Doula Studies
Image
Program Overview
Train for a rewarding career as a doula and support families through some of life’s most meaningful moments. Doulas play an important role in reproductive and family care, providing emotional, physical and informational support before, during and after childbirth. Fanshawe’s one-year innovative Doula Studies certificate program is the the first college-level program of its kind in Ontario and combines evidence-informed learning with a Reproductive Justice framework. Through hands-on learning, community placements and entrepreneurship training, you’ll develop the skills and confidence to support families throughout their reproductive journey while building a career with purpose.
Program Details
Program Code
DLA1
Credential:
Ontario College Certificate
Duration
30 weeks
Start Dates
Locations
Availability
Full Time Offerings
2026 September
London
Open
2025 September
London
Closed
Start Dates
Locations
Availability
Full Time Offerings
2026 September
London
Open
2025 September
London
Closed
Your Learning Experience
Develop the specialized knowledge, skills and experience to grow your ethical, culturally safe, and client-centred doula practice.
Gain the skills to become a successful doula
Because doulas are unregulated health-care professionals, they require a dynamic set of skills. Our doula certificate program prepares you to educate, counsel, collaborate, negotiate, advocate and more. You’ll begin by studying anatomy and physiology, as well as the emotional, physical, and cultural aspects of pregnancy and birth. Learn how to support families during pregnancy, childbirth, newborn care, and loss.
Our program is guided by the Reproductive Justice framework, preparing you to understand systemic barriers to equitable care, advocate for diverse client needs and more. Additionally, you’ll learn to provide physical, emotional and informational support to individuals and families across the full spectrum of their reproductive choices.
The program will also introduce you to business management/entrepreneurship concepts and strategies, including business ethics, contracts, marketing and sales techniques and personal financial management.
Get hands-on experience working with expectant parents
You’ll receive practical doula training in the classroom as well as in valuable labs and field placements. The Doula Studies program also hosts a series of free, weekly community drop-in sessions for new and expectant parents. Guided by our expert faculty, the sessions are a great learning experience. You will have the opportunity to provide childbirth education, feeding support, infant care guidance and more in a real-world setting.
Prepare for a career as a doula
Delivered over two 15-week terms, the Doula Studies program provides hands-on experience in both the classroom and during placements. Our curriculum emphasizes the dynamic role of the doula, supporting individuals within a complex and multidimensional health-care system. Graduate prepared for a rewarding career helping families and collaborating with health-care teams.
For graduates interested in continuing their education in health care, Fanshawe's doula training provides students with the recommended year of post-secondary studies.
Placements
The Doula Studies program provides placements for the students enrolled in the program in both Fall and Winter terms. If you are an agency interested in doula student placements or, if you are an individual interested in working with a doula student, please click on the link below and complete the form.
Career Information
Most doulas are self-employed, so our program prepares you to develop and manage your own business. Given the comprehensive nature of the program, graduates will be able to work as a full-spectrum doula, birth doula and a postpartum doula. Graduate prepared to work in:
- clinics
- health units
- infant feeding clinics
- social service and community centres providing childbirth education workshops, postnatal care workshops, and loss support groups
Did you know Fanshawe consistently ranks high in graduation employment rates among large colleges in Ontario?
Here are some examples of career opportunities for graduates of Fanshawe’s Doula Studies program:
Self-Employment
Be your own boss by growing your own successful doula business.
Birth and Postpartum Doula
Provide support to families prenatally, during birth and the postpartum period.
End of Life Doula
Help a person navigate through the unfamiliar territory at the end of their life while helping family members and friends to care for their loved one.
Learning Outcomes
- Assist with the delivery of family-centred maternity care in collaboration with members of the health care team.
- Examine the historical, political, and cultural aspects of the provision of maternity care both locally and globally and identify how they shape the experiences of contemporary mothering to meet the needs of clients.
- Apply knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of a woman during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum to address the concerns and needs of clients.
- Provide evidence-informed physical, emotional, physiological, and psychosexual support to enhance the comfort, health, and well-being of individuals and families as they negotiate the various transitions associated with pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.
- Provide families with community and online resources related to the childbearing years to empower clients to make evidence-informed choices regarding pregnancy and birth options and newborn care, including infant and newborn nutrition.
- Describe diagnostic testing procedures and medical interventions routinely used during pregnancy, labour, birth, and the postpartum period, and recognize the normal ranges and parameters for those test results.
- Identify early signs of maternal physical and mental health concerns, and refer clients to appropriate community resources in a timely manner.
- Foster professional relationships with clients, family members, caregivers, and other doulas.
- Establish and maintain a professional doula business in accordance with professional, legal, and ethical guidelines.
- Identify and support clients’ needs based on the theories of diverse social determinants of health, cultural humility, and intersectionality and the principle of harm reduction.
Related Programs
Academic School
Quality Assurance and Doula Studies Coordinator:
Karen Jenkins
Pathways
Admission Requirements
OSSD (with courses from the College (C), University (U), University/College (M), or Open (O) stream), or equivalent, or mature applicant.
Students who do not have a high school diploma may wish to consider taking the Academic and Career Entrance (ACE) grade 12 Equivalency Certificate.
International Admission Equivalencies
Admission equivalencies for Fanshawe depends on your country of study. Please enter your location to see the requirements for your country below.
