Desiree Collins
Francis Marion University
Obstetrics nursing is healthcare profession that focuses on the care of pregnant women and the babies they give birth to. Obstetrics nurse deals with the care of women during pregnancy, childbirth and the time after the women’s pregnancy, as well as offer nursing care for women with health problems of or related to their reproductive system. Some obstetrics nurses may specialize in labor and delivery nurses.
Obstetrics nurses may work in public health and preventive medicine administration. They can have private practices, work in hospitals or clinic setting, or have teaching position at university hospitals. Most obstetrics nurses develop different practices, having high-quality health care for women. Obstetric nurses can choose to specialize in chronic medical conditions, adolescent, gynecology, behavioral problems, cancer, endocrinology, health maintenance during pregnancy, infertility, pregnancy and delivery, prevention health, and urinary tract disorders. The education and training requirements to be an obstetric nurse are a bachelor’s degree in the field of pre-medicine, graduation from an approved medical school, completion of an OB residency program (minimum of four years in length) that is accredited. Some students will become licensed practical nurses (LPN) and get some entry-level nursing experience before continuing their education. Other will skip this step and go to an accredited college with a Bachelor of Nursing program.
The median salary of a nurse who studies in obstetrics is $60,966, according to November 2009 information by Salary.com. There are a lot of factors that can affect the salary of an OB nurse, such as your level of experience, and/or what region of the country you work in. Your level of education also makes a difference. Advanced practice nurses, mostly nurse practitioners who specialize in women's health, may start out earning between $60,000 and