What's the difference between an OB/GYN nurse and a CNM/what's it like?

RN403, BSN, RN · Aug 30, 2014

You can find some great information on nurse midwives here:

Here is another link:

Duties of an OB-GYN Nurse | Everyday Life - Global Post

you can compare the two and come to your own conclusion on which would be the better fit for you. CNMs do act more independently and have a different scope of practice than an RN.

As far as being an OB/GYN nurse...your duties will differ depending on where you work. Your role in a clinic, the hospital, or even as a visiting nurse would all differ.

Please know that not all new graduate nurses end up in their desired specialty right away, you might have to put time in on a general medical floor first, and please look into the hospitals nearest you so that you can pick a program that will make you attractive upon gradation (ADN, BSN). You might just go for the BSN if you are hoping to eventually be a CNM.

I also suggest that you shadow a nurse if possible...this will help you guide your decision and ensure that nursing is what you want to do.

duskyjewel · Aug 30, 2014

If you want banker's hours, please steer clear of pregnant women. Babies aren't born on a schedule, and women and babies are suffering in this country thanks to efforts to force babies to be born during convenient hours.

RunBabyRN · Sep 1, 2014

I'm a sophomore in high school and I know I want to go into the health care field. Pregnant people just make me so happy that I feel like I'm going to go on to being a CNM or an OB/GYN nurse, but what's the difference? A CNM has a master's degree, and can perform comprehensive women's healthcare. A nurse is not an independent healthcare provider. Think of a CNM more like a nurse practitioner or physician assistant. They're not a MD, and they need to work with one, but they provide care very independently. An OB nurse needs to work more directly under one of these.

I'm not really interested in the GYN part when it isn't dealing with pregnancy though. And what's it like?s It depends on the environment in which you work. It sounds like you're thinking labor and delivery, which is generally either very busy or very not, depending on the day. You need to be able to think quick on your feet, be firm when you need to be, be soft when you need to be, and advocate for your patients.

Are there reasonable hours? In a word, no. Once you earn more seniority, you may be able to get day shift as a floor nurse, but if you are looking at CNM, you work when Baby decides it's time, in addition to clinic hours. When you graduate from nursing school, you take what you can get. The job market is rough right now (may improve by the time you graduate), and people are struggling to find work. Few are able to get into their desired specialty, especially one as popular as L&D.

which field is more independent, like doctors kind of let you do your own thing, because I don't really like being bossed around as much. You will want to steer clear of healthcare. Regardless of which direction you take, you WILL get bossed around. This is part of pretty much ANY job, and you have to learn how to handle it, point blank. This is why it's important to start working before you start nursing school. Knowing how to take direction is important, especially when a patient is not doing well and you need to take verbal orders NOW. You'll also be facing families with emotions running high, and you will have them bossing you around and telling you different things, and you have to be able to pick and choose what you listen to.

And I'm really dying to know, do nurses get to put on the gel for the ultrasound? Thank you! Nurses are rarely there for ultrasounds, except maybe the very first one to confirm dates. In this case, yes, the RN will put on the gel. More often, we put on the same gel for fetal monitoring.

Grier · Sep 1, 2014

I know nurses get bossed around a lot and everything, I tried to make it sound like I knew that by saying "as much" but yeah. My aunt is a neonatal nurse and she says its an area where the doctors trust your judgment and you get more independence, so that's why I was asking.

RunBabyRN · Sep 1, 2014

I know nurses get bossed around a lot and everything, I tried to make it sound like I knew that by saying "as much" but yeah. My aunt is a neonatal nurse and she says its an area where the doctors trust your judgment and you get more independence, so that's why I was asking.

The reality is that nurses work pretty independently in general. We're the ones who call the doctors and basically tell THEM what's going on and what they need to order. We're the ones with our patients all day, whereas the doctor may just come in for the "glory moment".

klone, MSN, RN · Sep 1, 2014

Why is applying the ultrasound gel so important to you? When discussing pros and cons of a career, that seems like an odd thing to fixate on.

Most CNMs will also have gyn patients when they are in clinic. As an RN, unless you work at a facility where the nurses do JUST labor and delivery, then it's quite possible that you may have to take care of gyn patients on the floor as well.

In most states CNMs have quite a bit of autonomy. They have their own prescriptive authority, so can write prescriptions and treat most women's care issues on their own. However, their scope in pregnancy is generally limited to low-risk patients, and they will transfer care of high risk women to an obstetrical practice.

duskyjewel · Sep 1, 2014

I was wondering about the gel too.....

queenanneslace, ADN, MSN, APRN, CNM · Sep 1, 2014

When I try to remember what was important to me as a 15-year-old sophomore in High School the gel on the ultrasound question doesn't seem so far out there.

In fact, her question is making me miss my 15-year-old self who experienced joy and wonder at things that the adults around me didn't. :)

Grier · Sep 3, 2014

I don't know why you're all so focused on the fact that I asked an additional question about the gel... it's not like I'm so fixated on it that I'm picking a career based on that one thing... I just think it seems fun to do.

klone, MSN, RN · Sep 3, 2014

We're not all so fixated on it. I simply asked a question. When you work in L&D, you apply the gel to the little device every time you put the woman on the monitor. You will have plenty of opportunities to squirt the gel. It's not unlike squirting ketchup, if you feel the desire.

BSNbeauty, BSN, RN · Sep 3, 2014

We have to also remember that the OP is a teenager, who clearly has alot of growing up to do. Be easy on the OP.