By Fred Decker Updated September 30, 2022
Childbearing is exciting and often frightening for expectant mothers. Even the healthiest of women need occasional visits to the doctor during a pregnancy, and obstetric nurses assist with their care. If it's a high-risk pregnancy, or if the infant is born pre-term, neonatal nurses will often have responsibility for the patient's care. There are benefits of being a neonatal nurse as well as of being an obstetrics nurse, so understanding the duties of each can help you decide if one of the paths is right for you.
Obstetric Nursing
As explained by Registered Nurse, obstetric (OB) nurses focus primarily on the health of expectant mothers and their infants, from pre-conception to immediately after the birth. They may be involved in fertility or family counseling, provide routine or emergency care during a pregnancy, and play a supporting role in the actual delivery.
OB nurses are trained to assess whether there are special risks involved in a pregnancy, and to provide fetal monitoring services as needed. They're familiar with the stages of labor, and can help physicians recognize the symptoms of delivery-related complications. They also educate new mothers on the care and feeding of their infants, and adjustments they'll need to make when they take their babies home.
Neonatal Nursing
The National Association of Neonatal Nurses provides a general job description for neonatal nurses. Although there's a degree of overlap between the duties of obstetric nurses and neonatal nurses, there is a fundamental difference between them. In obstetric nursing, most of the focus is on the mother. In neonatal nursing, the focus is on the newborn.
Low-risk neonatal nurses work with children who are either born healthy or whose health issues are minor and non-threatening. High-risk neonatal nurses work with infants who are acutely ill, have grave birth defects, or are at risk because they're born prematurely or at an unusually low birth weight. Their skills include care and nutrition of those fragile infants, and an understanding of the physical threats they face.
Nursing Certification
Certification for obstetric nurses and both types of neonatal nurse is administered by the National Certification Corporation (NCC.) Candidates must hold a current and unrestricted nursing license, with at least 2,000 hours experience in the specialty, earned over no more than 24 months. The certification exam consists of up to 175 questions, of which 150 are scored and the remainder are test questions that might be used on later versions of the exam.
Maintenance of Certification
Each of the NCC's certifications must be renewed on a three-year cycle to remain valid. There are two options for renewal. The first is to complete 45 hours of continuing-education credit, and the second is to retake the certification exam. Continuing-education credit can be earned through college-level courses, formal programs, supervising or training obstetric and neonatal nurses, or other methods.
Additional Qualifications
The NCC offers two additional credentials for obstetric or neonatal nurses who want to demonstrate advanced skills in the profession. The first is in electronic fetal monitoring, and the second is in neonatal transport. Advanced skills in electronic fetal monitoring are useful during difficult or high-risk deliveries, enabling obstetric nurses to warn physicians of dangerous symptoms. Neonatal transport nurses care for high-risk or pre-term infants who must be moved to a hospital with a neonatal intensive-care unit.
Salary Comparison
As with most jobs, earnings depend on a variety of factors, including employer, geographic location, education and experience. One of the main benefits of being a neonatal nurse is salary. The website Nurse states that, according to employment website Ziprecruiter, neonatal nurses earn an average annual salary of $100,944 (approximately $48.53 per hour.) Ziprecruiter cites a nearly identical average of $100,805 for obstetrics nurses.
FAQs
In obstetric nursing, most of the focus is on the mother. In neonatal nursing, the focus is on the newborn. Low-risk neonatal nurses work with children who are either born healthy or whose health issues are minor and non-threatening.
What is the difference between a neonatal nurse and an OB nurse? ›
These include neonatal nurses, who care for mothers immediately before, during, and after labor; and labor and delivery nurses, who focus on providing care during delivery. Unlike those specialists, an OB nurse provides care starting during the early stages of pregnancy or even when a woman is trying to conceive.
What is the difference between neonatal and ObGyn? ›
The ObGyn takes care of the mothers while the neonatologist takes care of premature babies or newborns needing medical attention.
