Student Midwife
Interest Form
Hello!
Are you ready to start your journey as a midwifery apprentice?
Are you an inspiring midwife?
We love our apprentices at Austin Rooted Birth and Wellness!
Because our apprenticeship spaces are intentionally limited, we are thoughtful and discerning about who we invite into this work with us.
We hold a deep sense of responsibility for the families we serve, and we are committed to protecting the integrity, safety, and continuity of their care. For this reason, we are intentional in selecting students who are truly aligned with our philosophy and approach to midwifery.
We invite you to spend time exploring our website in depth to get a genuine sense of our practice, our values, and the type of learning environment you would be stepping into. Alignment is important here, and we trust you will be able to discern whether this path feels right for you.
We ask that students enter this apprenticeship with readiness, responsibility, and a sincere understanding of the commitment involved in supporting families through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care.
Because we are a holistic, physiologic birth practice, we are looking for students who deeply value autonomy, informed choice, and a hands-off, non-interventive approach to care. This work requires the ability to support without directing, to observe without interrupting, and to trust the natural unfolding of birth while holding steady, respectful presence.
Foundational clinical readiness
- Students must hold current IV, NRP, and CPR certifications prior to beginning clinical participation, or be actively in the process of obtaining them. A passing standard is required to continue in clinical training. We strongly encourage students to seek additional foundational experience through workshops such as introductory student midwife skills, birth assistant training, or similar hands-on learning opportunities.
- Full participation in care
Students are expected to attend all scheduled appointments, including last-minute and urgent visits, as well as classes and monthly meetings. Midwifery care is continuous, and learning happens through showing up consistently across all aspects of practice.
- Presence at births
Students are expected to attend all births when called. Birth is unpredictable, and participation in the full rhythm of labor, birth, and postpartum is essential to apprenticeship learning.
- Commitment to families and continuity of care
Students must understand and be willing to step into the level of dedication required to support families through a full spectrum of care. This work is relational, ongoing, and rooted in trust and continuity.
- Growing into responsibility
Throughout the apprenticeship, students are expected to actively move toward increased responsibility within the practice. This includes developing the capacity to support midwifery care in a way that mirrors the flow, accountability, and responsiveness of the midwife role itself. When the preceptor is present and working, the student is expected to be equally engaged and available within their scope of learning.
- On-call availability
Students must be willing and able to participate in an on-call rhythm, including 24/7 availability during assigned call periods. Birth does not follow a schedule, and presence is part of the learning experience.
- Readiness and stability in personal logistics
Students are expected to have reliable transportation and a dependable plan for childcare or personal responsibilities, including backup coverage when needed. This work requires flexibility and the ability to respond to care needs without delay.
- Understanding of apprenticeship commitment
Students are expected to come with a realistic understanding of what a midwifery apprenticeship entails, including time demands, emotional labor, physical presence, and the depth of responsibility involved in supporting families during vulnerable and sacred transitions.
- Postpartum continuity
Students are expected to attend all postpartum care visits associated with the births they attend. Postpartum care is an essential continuation of the birth experience and a core part of learning continuity of care.
- Professional presence and attire
Students are expected to dress in a way that reflects respect for the clinical space, the families, and the work. Attire should be appropriate, clean, and functional for both clinic and birth settings.
- Age requirement
Students must be at least 18 years of age to participate in the apprenticeship.
What are we offering to our apprentices ?
We are a deeply holistic, physiologic midwifery practice rooted in the belief that pregnancy, birth, and postpartum are normal, powerful life processes that deserve reverence, protection, and a quiet, skilled presence that supports without directing and observes without disrupting. We hold high expectations not only for the quality of care we provide to families, but also for the depth, integrity, and intentionality of our teaching. We dedicate our full presence, time, and clinical expertise to both the women and babies we serve and to the students who learn alongside us.
Our apprenticeship model is immersive, consistent, and rooted in real-world midwifery care.
Clinical rhythm and exposure
We hold clinic 2–3 times per week, offering students consistent, repeated exposure to prenatal, postpartum, and integrative outpatient care. Our practice is moderate volume, supporting approximately 2–14 clients per month depending on the season, allowing for both depth of relationship and meaningful hands-on learning.
Full spectrum midwifery experience
Students are invited into the full continuum of care, including prenatal visits, labor and birth support, and postpartum care. This continuity allows students to witness physiology over time and understand the unfolding story of each family’s journey.
Holistic, evidence-informed care
We practice from a holistic, physiologic foundation while integrating evidence-based care where appropriate. Students learn how to hold both worlds—honoring the natural process of birth while integrating clinical knowledge, assessment, and safety-based decision making.
Hands-on clinical skill development
Students receive guided experience in foundational midwifery skills including taking vital signs, assisting with clinical assessments, and learning the basics of blood draws and lab work as appropriate within scope and supervision.
Clinical documentation and charting
We provide structured guidance in developing strong, comprehensive charting and record-keeping skills using our established systems. Students learn how documentation supports continuity, safety, communication, and the legal and clinical integrity of midwifery care.
Critical thinking in real time
Students are supported in developing clinical judgment and critical thinking skills through observation, participation, and reflective discussion. We emphasize learning how to assess, prioritize, and think like a midwife within a physiologic, low-intervention model of care.
