Job Descriptions

Developing accurate and up-to-date descriptions for all roles in the practice is helpful for a few reasons. The work involved in writing a description forces the partners to look critically at the roles and responsibilities required to run a successful practice. Committing these thoughts to paper in a formal document helps highlight the skills and experiences needed. It also means having reference material that is very helpful for future considerations (such as for human resource planning, training, or feedback purposes. When creating job descriptions, be careful to also consider the unintended equity and human rights impact that some requirements may have (see the resource from the Ontario Human Rights Commission).

Practice Administrators

These are sample job descriptions for non-midwife workers. However, the nature of the practice administrator’s duties is as varied as practice groups. At some practices, the practice administrator is mostly a health-care secretary or receptionist; in others, the duties may more closely reflect those of a practice manager. Since practice administrators are neither midwives nor partners, they are not ultimately responsible for the operation of the business, professional or clinical activities. They may, however, be very active participants in the decision-making, administrative and business functions of the practice if the partners delegate those responsibilities to them. Some of these responsibilities may include:

Midwives

While descriptions are most commonly used for employees, they can also be useful to clarify expectations and needs with midwives. The AOM has sample protocols describing partner responsibilities and a sample description of expectations to attach to midwifery services contracts.