How To Become An Obstetrical Nurse: What It Is and Career Path

What is an obstetrical nurse and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted Expert

Lisa Rebeschi Ph.D.

The average obstetrical nurse salary is $88,059. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an nursing major. It usually takes 1-2 years of experience to become an obstetrical nurse. Obstetrical nurses with a Inpatient Obstetric Nursing (RNC-OB) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 6% and produce 195,400 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to an Obstetrical Nurse?

Lisa Rebeschi Ph.D.

Associate Dean of the School of Nursing Professor of Nursing, Quinnipiac University

One of the suggestions for new graduates is the importance of self-care. We have long known of the demanding nature of the nursing practice. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has magnified the nursing role's critical importance and the unique contributions made by nursing professionals. As the healthcare environment is extremely complex and challenging, nurses must remember to advocate for themselves and prioritize self-care.

ScoreObstetrical NurseUS Average

Salary

6.9

Avg. Salary $88,059

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

10.0

Growth Rate 6%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.44%

Asian 8.98%

Black or African American 10.52%

Hispanic or Latino 9.51%

Unknown 4.30%

White 66.25%

Gender

female 96.60%

male 3.40%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress Level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

9.1

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

7.8

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an obstetrical nurse

Explore obstetrical nurse education requirements

Most common obstetrical nurse degrees

Bachelor's

50.0 %

Associate

30.8 %

Diploma

8.7 %

Start to develop specific obstetrical nurse skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	29.82%
BLS	9.92%
OB	7.48%
Acls	5.76%
Acute Care	5.20%

Complete relevant obstetrical nurse training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New obstetrical nurses learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an obstetrical nurse based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real obstetrical nurse resumes.

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming an licensed obstetrical nurse usually require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed obstetrical nurse in most of states. 43 states require obstetrical nurses to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

State	Education	Exam	License Url
Alabama	Degree required	State exam required	Registered Nurse (RN)
Alaska	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Nurse, Registered
Arkansas	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Registered Nurse (RN)
California	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Nurse, Registered
Colorado	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Registered Nurse

Research obstetrical nurse duties and responsibilities

Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
Monitor patients' throughout epidural anesthesia and treat inadequate analgesia.
Monitor mother and baby during labor by performing appropriate maternal and fetal monitoring according to protocol and assist physicians during childbirth.
Serve as a staff nurse on the medical surgical floor as well as the ICU.

Prepare your obstetrical nurse resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your obstetrical nurse resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an obstetrical nurse resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Obstetrical Nurse Resume templates

Build a professional Obstetrical Nurse resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Obstetrical Nurse resume.

Apply for obstetrical nurse jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an obstetrical nurse job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do obstetrical nurses rate their job?

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Obstetrical Nurse reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020

Pros

helping people and saving lives

A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2019