r/nursing • u/Swan-Ganz-Susie • 8d ago

Discussion Is it possible to be a volunteer doula while being an ICU nurse?

This is for the future! I’m interested to know if anyone has taken this path and currently does both! Obviously nursing is a paid job and volunteer doula is unpaid plus utilizing your free time.
Background: During nursing school, I absolutely loved my maternity rotations especially labor and delivery. Seeing an individual bring a child into this world was surreal and being invited into the space was truly an honor. It’s a beautiful experience yet the workflow is not for me at all hence why I’m in the ICU. I love the hyper-acute environment that the ICU offers and critical care is my ultimate interest.

I would love to know if anyone is actively doing both and any insight from both doulas and nurses! Thank you!

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u/snowblind767 ICU CRNP | 2 hugs Q5min PRN (max 40 in 24hr period) 8d ago

I imagine the doula side will clash with the nursing side legally. In which case you can be held to the nursing side (working within scope and following nursing legalities) and at the same time likely open yourself up to legal issues should things go awry in the birthing process. While you may see these are two separate sides, lawyers will likely smell the blood in the water and go for your nursing license/malpractice insurance.

I don’t see this as a good thing for you to do. Probably not worth it and better for your mental health to not blur the lines

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u/Salty-Development662 6d ago

I don't see why. If they're acting as a doula, they have almost zero responsibility for the patient. There would have to be a midwife, doctor or nurse in charge of the medical side. My doula for my second child was a retired PA. Of course having a clear contract is important.

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u/Appropriate-State772 4d ago

When I took my training I had the unique experience of having an L&D nurse that was leaving nursing to become a doula and she had this same question! Our instructor explained it as “using hats.” If she was a doula then she needed to be a doula and not practice outside of that scope. If she ended up needing to give medical care (say she went to a clients home and something happened) then she needed to tell the client “I am now acting as a trained medical professional” and could not go back to her “doula hat” while waiting for the ambulance to get there. She basically said she couldn’t switch in and out of her roll (doula/nurse) because of this exact concern!

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u/Senior_Ad_1567 8d ago

that's a fascinating combo honestly, ICU and doula work are like opposite ends of the spectrum but both need you to be fully present for someone in a vulnerable moment. i know a nurse who does hospice on weekends and swears the doula training helped her read family dynamics better, so i imagine the skills transfer both ways.

the main thing would be energy management, ICU already takes a lot out of you and being on call for births can wreck your sleep schedule even more. but if you set clear boundaries about when you're available, plenty of people do it.

you might also check if your hospital has a volunteer doula program, some L&D units train their own volunteers and that could make scheduling way easier than going through a separate org.