Transition of Care Doula Mentor

Hackensack Meridian Health•Iselin, NJ

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Transition of Care (TOC) Community Doula Mentor is an experienced, certified community doula who supports the successful integration of community doulas into an interdisciplinary maternal health clinical care team within a clinical setting. Provides structured onboarding, coaching, and ongoing support to newly hired and/or newly trained community doulas as they transition onto the care team, and serves as a dedicated point of contact for doulas navigating hospital-based practice. This role also supports newly trained community doulas referred from doula training organizations across New Jersey, helping to build a sustainable, well-prepared community doula workforce. This position does not supervise or evaluate clinical care; rather, the role strengthens doula confidence, professional practice, role clarity, and retention across the network.

Requirements

High School diploma, general equivalency diploma (GED), and/or GED equivalent programs.
Minimum of 3 or more years of active experience as a certified community doula, including direct labor and birth support.
Demonstrated experience mentoring, precepting, training, or coaching peers in a clinical, community-based, or educational setting.
This regional position requires reliable transportation for travel throughout the service area and flexible availability to support doulas across varied shifts, including nights and weekends as needed.
Working knowledge of hospital-based maternal health care delivery, interdisciplinary team structure, and doula scope of practice.
Knowledge of health-related social needs and their impact on maternal and infant outcomes.
Ability to provide culturally responsive, patient- and peer-centered support with a high degree of empathy, discretion, and professionalism.
Strong organizational, critical thinking, conflict-resolution, and problem-solving skills.
Accustomed to working in a fast-paced team environment, prioritizing tasks, and acting professionally under pressure.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to deliver constructive feedback.
Proficient computer skills that include but are not limited to Microsoft Office and/or Google Suite platforms.
Certified Doula from a nationally recognized organization (e.g., DONA, CAPPA, DTI, Children's Home Society of NJ, AMAR Community-Based Doula Program, Uzazi Village Training, Partnership for Maternal & Child Health of Northern New Jersey (Community of Caring)).
Current Basic Life Support (BLS/CPR) certification.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience working within a hospital or clinical setting as an embedded or contracted doula.
Experience with electronic health record (EHR) systems, such as EPIC.
Experience partnering with doula training organizations, community-based organizations, or workforce development programs.
Formal training in adult learning, mentorship, precepting, coaching, or facilitation.
Bilingual skills.
Dual certification as both a Birth and Postpartum Doula.
New Jersey Community Doula certification or completion of a state-recognized community doula training program.
Additional certifications, such as Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC), Childbirth Educator (CBE), or in perinatal mental health.
A professional license in a related field (e.g., LPN, Social Work).
Interpreter training (if bilingual).

Responsibilities

Serve as the dedicated point of contact and trusted resource for newly hired and newly trained community doulas throughout their onboarding and early practice period.
Provide individualized mentorship, coaching, and reflective support to doulas transitioning from community-based or training settings into a hospital or clinical environment.
Orient new doulas to unit culture, hospital workflows, scope of practice boundaries, professional expectations, and department-specific protocols.
Accompany or shadow new doulas during initial prenatal, labor, birth, and postpartum encounters as needed, providing real-time guidance and post-encounter debriefing.
Support newly trained community doulas from partnering training organizations across the state as they enter practice, in coordination with program leadership.
Model evidence-based, culturally responsive, patient-centered doula practice, including comfort measures, labor support techniques, advocacy, and postpartum and transition-of-care support.
Support doulas in accurate, timely documentation of support and resources provided in accordance with department protocols and, where applicable, the electronic health record (EPIC).
Assist doulas in building and maintaining current knowledge of community resources and referral pathways, including follow-up appointments, lactation support, behavioral health services, transportation, and financial assistance programs.
Participate in multidisciplinary team rounds, huddles, program meetings, and debriefs as scheduled to support doula representation and continuous improvement.
Provide feedback and observations to program leadership to inform training content, onboarding materials, workflow refinement, and retention strategies.
Other duties and/or projects as assigned.
Adheres to HMH Organizational competencies and standards of behavior.
Reliable transportation and flexible availability, including the ability to respond to scheduled and as-needed mentorship requests across assigned sites.