Labor and Delivery Nurse: What is the cost of hiring?

What is a labor and delivery nurse?

A labor and delivery nurse cares for expectant parents and their babies before, during and after labor. They may administer medication under the supervision of a physician, provide emotional support for families and monitor the overall health of the birthing parents and baby. labor and delivery nurses often work in hospital labor and delivery (L&D) units, birthing centers or obstetrics clinics. 

Why hire a labor and delivery nurse?

A labor and delivery nurse provides care to improve outcomes during childbirth. For example, they might offer tips on breathing techniques or help birthing parents feed their babies after delivery. These nurse specialists can help manage complex cases involving interventions, such as inductions or cesarean delivery (C-section), and coordinate with other clinicians while supporting patients’ emotional and physical needs. 

You might benefit from hiring a labor and delivery nurse if you’ve identified registered nurse (RN) staffing gaps or have increasing birth volumes in your facility.

Key contributions of a great labor and delivery nurse:

• Provide excellent clinical care to support safe deliveries
• Offer emotional support to improve patient experiences
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to streamline labor and delivery care

Defining your hiring needs for labor and delivery nurses

Hospitals with maternity wards typically need full-time labor and delivery nurses to ensure appropriate coverage. However, consider your organization’s needs when adding to your staff, as part-time RNs can also help fill scheduling gaps and reduce overtime needs. You might hire per-diem labor and delivery nurses to cover shifts during peak vacation seasons.

Other roles you might want to consider include neonatal nurse, pediatric nurse and lactation consultant. 

Types of labor and delivery nurses

While labor and delivery nurses have specialized expertise, clinical professionals in these roles may prioritize certain types of care or work schedules. Types of labor and delivery nurses include:

• Staff labor and delivery nurse: Provide direct patient care during labor and postpartum recovery, typically in hospital or birthing center settings.
• High-risk labor and delivery nurse: Focus on complicated or high-risk pregnancies, often collaborating with specialists like perinatologists. 
• Charge nurse: Work in labor and delivery environments, overseeing nursing assignments, or designated selections of patients for each Nurse, and ensuring quality care. 
• Float pool labor nurse: Support staffing shortages and may specialize in labor and delivery care.
• Per-diem or travel labor and delivery nurse: Accept temporary shifts or contracts, often filling gaps in coverage during peak times or when other labor and delivery nurses take vacations or leave.
• Nurse educator: Specialize in labor and delivery, providing training and mentorship for Nurses new to obstetric units.

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Where to find labor and delivery nurses

You might recruit labor and delivery nurses via healthcare career sites, nursing job boards and local nursing schools. 

To find the right labor and delivery nurses for your team, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

• Transferring internal RNs: Consider RNs who provide personalized, excellent care in other departments, since nurses working in maternal care or other units may be interested in your open position.
• Working with travel nurse agencies: Fill short-term or hard-to-fill labor and delivery roles with experienced professionals.
• Connecting with professional nursing associations: Attend conferences and workshops hosted by groups like the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN).
• Talking to local midwife or doula groups: Ask whether professionals in these communities know any nurses interested in working more closely with laboring parents. 
• Posting your job online: Try posting your labor and delivery nurses job on Indeed to find and attract candidates.

Skills to look for in a labor and delivery nurse

A great labor and delivery nurse will have many of the following skills, developed through a mix of professional experience, training or education:

• Proficiency in monitoring fetal heart tones and vital signs in pregnancy, such as oxygen saturation or blood pressure
• Expertise in administering medications under a physician’s guidance
• Ability to provide patient education, including explaining procedures and postpartum care to families
• Knowledge of neonatal resuscitation protocols (NRP) and obstetric emergency procedures, such as postpartum hemorrhage
• Experience with electronic medical record (EMR) systems like Epic or Oracle Health for documenting patient care

Writing a labor and delivery nurse job description

A well-crafted job description is where all these elements—skills, salary data and candidate search behavior—come together.

A strong labor and delivery nurse job description typically includes a compelling summary of the role, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities and the required and preferred skills for the position. You may also want to include information about your company culture, benefits and perks to attract top candidates.

Ready to get started? Check out our full guide for writing labor and delivery nurse job descriptions.

Interviewing labor and delivery nurse candidates

Strong candidates for the position will be confident answering questions about:

• Monitoring and assessing the health of pregnant individuals and unborn children during labor
• Supporting doctors and midwives during deliveries and emergency procedures
• Administering medications and explaining treatment plans to patients and families
• Documenting patient care in electronic health record (EHR) systems
• Providing education on postpartum recovery and newborn care