Obstetrics Nurse

OB nurses must be BCLS certified, and it is highly encouraged they become OB certified after gaining experience. 

An Inpatient Obstetrics Nurse (RNC-OB) needs to have worked for 2,000 hours in obstetrics for 24 months before taking the exam. 

You can also advance by getting an MSN or doctoral degree with a woman’s health or OB/GYN focus as a CNM. Alternatively, you can become an Obstetrics-Gynecology Nurse Practitioner (OGNP) or a Women's Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP).

OB nursing can be separated into prenatal, labor and delivery, post-delivery, and postpartum care. Each area has specific roles: 

* Prenatal: 

• Pregnancy care involves monitoring weight, collect lab work and urine for prenatal screening
• Assist the physician or NP during pelvic exams
• Provide counseling and education during pregnancy

* Labor and Delivery: 

• Monitor mother and baby during labor, prep the woman for delivery, and keep the physician or CNM abreast of her status
• Attend and assist during delivery
• Labor coaching and pain management

* Post Delivery

• Assess newborn immediately after birth
• Monitors mom and newborn vital signs or any change in status

* Postpartum: 

• Assist mother with lactation and post-delivery personal care
• Assist with bonding and newborn teaching
• Attend to incisions, provide ice or pain medications
• Provide counseling and education
  

• Women and teenagers of every socioeconomic level needing OB/GYN care
• Newborn care

1. Complete an ADN or BSN program in nursing
2. Pass the NCLEX-RN exam and apply for your RN license
3. Apply as a new grad or from another nursing discipline to an inpatient or outpatient OB setting 
4. Get certified as an Inpatient Obstetrics Nurse (RNC-OB) after meeting prerequisites

Association of Women's Health, Obstetrics and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) 

• Mission: “Our mission is to improve and promote the health of women and newborns and to strengthen the nursing profession through the delivery of superior advocacy, research, education and other professional and clinical resources to nurses and other health care professionals.”
• Cost: $96, annually.
• Perks: Access to AWHONN Journals with free CE, educational tools & resources, 30+ webinars with CE and other easily-accessible forms of clinical education on key topics, new member recruitment rewards, AWHONN Career Center, and more.

Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing (JOGNN)

• Mission: “The mission of JOGNN is to advance the health and health care of women, childbearing families, and newborns through the publication of peer-reviewed nursing and interdisciplinary scholarship.”
• Cost: $258, annually.
• Perks: Receive free shipping around the world, full online access to your subscription and archive of back issues, table of contents alerts, access to all multimedia content( e.g. podcasts, videos, slides), and fully-optimized mobile browsing experience on your smartphone or tablet.