Pennsylvania Launches Nation's First Registered Doula Apprenticeship Program
In Pennsylvania, the Shapiro Administration on October 19 launched the Pennsylvania Statewide Registered Doula Apprenticeship Program in Lancaster, the first registered apprenticeship program in the United States designed specifically to train doulas. Doulas are professionals who provide continuous physical, emotional, and educational support to clients before, during, and shortly after childbirth.
The program is a collaboration between the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS), the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Labor & Industry (L&I), and the nonprofit Patients R Waiting. Through an earn-while-you-learn approach, it formalizes doula training with eight weeks of online training, a 16-module doula school with certified trainers, a 12-month subscription to Evidence-based Birth Practices, and a two-day in-person training with a certified DONA International trainer. Applications opened on October 16.
Pennsylvania DHS Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh said working with a doula connects pregnant women with a skilled advocate and advisor through pregnancy, delivery, and the postpartum period, and that the first-of-its-kind program will increase access to doula services by removing barriers for those who want to become doulas. L&I Deputy Secretary for Workforce Development Patricia Blumenauer said the program expands registered apprenticeships into new and emerging fields.
According to DHS, Pennsylvania created an official certification for doulas through the Pennsylvania Certification Board in 2024, allowing certified doulas to enroll as Medicaid providers for the first time; there are currently 255 certified doulas in the state, 150 of them enrolled in Medicaid. Since January 2023, the Shapiro Administration has secured more than $17.5 million for the Department of Health's maternal and child health initiatives and earlier this year unveiled Pennsylvania's first Maternal Health Strategic Action Plan. (GSM, based on a Pennsylvania Department of Human Services release)
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 3.0，作者 Randolph Carney（Lancaster 市中心实景）
