- To become certified in inpatient obstetrics nursing, individuals must pass an examination. Computer-based exams are available for nurses to take all year, while paper-and-pencil exams are offered annually. The inpatient obstetrics nursing certification is only offered to registered nurses. It is not offered to licensed practical nurses. The National Certification Corporation only offers inpatient obstetrics nursing certification to nurses who reside in the United States and Canada.
- Individuals who are interested in this certification must be currently licensed as a registered nurse. If the RN license has expired, the nurse must renew it prior to becoming certified. Candidates must also have worked at least 24 months, which is the equivalent of 2,000 hours, in this nursing specialty. Additionally, the nurse must have been employed in a job position in this nursing specialty within the past 24 months.
- Certification only lasts for two years at a time. The nurse must meet guidelines for certification maintenance, or the certification will expire. There are two ways inpatient obstetrics nurses can maintain their certification. Individuals must either complete 45 hours of continuing education in this specialty or they must retake the certification examination prior to their certification expiration date. Nurses must also fill out an application for maintaining their certification and pay a maintenance fee.
- The cost of initial inpatient nursing certification varies. Computer-based examinations cost $300 if the application is submitted online through the NCC website and $325 if the application is submitted by mail. Pencil-and-paper examinations cost $250 if the application is submitted online through the NCC website and $275 if applications are submitted by mail. (Fees are as of 2010.) Individuals who do not want their certification to expire will also need to pay maintenance fees every two years, which varies according to whether they choose to retake the certification exam or complete continuing education hours.
- The National Certification Corporation will send individuals official test results, regardless of whether they take a computer-based or pencil-and-paper exam. The questions on the examination are given a difficulty level, in which more challenging questions are worth more points. Since different tests are given, some test takers may get questions of a higher difficulty level and require fewer correct questions to pass. The NCC uses a pass or fail scoring method based on accumulated points, rather than a standard scoring system. Students who pass the exam earn their certification.
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