concerns that you may have regarding your apprenticeship, schedule a time with your preceptor and discuss the issue privately. If however conflict cannot be resolved, the apprenticeship agreement may be discontinued. All clinical paperwork will be signed (where applicable), and the apprentice will be released from her agreement.

• Must maintain current CPR & NRP, and passing grades to continue participating in clinical training.

• Must be able to adapt and live with the “on call life”. This is probably the most stressful part of this profession. Midwifery is incredibly inconvenient, selfless, and rewarding at the same time. You must be able to balance your academics, home life, and apprenticeship. You are on call 24/7 with your Primary Preceptor. If we enter a “slow season”, we will notify you of the ability to be “off call” for that specified period. Aside from those rare occasions, students must get approval from their preceptor for time “off call”.

• Clinic days are currently Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays (9:00am-6:00pm), and students are required to be present for all appointments. The student must arrive 30 minutes before the first scheduled appointment to prepare for the day, and is expected to stay 30 minutes after the last appointment ends to help wrap up last minute items/prepare the office for the next clinical day. Each midwife uses one of those days as her Administrative Day, thus doing the bulk of her appointments on the other two days. Your clinical days will be dependent on which midwife is your primary preceptor. Students will not be required to attend the entire admin day, but rather will be asked to fulfill at least a 1/2 day of administrative hours for her apprenticeship.

  *when birth happens during a clinic day, appointments may be rescheduled to an alternate day. In these instances students are expected to accompany their primary preceptor to those visits.

• At JBBC we have a work/study program and students work hard to earn their apprenticeship by doing minimal chores and office work, but only ever in the context of midwifery and never in the personal lives of the staff. This not only helps us as a team, but also gives you a glimpse into the whole world of midwifery practice. Midwifery is much more than just clinical duties & catching babies, and there are many aspects of business/office administration that you will need to learn to run a successful practice.

• When you attend a birth in any capacity, you are required to also be present for the follow-up postpartum visits. Because birth happens at unpredictable times, that may mean that a postpartum home visit falls on a day that is not typically a clinic day. Although the midwife will do her best to coordinate with your schedule if possible, it is ultimately scheduled at the convenience of the client & midwife.

• Following each birth (within 24-48 hours), we encourage you to complete a brief birth summary form. This gives you & your preceptor a chance to evaluate the birth and to ask questions. This can be a great exercise! (It won’t be ‘graded’, but rather is just an opportunity to see your perspective of the birth; and discover any areas that may need to discussed.)

• Students are not required to attend Consults/Interviews, although it is strongly encouraged during the Primary Phase of training. Many times, by meeting a potential client in an interview they are more willing to have you take an active role in their care.

• Wear proper “business casual” attire for clinic days. (No flip flops/ragged jeans/tank tops)

• Our practice attends a maximum of 12 births per month, both in homes and in our birth center. Students are only required to attend births with their primary preceptor, which averages 6-8 births per month.

• When called to a birth, the apprentice is expected to shadow her preceptor during the entire labor, birth, and immediate postpartum period; and is required to stay until clean up is finished and the primary midwife is ready to leave.

• Scrubs, generally in darker colors, are worn during birth. Tennis shoes/other closed toe shoes are required. You must have a minimum of 3 sets of scrubs. (1 set that you keep at home, and the other 2 that stay in your car.) This way, if you get called to a birth while away from home- you have clothes/shoes with you. If later you get soaked (it happens), or called to a second birth/have to transport- you will have the 2nd set of clean clothes to change into. If we were to transport to the hospital, you want to remember that you are a representative of midwifery to medical professionals who can sometimes be biased to begin with.

• During your Observes Phase, your first job is to learn to anticipate the needs of the mother and midwife. Take it all in. Look at the big picture, but be ready to jump in if asked! This phase is also usually a good time to practice your doula skills. Every good midwife is an excellent doula. Approach each birth with a heart of service, and be the first to get what is needed. Soak up each learning opportunity. As you learn and transition into a more active participant at births, you will be expected to perform tasks based on your current skill level. This will include taking vitals, charting, setup/tear down, etc. The preceptor and student will discuss together when she may be ready to start catching babies.

After more than 12 years in Midwifery, we know all too well the demand that this profession can have on our bodies, minds and families. Because of this, we strive to foster good boundaries and encourage healthful self care practices.

One way we do this is by scheduling off-call time for every staff member.

At minimum, our midwives have a 4 day, guaranteed off-call weekend every quarter; as well as two 7 day vacation weeks a year.

*anytime there is a natural break in our schedule (you know, when babies are born early!) we will try to give additional time off between delivery windows.

Each student usually takes off anytime her Primary Preceptor is off-call as well. Each student is assigned a “Primary Preceptor” and thus are not required to attend clinicals with any other provider.

We also encourage students to communicate any concerns, struggles or needs with her preceptor so that alternate plans and/or support may be arranged as needed.

Our staff also strives to schedule routine staff meetings and team relationship-building opportunities.