English Language Requirements
English Language Requirements
| Test | Score |
|---|---|
| TOEFL iBT | Overall score of 4.5 with no score less than 4 in any band |
| IELTS Academic | Overall score of 6.0 with no score less than 5.5 in any of the four bands |
| CAEL | Overall score of 60 with no score less than 50 in any of the four bands. score of 80 in listening |
| PTE Academic | Minimum score of 53 with no score less than 45 in any of the four bands |
| Cambridge English | Overall score of 169 with no language skill less than 162 |
| ESL4/GAP5 | Minimum grade of 80% in Level 8, 75% in Level 9, or 70% in Level 10 |
| Duolingo | Overall score of 105, with no score lower than 95 |
| LanguageCert Academic | Overall score of 65 with no score less than 60 in any of the four skills |
Recommended Academic Preparation
Recommended Academic Preparation
- Any Grade 12 English (C), (U), or (O)
- Grade 11 or Grade 12 Biology (C) or (U)
- Grade 11 Health Care (C) OR Grade 12 Human Development
Throughout the Lifespan (M)
Recommended Personal Preparation
Recommended Personal Preparation
- Knowledge of and interest in working with pregnant people, women, children and families across the full spectrum of reproductive options.
- Development of personal responsibility and emotional maturity by participating in social organizations interested in helping people using the principles of social justice and trauma informed care.
- Willingness to collaborate with others in the delivery of family-centred maternity care in collaboration with members of the health care team
- Show respect for the diverse opinions, values, belief systems, and contribution of others
- Ability to effectively communicate in conversational English
- Up to date immunizations and TB testing
Applicant Selection Criteria
Applicant Selection Criteria
Where the number of eligible applicants exceeds the available spaces in the program, the Applicant Selection Criteria will be:- Preference for Permanent Residents of Ontario
- Receipt of Application by February 1st (After this date, Fanshawe College will consider applicants on a first-come, first-served basis until the program is full)
- Achievement in the Admission Requirements
Post-Admission Requirements
Post-Admission Requirements
The following items are applicable to the program and are time
sensitive. Please refer to www.fanshawec.ca/preplacement for
important information about preparing for placement by the due
date.
- Possession of a Standard First Aid course certificate (either St. John Ambulance or Canadian Red Cross or equivalent)
- Basic Rescuer course certificate - Basic Life Support (BLS) for Health Care Providers (HCP) in accordance with the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada Canadian Guidelines for CPR
- Evidence of Good Health
- Up to date immunizations are required
- Police Record Check and Vulnerable Sector Screening, including a check of the Pardoned Sexual Offenders Database
- Privacy and Confidentiality Agreement
- Travel to practicum placements and site visits at the student's own expense will be required
- Guide to Completing your Professional Practice Requirements
- Pre-Placement Process
- Professional Practice Health Form
- Placement Agreement
Courses
| Level 1 | ||||
| Take all of the following Mandatory Courses: | ||||
| HLTH-1230 | Historical Context-Reproductive Culture | 3 | ||
| This course introduces students to the historical, cultural and situational factors influencing reproduction locally and around the world. Students will examine from multiple perspectives the influences and consequences of the medicalization of birth on maternal and newborn outcomes. Course content will also critically reflect on the emergence of the professional doula and the regulation of midwifery care within North America. | ||||
| HLTH-1231 | Anatomy & Physiology of Reproduction | 3 | ||
| This course introduces basic anatomical and physiological concepts related to reproduction. Topics will include embryology, anatomy, physiology, endocrinology, immunology and basic medical terminology. | ||||
| HLTH-1232 | Preparing for Birth 1 | 3 | ||
| This course examines pregnancy and the process of labour and birth for the labouring person, partner and doula. Students begin to learn how to accompany families throughout pregnancy, labour and birth. | ||||
| HLTH-1233 | Postpartum 1 | 3 | ||
| This course focuses on identifying the needs of new families as they transition into the postpartum period. Cultural context of newborn care and socio environmental space of the family are examined. Skills, strategies and resources to become responsive to the emerging needs of families in transition are developed. | ||||
| HLTH-1234 | Self & Others | 3 | ||
| This course focuses on understanding interpersonal relationships in order to effectively navigate the complex and multidimensional world of the health care system. Students critically explore their personal beliefs, values and assumptions, about themselves as part of a family, culture and different communities. This course enhances interpersonal communication as the learner becomes more self-reflective, learning to nurture supportive relationships while setting professional boundaries. | ||||
| WRIT-1048 | Reason & Writing 1 for Health Sciences | 3 | ||
| This course will introduce health sciences students to essential principles of reading, writing, and reasoning at the postsecondary level. Students will identify, summarize, analyze, and evaluate multiple short readings and write persuasive response essays to develop their vocabulary, comprehension, grammar, and critical thinking. | ||||
| HLTH-1236 | Practicum 1 | 3 | ||
| First term practicum enables students to develop an understanding of breadth and depth of the role of the doula. Throughout the course, students are assigned different observational and practical experiences. They have opportunities to attend community placements with a variety of practitioners who engage with families during the perinatal period. They begin to apply the concepts learned in the classroom to the practical environment. Placements are comprised of a combination of in home, institution, community, classroom and lab based experiences. | ||||
Tuition Summary
London
[1] Total program costs are approximate and subject to change. They do not include additional fees such as the health and dental plan, bus pass, or general expenses. Learn more about ancillary and additional fees.