Culturally sensitive, respectful learning environment
We are committed to fostering a learning space that is culturally aware, respectful, and grounded in honoring the lived experiences, beliefs, and autonomy of the families we serve. Students are expected to engage with care through a lens of humility, respect, and nonjudgment.
Immersive learning through real practice
Students learn in a real midwifery setting, not a simulated environment. This means witnessing the full reality of birth work—its rhythm, unpredictability, sacredness, and responsibility—while being held in a supportive, guided apprenticeship structure.
What do we expect from our apprentices ?
After reading through the Eligibility & Expectations sections below you find you are interested in pursuing this process, please complete the online application via the contact form below.
We will contact you within 2 weeks of receipt of your completed application. If we feel it may be a good fit, we’ll schedule an in-person interview/orientation with one of our midwives.
Eligibility -
We welcome students who are actively enrolled in an approved midwifery training program and we do currently accept PEP students; however, we also recommend concurrent enrollment in a structured academic or training program that provides clear oversight, evaluation, and educational grounding.
Students must arrive with or actively maintain current certification in CPR for Healthcare Providers and Neonatal Resuscitation (NRP), as these are essential foundational safety skills within clinical and birth settings.
We also require completion of training in HIPAA compliance and bloodborne pathogens safety prior to or early in clinical participation.
To support culturally responsive care, students must have completed a Cultural Competency Course for Midwives within the past two years (online coursework is accepted). If there are any questions regarding eligibility or course equivalency, we welcome direct communication for clarification.
On-call readiness and lifestyle integration
Midwifery apprenticeship requires a lifestyle commitment that is responsive and flexible. Students must have 24/7 access to a reliable personal vehicle and cell phone, and be prepared to live within an on-call rhythm.
When on call, students must be reachable at all times by phone and text, and able to mobilize and leave for a birth promptly when notified.
Students with children must have dependable childcare arrangements in place for on-call periods, ensuring they are able to respond to care needs without delay or uncertainty.
Location and accessibility
Due to the nature of continuity-based care and unpredictable birth timing, students must reside within 45 minutes of our birth center for the duration of their apprenticeship.
Applicants relocating from other cities or states must be willing to move locally for the duration of training and participate in an in-person interview as part of the selection process.
Requirements -
We welcome students who feel called to midwifery not just as a career path, but as a way of serving families with presence, humility, and reverence for the physiology of birth.
Call to the work
Students who join us are entering a living apprenticeship. This path asks for genuine curiosity, openness to being shaped, and a willingness to learn through observation, participation, and reflection over time. We prioritize alignment of values over perfection of experience.
Commitment to continuity and time
Midwifery cannot be learned in fragments. Students are expected to commit to sustained presence over time so they can witness pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and the subtle patterns that only reveal themselves through continuity.
Respect for the rhythm of birth work
This work does not follow a predictable schedule. Students must be willing to move with the ebb and flow of clinic days, call days, and postpartum care, including occasional disruptions to personal routines. Flexibility is not an exception here; it is part of the practice.
Presence over performance
We are not looking for students who simply “show up,” but those who are able to be present. This means listening more than speaking, observing without rushing to intervene, and learning to trust physiological process while remaining attentive and engaged.
Integration of whole-person care
Students are expected to engage with midwifery as both science and art. This includes learning clinical skills alongside emotional presence, communication, intuition, and the subtle art of holding space for families in vulnerable transitions.
Stewardship of the space
The birth center is a shared environment of care. Students are expected to move with awareness, respect, and responsibility for the physical space, the energy of the environment, and the families who enter it.
Willingness to serve the whole practice
Midwifery care extends beyond clinical moments. Students participate in the ongoing life of the practice, including administrative flow, preparation, and supportive tasks that keep care accessible and organized. Every role is part of the continuity of care.
Emotional steadiness in intensity
Birth work brings moments of intensity, uncertainty, and deep emotion. Students are expected to develop the capacity to stay grounded, regulate themselves, and remain steady presence without becoming overwhelmed or disengaged.
Reverence for autonomy and informed choice
Students must hold respect for the birthing person as the primary decision-maker in their care. This includes learning to support without directing, inform without coercing, and witness without taking over.
Team-centered collaboration
Students are joining a living care team. They are expected to participate with humility, communicate clearly, and support a culture of mutual respect between midwives, staff, clients, and fellow students.
Accountability to growth
This apprenticeship is not about already knowing—it is about being willing to grow. Students are expected to receive feedback, reflect honestly, and take responsibility for their learning process over time.
Dedication to the unseen work
Midwifery is held together by countless unseen acts of care. Students are expected to value and participate in the quieter aspects of practice that sustain safety, trust, and flow behind the scenes.
Austin Rooted
Birth and Wellness
Contact Us
AustinRooted@gmail.com
Tel. 512-886-7340
Fax. 915-232-9611
711 w. 38th Street
Suite C2
Austin, Texas 78705
711 W. 38TH STREET, SUITE C2, AUSTIN TEXAS 78705
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and lots of coffee
© 2026 by Austin Rooted
