What is the CBI difference?
Wondering what the CBI difference is and why it is different from other birth and lactation professional training organizations?
A Difference in How We Deliver Training
Only seeing options for weekend workshops to complete your training? We believe there is a better way to train! All the best research tells us that real learning takes place over time, in a supportive environment, with ongoing guidance from mentors. You’ll receive course materials that look at communication, physiology, establishing and growing a business, as well as specific hands-on skills. In total, 136 contact hours just in the course manuals and activities alone for the birth doula course. Added to this will be the practical experience you’ll gain as you work through your certification requirements. Being able to complete your course online means you have no additional costs, no need to travel, no limitations on when or where you can study, no time limits, and the time to be able to really absorb what you are learning.
A Difference in Our Perspective
We are truly an international organization. Our administrative team members are in the United States, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. Our trainers live all over the world. Our students and graduates come from 138 different countries. The course materials you will study look at birth, parenting, and lactation from an international perspective. We explore culture and how it affects the way we work and the experiences of our clients. We examine disparities for marginalized groups and explore the systemic structures that allow these to happen. We share ideas in our very active social media groups that enable all students to learn about different beliefs, values, and practices. We present research that comes from a wide variety of countries to provide a broad range of perspectives.
Accreditation
Childbirth International Training is accredited with distinction as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation (ANCC). We are the only training organization globally teaching courses for birth and lactation professionals awarded this distinction! An ANCC accreditation demonstrates robust and high-quality courses. All CBI certification and professional development courses can be used as nursing credits with the American Nurses Association.
A Difference in Our Approach to Recertification
We provide training – and we’re really good at it! Similar to a college or university program, you deserve to have your hard work acknowledged for life! We’re not going to charge you every three years to prove that you still have the knowledge and skills that you built.
If you need to show recertification in order to belong to a local organization (e.g. DASC) or to work in a specific setting you can – you can complete professional development (low and no-cost options are available), submit the required documentation, we will review them and reissue your certification – showing it is a recertification. And we’ll do this for a minimum fee that just covers our costs.
Reflective Practice
At the heart of every CBI training and certification program is reflective practice. But what exactly is “reflective practice”?
At its simplest, reflective practice is looking at what you have done, or didn’t do, and reflecting on it. In relation to CBI training, though, it is so much more. Reflective practice is about examining choices and decisions, considering them from different perspectives, thinking about alternatives, learning from them, and then applying that learning to your work. It’s a part of best practice in continuing education, increases confidence and professionalism. It’s an incredibly valuable skill that you can pass on to your clients and help them to assimilate their experiences.
All CBI training programs have an ongoing reflective practice focus. In every assignment you submit, this will be evaluated by your trainer. They’ll give you feedback on this aspect and help you to see your own growth in this area. You’ll be encouraged to reflect on the language you use, your participation in discussions, and how you approach every aspect of your work.
A Difference in Support and Guidance
Although our courses are delivered through distance & online learning, our students feel more supported and connected than they do in face-to-face workshops! A big part of this is the relationship you build with your trainer. Rather than just teaching you over a couple of days, they will be the ones reviewing and assessing the work you submit – from your first assignment to your last evaluation. While we aim to have the same trainer review all your assignments, a trainer may be on leave when you submit work. To make sure you are not waiting for feedback, we will ensure another trainer will review your work within two weeks of submission. They’ll give you guidance throughout your course, no matter how long it takes. Our Facebook groups provide a bridge for you to connect and network with other birth and lactation professionals across the world. You’ll be exposed to birth and postpartum doulas, childbirth educators, and lactation counselors, providing you with peer learning opportunities that are broad and extensive. The discussions on these groups reflect the essence of who we are as an organization – they are always respectful, kind, and supportive.
We also offer mentoring packages for students who want to have regular check-ins from their trainer through a video or voice call. You can choose the hours and the focus of these sessions.
A Difference in Our Approach to Business Support
We have been focusing on business issues relevant to birth and lactation professionals since 2009 in our Business of Birth module to help students gain a solid understanding of marketing and finances. In 2016, we took Business of Birth and gave it a facelift. Providing 34 hours of business-specific topics, Business of Birth is now included in every training program. You’ll work through a simple step-by-step process to examine your own goals and objectives, develop a strong brand and a marketing approach, analyze your customers and competitors, understand the products and services you want to offer, and get on top of your finances and legal issues. Rather than being daunted by the business side of your work, Business of Birth will help you to easily produce a plan and a clear path for starting and growing your business. This is an optional module – meaning you’ll receive it but it is up to you how much you focus on it. You could just choose the topic areas you’re interested in or use it as a reference document for when business issues arise in the future. You also have the option of completing assignments and having your trainer review your business plan and website, providing suggestions on how to improve them both.
A Difference in Professional Development
Once you have finished your training, where can you go from there? We provide a range of short and certification programs for you to keep developing your knowledge skills if you would like to.
Continuing education with CBI is not required for certification. And it never will be. We are a training organization and not a regulatory body. Other professions (accountants, doctors, lawyers etc.) require continuing education as part of their membership to a regulatory body. Their original training organization doesn’t require it. If you go to University you get a degree. You don’t have to go back every three years to show you’re still learning, or pay money in order to keep your degree. You have it for life. We are the same and make no apologies for that.
Still Not Sure?
If you have more questions, or would just like to chat with a real person, give us a call or send us an email. We would love to hear from you!