How To Become A Labor And Delivery Nurse | NurseJournal.org (2024)

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Want to become a labor and delivery nurse? Labor and delivery nurses play crucial roles in the birthing process, and they can make higher salaries than registered nurses (RNs) with an average hourly pay of $32.09 or $68,720 a year.

Labor and delivery nurses work with doctors and other nurses at hospitals and birthing centers to keep pregnant individuals and babies healthy and safe. This is all the more important now since maternal mortality rates have jumped from 17.4% to 23.8% between 2018-2020.

It takes a college degree and an RN license to become a labor and delivery nurse. Find out how to become a labor and delivery nurse, the education needed, and get answers to frequently asked questions.

Births in the United States rose by 1% from 2020-2021. Roughly 3.66 million babies were born during that time. At birthing centers and hospitals, labor and delivery nurses use their clinical training to keep pregnant persons and their newborns safe during labor, birth, and postpartum.

Because each patient’s needs differ, labor and delivery nurses work with doctors to create culturally relevant and age-specific plans of care. Labor and delivery nurses have specialized clinical duties such as monitoring fetal heart tones, identifying risks for pregnant individuals and newborns, and assessing the progress of labor.

They also might assist in the operating room during cesarean sections, administer medications, and provide emotional support.

Labor and delivery nurses may work during the day, night, or mid-day shift in maternity wards or as travel nurses. In every setting, labor and delivery nurses keep in communication with doctors and families, especially during a life-threatening emergency.

Becoming a labor and delivery nurse requires a two-year or four-year college degree. Labor and delivery nurses also need an RN license and clinical experience. Employers also may request current certification in basic life support and advanced cardiac life support, common credentials for all RNs.

Labor and delivery nurses need compassion, strong communication, and critical thinking skills. Becoming a labor and delivery nurse also requires graduating from an accredited nursing program and passing the NCLEX-RN exam.

Labor and delivery nurses need an RN license to practice. Each state has different RN requirements to maintain an RN license. Nurses need to complete about 25-30 board-approved contact hours of continuing education for nurses to renew their RN license.

Employers do not require certification, but having credentials can boost a nurse’s job prospects and salary potential.

Possible certifications for labor and delivery nurses include inpatient obstetric nursing, electronic fetal monitoring, and low-risk neonatal intensive care nursing. To be eligible for certification, nurses must have a current RN license and about two years of nursing experience, which amounts to roughly 2,000 clinical hours in the specialty area.

Colleges offer a lot of career services for nurses. During clinical rotations in nursing school, students can work in the obstetrics unit at their local hospital and meet labor and delivery unit nurse managers. Local healthcare facilities, clinics, and hospitals also offer volunteer experience for nursing students. These experiences can lead to job offers. Additionally, faculty at nursing schools can provide recommendations and job references.

Professional nursing organizations like the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses also post job listings for labor and delivery positions. Labor and delivery nurses secure careers in hospital maternity units, health clinics, or as travel nurses.

Labor and delivery nurses earn an average hourly pay of $29.76 in the first 1-4 years of their career and an average of about $39.95 per hour after 20 years or more in nursing, according to Payscale in July 2022.

Becoming a labor and delivery nurse takes about 2-4 years. The exact time line depends on the degree earned. Certification requires an additional 1-2 years of work experience.

Labor and delivery nurses need compassion, patience, and the clinical skills to care for pregnant individuals and their newborns. They also need solid critical thinking for nurses and communication skills to deliver information to physicians, patients, and family members.

No. Labor and delivery nurses do not perform cesarean sections. The attending physician performs planned and emergency C-sections, while labor and delivery nurses assist in the operating room and oversee patient recovery.

Nurse midwives work intimately with pregnant persons before childbirth to create birthing plans, often delivering babies outside of healthcare facilities. Becoming a nurse midwife requires a graduate degree and certification to work, unlike labor and delivery nurses who can work with only an ADN degree.

Page last reviewed June 28, 2022

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