OVERVIEW
What is a Labor and Delivery Nurse?
Labor and delivery nurses care for mothers during labor and childbirth and provide the infant with initial postpartum care under the supervision of a nurse-midwife or physician. L&D nurses are particularly good at communication and understanding the parent's psychological and medical needs. They also need to be empathic and able to make quick decisions. Like all nurses, L&D nurses must remain calm when patient tensions run high and discomfort grows during labor, and they often coach family members and spouses in how to bring comfort to their laboring partners.
L&D nurses are quite similar to nurse-midwives, as they are both registered nurses, but a nurse-midwife has more advanced training and certification. Nurse-midwives often also work with expectant mothers throughout pregnancy and can act as supervisors to L&D nurses.
RESPONSIBILITIES
What Does a Labor and Delivery Nurse Do?
Labor and delivery nurses work with obstetricians and gynecologists to help pregnant women deliver their babies. They’re skilled at creating comfortable, safe environments for expectant mothers throughout pregnancy and labor. L&D nurses create a close bond with their patients in order to provide them with unique, individualized support. Unlike many other types of nurses, they keep a low case load so that they can give each mother the time and dedication they need throughout their journey.
L&D nurses have many important responsibilities, including:
- Monitoring and timing contractions during labor and delivery.
- Providing mothers with information on what to expect during different stages of pregnancy.
- Administering epidurals and other medications to help mothers manage pain in labor.
- Monitoring the vital signs of the mother and the heart rate of the baby.
- Assessing potentially dangerous complications of medications commonly given during labor and delivery.
- Communicating with the doctor to provide timely and accurate information.
- Assisting the doctor in inducing labor.
- Providing support, encouragement, and comfort throughout pregnancy and labor.
- Identifying complications and notifying the doctor.
- Preparing for cesarean (c-section) delivery, including emergency c-sections.
- Coaching mothers on breastfeeding and newborn care.
L&D nurses often work as generalists. However, they can choose to specialize in less common birth circumstances to work with specific groups of expectant mothers. Some specializations include:
- High-risk pregnancies
- Advanced maternal age
- Fetal development issues
- Cesarean section (C-section) birth
- Anesthetics and pharmacology
EDUCATION & BEST DEGREES
How Do I Become a Labor and Delivery Nurse?
Labor and delivery nurses have important, unique roles in the healthcare industry. In order to practice in the field, they must be well educated and pass an exam. Keep reading to learn the necessary steps of becoming an L&D nurse.
- Earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN).
- Pass the NCLEX-RN exam to get the RN license. You can take the exam and earn your RN license before you finish your BSN program.
- Gain work experience. Once you’ve earned your degree and passed the NCLEX, you’re eligible to work as an L&D nurse and you are free to begin your career.
- Consider advancing your career with a master’s degree in nursing (MSN). While you do not need an MSN to practice as an L&D nurse, pursuing one allows you to gain a deeper expertise in your field and access higher salaries and more job opportunities.
Best Degrees for a Labor and Delivery Nurse
Health & Nursing
Nursing (Prelicensure) – B.S.
A one-of-a-kind nursing program that prepares you to be an RN and a...
A one-of-a-kind nursing program that prepares you to be an RN and a baccalaureate-prepared nurse:
- Locations: Due to in-person clinical requirements, students must be full time residents of Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, or Wisconsin to enroll in this program. The coursework in this program is offered online, but there are in-person requirements.
- Tuition: $8,755 per 6-month term for the first 4 terms of pre-nursing coursework and $8,755 per 6-month term for the remaining 4 terms of clinical nursing coursework.
- Time: This program has a set pace and an expected completion time of 4 years. Certain coursework may be accelerated to finish faster.
- WGU offers the prelicensure program in areas where we have partnerships with healthcare employers to provide practice sites and clinical coaches to help teach you and inspire you on your path to becoming a nurse.
- If you don't live in one of our prelicensure states or don't qualify to apply, consider getting our Bachelor's in Health and Human Services instead. This degree allows you to work inside the healthcare industry, while also working directly with patients who need help.
Skills for your résumé that you will learn in this program:
- Community Health
- Women's and Children's Nursing
- Pathology
- Physiology
- Research
Health & Nursing
Nursing (RN-to-BSN Online) – B.S.
An online BSN degree program for registered nurses (RNs) seeking the added...
An online BSN degree program for registered nurses (RNs) seeking the added theoretical depth, employability, and respect that a bachelor's degree brings:
- Time: The program is designed to be completed in 1 year.
- Tuition: $5,325 per 6-month term.
- Courses: 23 total courses in this program.
- Transfers: Students can transfer up to 90 credits.
Skills for your résumé that you will learn in this program:
- Healthcare Policy and Economics
- Information Technology in Nursing Practice
- Anatomy and Physiology
- Applied Healthcare Statistics
If you don't currently have an RN and don't qualify for your nursing prelicensure program, consider getting our Bachelor's in Health and Human Services instead. This degree allows you to work inside the healthcare industry in a unique way.
Health & Nursing
Nursing – Education (BSN-to-MSN) – M.S.
A master's in nursing education program for nurses with BSNs....
A master's in nursing education program for nurses with BSNs.
- Time: 62% of grads finish within 24 months.
- Tuition: $5,035 per 6-month term.
- Courses: 15 total courses in this program.
This program is ideal for RNs who already have their BSN and are ready to progress in their career.
Skills for your résumé you will learn in this program:
- Contemporary Curriculum Design and Development in Nursing Education
- Quality Outcomes in a Culture of Value-Based Nursing Care
- Advanced Pathopharmacological Foundations
- Informatics for Transforming Nursing Care
- Leadership and Management
Hospitals and other facilities need nurse educators. Earn your MSN – Education and step into a role inspiring and empowering caregivers.
How Much Does a Labor & Delivery Nurse Make?
$72,853
PayScale reports an average salary for labor and delivery nurses of about $72,853 a year. However, these nurses can earn between $54,000 and $106,000, depending on experience, geographical location, and specialization.
What Is the Projected Job Growth?
6%
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports employment of registered nurses is projected to grow by 6% from 2022 to 2032, about as fast as the average for all occupations. This projection equates to about 193,100 job openings for registered nurses per year over the decade.
SKILLS
What Skills Does a Labor and Delivery Nurse Need?
Labor and delivery nurses have the unique opportunity to help bring new life into the world. As you can imagine, this takes a specific set of skills to do properly and safely. Some of the essential skills include:
- Medical skills: It’s important that L&D nurses have extensive medical skills, as they are responsible for administering medications, checking vitals, preparing for medical emergencies and identifying complications during the birthing process.
- Empathy: Having a baby can bring moments of pure joy and excitement, but sometimes there are complications and even tragedies, so it’s important that L&D nurses are equipped to empathize with the full spectrum of patient experiences.
- Teamwork: L&D nurses work on teams with nurse-midwives and physicians, and it’s important to the health and comfort of the patients that they work effectively with others.
- Communication with patients and other caregivers: Bringing a new human into the world is an inherently overwhelming experience, and it requires parents to absorb a lot of information quickly, so it’s the responsibility of the L&D nurse to be a very clear and effective communicator. Likewise, in the delivery room, L&D nurses must communicate well with other healthcare staff to ensure the birthing process runs smoothly.
- Ability to make quick decisions: Birthing plans can change quickly if faced with complications, such as the mother experiencing excessive bleeding or the baby’s umbilical cord being in a dangerous position, so L&D nurses must be able to remain calm and collected to help the physician make quick decisions and keep the patients safe.
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