Without further ado let’s get right into the answer.
The short answer to the question “Can nurse practitioners deliver babies?” is “Yes, nurse practitioners can deliver babies”.
Even though the only specifically trained nurses and legally allowed to deliver babies are Certified Nurse-Midwives. Did you know that according to the American College of Nurse-Midwives CNMs deliver about 8 percent of all deliveries in the United States?
However, most deliveries are, of course, made by doctors.
But can nurse practitioners deliver babies on a daily basis?
Nurse practitioners can treat patients without the supervision of the doctor. We are still governed by the instructions on what we can and cannot do.
See also: OB Nurse Interview Questions
Registered nurses who work in labor might deliver a baby only if the doctor doesn’t make it into the room fast enough. But that didn’t answer straight can nurse practitioners deliver babies or not.
Stay tuned, further information coming right after this picture.
Sorry about that picture if you are sensitive to seeing blood.
For apologies, see these the funniest male nurse memes to relax.
Without further ado, let’s dive deeper into the subject: “Can nurse practitioners deliver babies?”.
Table of Contents
Can OB GYN nurse practitioners deliver babies?
You might think that obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) nurse practitioners (NP), or OGNPs, deliver babies on a daily basis.
But is that the case? I’m going to cover this subject with you right away.
OB/GYN nurse practitioners concentrate their expertise on women’s health, especially female sexual and reproductive healthcare.
Typical tasks for an OB/GYN nurse practitioners are:
- health screenings
- treatments for sexually transmitted diseases
- fertility consultations
- prenatal care
- ultrasounds
- annual well-woman check-ups
See also: Fertility Nurse Interview Questions
But wait, where was the “baby delivery”?
If you have read every line of this article you already know that only specifically trained nurse-midwives are legally allowed to deliver babies.
See also: Can Nurses Do Ultrasounds?
However, OB/GYN nurse practitioners can complete additional training and earn a nurse-midwife certificate to be qualified to deliver babies! OB/GYN nurse practitioners will need to graduate nursing education before obtaining a nurse-midwife certification.
That being said, OB/GYN nurse practitioners can definitely deliver babies if they have completed additional training and earned a nurse-midwife certification.
In the picture above there are a couple of OB/GYN nurse practitioners having a lecture about baby delivery at Simulation Center.
You haven’t got enough answers to the question “Can nurse practitioners deliver babies”?
Okay then, in the next chapter I’m going to cover this subject around family nurses.
See also: Interview Questions for Labor and Delivery Nurse
Can family nurse practitioners deliver babies?
The Short answer to this question: Yes, family nurses can deliver babies in some circumstances.
But you will definitely want some more information about that?
Let’s start covering what family nurse practitioners, or FNPs, basic tasks include:
- conduct health exams
- provide health education
- diagnose illnesses
- prescribe medication
- and many other tasks
See also: Can a Nurse Practitioner Prescribe Medication?
You figured out that basic tasks don’t include a baby delivery.
But in what circumstances family nurse practitioners are allowed to deliver babies then?
There are post-masters programs available for family nurse practitioners to become a Certified Nurse-Midwife or CMN. After completing the nurse-midwife certification FNPs are legally allowed to deliver babies.
Of course, some FNPs have delivered babies without the certification. But that’s only when there are no CNMs or doctors available.
Either way is a family nurse practitioner delivering a baby or diagnosing illnesses, they are very important to our community.
Conclusion: Can nurse practitioners deliver babies?
Let’s wrap up the answers to this question “Can nurse practitioners deliver babies?”.
Nurse practitioners can deliver babies if they have completed the necessary nurse-midwife certification. Without that nurse practitioners can deliver babies if there are no CNMs or doctors available.
That’s all for now about baby delivery.
If you want to learn more about nursing or maybe have a little laugh, check out these articles:
- When to Give Labor and Delivery Nurse Gift?
- Do Nurses Get Drug Tested?
- Can Nurse Practitioners Intubate?
- 24 Funniest Male Nurse Memes
- Can Nurses Have Tattoos?
- Why Nurses Are Important?
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