How do I become an ob/gyn nurse?

Question

I'm a pre-nursing student going for my associate's degree, just wondering if I have to be an RN and then get certified in OB/GYN or is it higher degree?

Answer 1

There IS a certification for OB/GYN nursing, however you don't need the certification to work on an OB unit in a hospital.  It is just extra credentials and may help you move up into management in the field, but not a requirement to do the job of staff nurse on an OB unit.  All you need is to graduate nursing school and pass your state boards to get your RN license.  After that, you can go straight to work on an OB unit.  However, many nurse managers of OB units like for their nursing staff to have at least one year nursing experience on a general med-surg unit first.  So, you will have to talk to the unit managers or hospital nurse recruiter for requirements of specific hospitals.  Still, getting the one year of med-surg experience first will not set your goal back that much, and will really help you in the long run.  By the way, getting the certification is just a matter of taking a couple of special classes.  Getting it is not like going back to college for a couple more years or anything like that.

Answer 2

You can earn a certification later on, but it's not necessary (nor would you be eligible for certification until you have a few years of work experience in the field).

Earn your RN license, then try to get a job in OB. It's an area that many people think they want to get into and job competition is tough, and you might find potential employers telling you to go get some regular medical / surgical experience for at least a year before trying to specialize in OB. I was told the same thing, and while I didn't see the value of working in med/surg and thought I would not use as many of those skills because it was such a different kind of medicine, I was totally wrong. Getting med/surg experience applies to anywhere in nursing that you want to go, even OB.

There is no special education required to work in OB - as long as you hold your RN license they train you to whatever specialty area you end up working in, providing a lengthy training period consisting of classroom time and one-to-one preceptoring with another nurse.

Some hospitals say they prefer a BSN, but don't let that stop you from applying. Most places are so short staffed that they cannot afford to hold out for only BSN grads. But do eventually plan on completing your BSN at some point, you'll be better off for it in the long run. And as mentioned above you can take a certification exam in several areas of OB/GYN once you've worked for a couple of years. You could also go on to graduate school to become a Clinical Nurse Specialist in OB or a Nurse Practitioner in Women's Health, etc.

Good luck!