(Excerpted from the Doula Sunrise Report and the OPR website)
Assessment of Doulas as a Licensed Profession in Vermont
The Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) was tasked with providing a preliminary assessment of Doulas becoming a licensed profession in Vermont. Per Act 97 (2024) the General Assembly determined that the regulation of Doulas is necessary and has completed the Sunrise Review process in consultation with stakeholders.
OPR Recommends Voluntary Certification of Community-Based Perinatal Doulas
The Office, with support from stakeholders, has determined Certification of Community-Based Doulas is the appropriate form of regulation, as consumers of doula services may have substantial interest in relying on the qualifications of community-based practitioners.
Neither registration nor licensure for all other Vermont doulas would be appropriate to mitigate the harms of disparate rates of maternal mortality and poor health outcomes in underserved, under-resourced, and/or marginalized populations.
Stakeholders expressed overwhelming support for certification as the desired form of regulation. Many identified the need to carefully name the profession to avoid disruption of nationally certified independent practitioners, often referred to as “Certified Doulas,” who do not want to bill Medicaid and/or do not want State certification. OPR suggests the profession name of “Community-Based Perinatal Doulas” to denote the regulated workforce as a smaller subset of doulas, as well as the phase of life for clients being served as related to birth.
Participants also acknowledged the need for training and emphasized imposing strict requirements that mandate national certifications or expensive coursework before licensure would create unacceptable burdens for community-based doulas. Such burdens would act as barriers that are contrary to the public policies supporting regulation and expanding the workforce. Stakeholders strongly expressed that multiple pathways honoring legacy practitioners and experience must be offered so that doulas from diverse communities, cultures, and socioeconomic backgrounds would have access and opportunity to become State-certified.
To implement an accessible, successful community-based doula certification program, OPR will engage with stakeholders in the legislative and rulemaking processes to identify multiple, flexible pathways to recognize the qualifications of specified community-based doula competencies. Such pathways may include experience, mentorship, community training, more formal coursework or education, or a combination of these. For legacy doulas who have been practicing in community-based settings, OPR anticipates implementing some form of recognition of their experience along with documentation and verification of the competencies from their associated organizations.
To read more about the maternal health crisis in the United States, the role of doulas in maternal support, and stakeholders feedback, please check out the full Doula Sunrise Report.
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