Arizona Laws 36-766.03. Applicant requirements; education and training; alternate certification
A. An applicant for certification under this article shall do all of the following:
Terms Used In Arizona Laws 36-766.03
- Department: means the department of health services. See Arizona Laws 36-766
- Director: means the director of the department. See Arizona Laws 36-766
- Doula: means a trained nonmedical professional who may provide continuous physical, emotional and informational support to families before, during and after childbirth for a period of one year after birth or in the case of loss and who may serve as a liaison between the birth parents and medical and social services staff to improve the quality of medical, social and behavioral outcomes. See Arizona Laws 36-766
- Person: includes a corporation, company, partnership, firm, association or society, as well as a natural person. See Arizona Laws 1-215
- Process: means a citation, writ or summons issued in the course of judicial proceedings. See Arizona Laws 1-215
1. Provide one of the following:
(a) Documentation of completing at least thirty hours of in-person instruction or a combination of in-person and online instruction in core competency topics that may include the following:
(i) Entrepreneurship.
(ii) Standards of practice and ethics.
(iii) The childbirth process.
(iv) Parental engagement.
(v) Postpartum care.
(vi) Grief.
(vii) Trauma-informed care.
(viii) Cultural doula practices.
(ix) Anatomy and physiology.
(b) For doulas who are from a community trained in non-western doula practices as determined by the director, documentation confirming that core competencies have been met through culturally specific training or education that is subject to review by the director.
(c) Other related individualized or experiential training or education that is subject to review by the director.
2. Provide department-approved written documentation of both of the following:
(a) Observing at least one birth after training is completed.
(b) Attending at least three births while serving as the primary doula support person and receiving a department-approved and acceptable evaluation from the laboring mother and from the medical provider who assisted the laboring mother.
3. Complete instruction on first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
4. Submit a code of ethics agreement as prescribed by the director.
B. An individual who does not qualify for state certification under this article but who has been practicing as a doula in this state for at least five years before September 29, 2021 may apply to the department for certification if the individual submits all of the following:
1. Proof of current certification from a nationally recognized doula organization in lieu of proof of the minimum qualifications prescribed in this article and rules adopted pursuant to this article.
2. Three letters of recommendation from health care professionals who have worked with the applicant within the preceding two years and can attest to the applicant’s competency in providing doula services.