Your compassionate spirit draws you to nursing, fulfilling your desire to care for others. But another inner voice calls you to explore new places. The good news is, you can combine your nursing skills with wanderlust as a travel nurse! Travel nursing lets you help people in need wherever your heart leads, plus you can discover rewarding opportunities, lasting friendships, and beautiful scenery as you follow your passion.
Live and work in the location of your dreams and get paid to do it. As a travel labor and delivery nurse, you choose your specialty and your next adventure.
Interested in traveling as a labor and delivery nurse? Browse travel labor and delivery nurse jobs at outstanding facilities across the country and find your fit.
A traveling labor and delivery (L&D) nurse is a registered nurse who specializes in providing care to mothers during labor, delivery, and postpartum. While on travel nursing jobs, labor and delivery RNs typically move from hospital to hospital, providing care to mothers during the childbirth process and immediately following delivery. They provide care to patients during the labor and delivery process, assist with postpartum recovery, provide education and support to families, and may even help with newborn care.
These specialized nurses require unique skills as labor and delivery nursing requires knowledge and experience in areas like electronic fetal monitoring and active labor care. This knowledge allows them to provide the best care to mothers during this special and momentous occasion.
Provide comprehensive, patient-centered care to women experiencing labor and delivery
Observe the progress of labor and identify changes in the mother's condition or fetal behavior
Administer medications and fluids as required and according to medical orders
Assist with the delivery of the baby, including suctioning and clamping
Monitor the newborn infant’s vital signs, like heart rate and blood pressure, and perform initial assessments
Offer emotional support and encouragement to the mother and her family
Ensure that the mother and baby receive proper post-delivery care
Educate the mother and her family regarding post-delivery care
Work closely with the multi-disciplinary team to ensure proper care for the mother and baby
With opportunities for travelers all over the country, we’ve selected areas with the most popular medical traveling jobs to help you find your best fit.
Travel nurses are the backbone of medical traveling. Pay transparency means you can see your potential weekly payments before you even apply for RN jobs.
Level-up, nurse. Get your state licenses and travel nurse requirements reimbursed.
Travel nurses qualify for a weekly, tax-free per diem that can help you cover the cost of moving, like your transportation, meals, and other expenses.
See new spaces. See new faces. Grow and learn in your nursing career as you grow and learn in various cities all over the country.
Being a travel nurse is a great way to grow your experience and learn on the job. What if your dream travel assignment is asking for certifications you don’t have? Don’t sweat. You’ll get training in nursing and financial assistance for the cost of licensing and certifications!
Keeping up with the world of RN license and certification can be intimidating. Degrees and certifications depend on your modality and specialty but getting compliant for your home state and others you want to travel to are easier as a medical professional. Compliance experts work with your recruiter and the facility to ensure that you have all the relevant credentials required for your next job.
Some of your compliance requirements are the same across the board, but there are others that will depend on your specialty in nursing.
The three parts of compliance
Occupational health records: Required immunizations and health examinations
Documentation: Tax forms, insurance paperwork, and licenses
Testing: Certifications, online training, and workplace safety exams
You'll need to first earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). Once you have your BSN, pass the National Council Licensure examination (NCLEX), and apply for licensure as a registered nurse through the nursing board in your state. After that, you'll need additional experience in labor and delivery nursing positions, which can be done through specialized courses and training. You can then work in healthcare settings such as a hospital or pediatric clinic.
It is recommended that travel nurses have two years of hospital-based RN experience in their field. Depending on the specialty or the specific requirements of the facility, the required job experience could be longer.
Traveling RNs can find delivery travel nurse jobs in a variety of healthcare facilities, including hospitals, clinics, birthing centers, and clients' homes. However, these RNs most commonly work with expectant mothers in labor and delivery units within hospital systems. In the unit, they are responsible for monitoring the mother and baby during childbirth, assessing their conditions, administering medication, and providing education and emotional support. Their efforts are critical in ensuring safe and successful labor and delivery for both mother and baby.
According to information from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, RNs make an average salary of $77,600 a year. A labor and delivery travel nurse salary is potentially higher because of the advanced training required for the position. Moreover, you have the advantage of choosing your travel nurse job location from various leading hospitals across the country. When you're on this career path, you can make a good living and earn a high average salary while making a positive difference.
Yes! Along with certifications like Basic Life Support (BLS), L&D nurses can earn certifications such as the Inpatient Obstetric Nursing Certification (RNC-OB), offered by the National Certification Corporation (NCC). This certification validates the nurse's expertise in providing care for women during the antepartum, intrapartum, postpartum, and neonatal stages. Another one is the Electronic Fetal Monitoring Certification (C-EFM), also offered by the NCC. This credential focuses on electronic fetal heart rate monitoring, a skill vital to labor and delivery nurses.
Lastly, the Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) from the American Heart Association and Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) certifications are important as they equip a labor and delivery nurse with the skills to handle emergency situations in the labor and delivery setting.
There are many benefits to working travel jobs in the labor and delivery unit! Not only do labor and delivery nurses get to witness the miracle of birth, but you are also helping new mothers and their babies through the most important moment of their lives. Plus, as a labor delivery registered nurse, you're providing much-needed support and guidance to those in need, which is an immense reward in itself.
When you take travel nurse jobs, you get the chance to work with teams of healthcare professionals across the country, treat a variety of patient populations, and explore new career opportunities.
