Registered Nurses

• Some obstetric nurses are staff registered nurses who are assigned to work in the obstetric and gynecology ward at a hospital or other health care facility. Staff registered nurses who worked in obstetrics earned median annual wages of $63,300 per year as of May 2011, according to the Salary.com website. The top 10 percent of staff obstetric nurses earned $76,670 or more per year, while the bottom 10 percent earned annual wages of $52,140 or less. The middle 50 percent of staff obstetric registered nurses earned annual wages of between $57,458 and $70,298.
  
  

Certified Nurse Midwives

• Some registered nurses with advanced degrees and extensive experience may qualify as advanced-practice certified nurse midwives. These obstetric nurses are more highly compensated than staff registered nurses. Certified nurse midwives earned median annual wages of $90,904 per year as of May 2011, according to the Salary.com website. The top 10 percent of certified nurse midwives earned $106,564 or more per year, while the bottom 10 percent earned annual wages of $77,052 or less The middle 50 percent of certified nurse midwives earned annual wages of between $83,653 and $99,101.
  
  

OB/GYN Specialty Nurse Practitioner

• Some registered nurses with advanced degrees and extensive experience may qualify as advanced-practice specialty nurse practitioners with a focus on obstetrics and gynecology, or OB/GYN. These obstetric nurses are more highly compensated than staff registered nurses, and earn comparable wages to certified nurse midwives. Specialty nurse practitioners earned median annual wages of $90,075 per year as of May 2011, according to the Salary.com website. The top 10 percent of specialty nurse practitioners earned $105,962 or more per year, while the bottom 10 percent earned annual wages of $75,588 or less. The middle 50 percent of specialty nurse practitioners earned annual wages of between $82,492 and $98,391.
  
  

Considerations

• Registered nursing is the largest employment category in the health care industry, with close to 2.6 million jobs in the United States as of May 2010, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Continued demand for new registered nurses in all specialty fields of nursing, including obstetrics, should create approximately 581,500 new jobs between 2008 and 2018. Staff registered nurses who are credentialed in obstectrics or neonatal care may increase their income potential. Those who are willing to work in rural areas and inner city communities may have greater employment opportunities than those who wish to work in major metropolitan areas.