What is the difference between a neonatal nurse and a labor and delivery nurse? ›
Neonatal nurses care for newborn babies, providing medical care and support to infants usually in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), while labor and delivery nurses monitor and assist women throughout the birthing process, providing care during labor, delivery, and the immediate postpartum period.
What is the meaning of obstetric nursing? ›
Obstetrical nursing is a specialization within the field of nursing where the nurse works with patients who are trying to become pregnant, are already pregnant or have recently delivered.
Do OB nurses deliver babies? ›
OB/GYN nurse practitioners can't deliver babies, but they can help women throughout their entire lives; their focus isn't exclusively on pregnancy.
What is the hardest part of being a neonatal nurse? ›
Neonatal nursing is emotionally taxing, as nurses form deep connections with both infants and their families. Witnessing the struggles of tiny patients and providing support to anxious parents can take a toll.
Are neonatal and NICU nurses the same? ›
The job title “neonatal nurse” describes nurses who work with critically ill infants. NICU nurses work specifically in the neonatal intensive care unit. In other words, NICU nurses are neonatal nurses, but not all neonatal nurses work in the NICU.
What is the difference between a perinatal nurse and a neonatal nurse? ›
Perinatal nurses work under physicians or nurse practitioners and may supervise nursing assistants. A perinatal nurse practitioner may be a woman's primary care provider during her pregnancy. After labor and delivery, neonatal nurses may take over caring duties for the infant.
What is the difference between a neonatologist and a neonatal nurse? ›
A neonatologist is a pediatrician who has additional special training in the care of newborns and infants with health problems or birth defects. A neonatal nurse practitioner is an advanced practice nurse.
What Is the Highest Paid Nurse? The highest-paid nursing specialty is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), averaging an annual salary of $212,650. However, travel nurses of any specialty may be able to make close or more than that, depending on the specifics of their contracts.
What are the nurses that work with babies called? ›
Neonatal nurses work with newborns during their first weeks of life.
What are nurses who deliver babies called? ›
Midwives have helped women to deliver babies for centuries and they were present at most births until the early twentieth century. Today, more than 12% of all births, both vagin*l and C-section, in the U.S. are delivered by certified nurse-midwives.
What do obstetrics nurses do? ›
An Obstetric (OB) nurse is a healthcare professional who specializes in the field of obstetrics. This field encompasses care throughout a woman's lifecycle, with a focus on pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. The primary objective of OB nurses is to ensure the overall health and wellness of women.
What is the role of nurse in obstetrical nursing? ›
The main role of obstetrical and midwifery nursing in the healthcare sector includes services to women during maternity. It includes gynaecological examinations, prescriptions, delivery and labor care, contraceptive counselling and many more.
Why is it called obstetric? ›
Indeed, the first successful caesarean section in the British Isles was performed by an Irish midwife, Mary Donally, in 1738. 1 Obstetrix was the Latin word for midwife: it is thought to derive from obstare (to “stand before”), because the attendant stood in front of the woman to receive the baby.
Is a neonatal nurse the same as a nnp? ›
What is the difference between a neonatal nurse and a neonatal nurse practitioner? Neonatal nurses are registered nurses who are skilled in caring for healthy newborns. Neonatal nurse practitioners (NNP) are advanced practice nurses who care for newborns in need of specialized attention.
What is the difference between pediatric nurse and neonatal nurse? ›
Both paediatric and neonatal nurses play vital roles in providing essential healthcare to children. As a paediatric nurse, your responsibilities will be to care for children of all ages however, as a neonatal nurse, you will be caring for infants who require a specialised type of care.
What is another name for a neonatal nurse? ›
Neonatal nurses who work as part of the NICU team are often called “NICU nurses.”
What is the difference between an OB RN and a L&D RN? ›
OB nursing is broader than labor and delivery, caring for mothers throughout pregnancy, through labor, and after delivery (antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum care). While an OB nurse can assist with labor and delivery, their skills and training encompass a broader skill set.
