How to hire a maternity nurse

How to hire a maternity nurse, step by step

Here's a step-by-step maternity nurse hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a maternity nurse job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new maternity nurse
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a maternity nurse, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A maternity nurse's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, maternity nurses from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of maternity nurses and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Maternity Nurse	Description	Hourly rate
   Maternity Nurse	Registered nurses (RNs) provide and coordinate patient care, educate patients and the public about various health conditions, and provide advice and emotional support to patients and their family members.	$20-61
   Nurse Educator	A nurse educator is responsible for teaching aspiring professional nurses, designing courses according to the curriculum, and organizing activities to practice and enhance the students' knowledge. Nurse educators manage clinical activities and observe the students' performance in actual training... Show more	$22-46
   Nurse Extern	The job of a nurse extern is to assist the mentor nurse in their nursing duties. They help the mentor nurse in various medical procedures such as administering medications or starting intravenous therapies... Show more	$13-22

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • BLS
   • OB
   • Family Education
   • Pregnant Women
   • Direct Patient Care
   • NICU
   • NRP
   • Pediatrics
   • Emotional Support
   • Diabetes
   • Mother
   • Baby
   • Hypertension

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage the care of high risk patient with seizure disorders, gestational hypertension, gestational diabetes mellitus, bleeding issues.
   • Manage surgical recovery patients including vascular, ENT, GI urological and neurological cases, coronary bypass surgery patients.
   • Serve as acting coordinator of the ob department.
   • Assume the duties of the obstetric nurse for all ob.
   • Educate, assess, and counsele regarding post-partum care, childbirth, lactation, and treatment procedures.
   • Assist with epidural catheter placement.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your maternity nurse job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A maternity nurse can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, maternity nurses' average salary in iowa is 53% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level maternity nurses 67% less than senior-level maternity nurses.
   • Certifications. A maternity nurse with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a maternity nurse's salary.

   Average maternity nurse salary

   $73,843yearly

   $35.50 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level maternity nurse salary

   $42,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

4. Writing a maternity nurse job description

   A maternity nurse job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a maternity nurse job description:

   Maternity nurse job description example

   Riley Children's Health is Indiana’s largest and most skilled pediatric system, with over 50 locations across the state. As one of the nation’s leading healthcare networks specifically for children, our multidisciplinary team of pediatric primary care and specialists can deliver and coordinate healthcare for every child because we have expertise in all areas of pediatric health. We have the only pediatric research hospital in the state and are ranked among the top hospitals in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report. Through enduring collaborations with the Indiana University School of Medicine, Indiana University School of Nursing and Indiana University School of Health and Human Sciences, Riley Children's Health is one of the top 10 sites in the United States for pediatric health research, drawing millions of dollars in biomedical research investments each year. We also advance healthcare for children with a significant ongoing commitment to recruiting and training the next generation of pediatric physicians, scientists and healthcare providers.
   
   Join IU Health today! Riley Hospital is hiring a full-time, day shift Ambulatory Navigator for the Maternal Fetal Medicine Clinic.
   
   The Ambulatory Navigator coordinates the care needs of assigned patients and develops comprehensive plans to manage care delivery across the patient care continuum. Partners with patients and their primary physicians to develop customized care plans based on their individual needs and preferences. Collaborates with physicians, nurses, health providers, social work, and others to ensure appropriate tests and treatments are delivered in a timely fashion. Advocates for the patient. Balances care needs and financial considerations to ensure efficient and effective treatments are achieved. The patient population for this role is pregnant women with cardiac disease or receiving Medication Assistance Treatment for opioid use disorder.
   + Requires an Associates of Nursing (ASN).
   + Bachelors of Nursing (BSN) preferred.
   + Requires current state of Indiana license as Registered Nurse.
   + Requires that the RN has graduated from a nationally accredited nursing program. 3-5 years of experience preferred.
   + Requires Basic Life Support certification through the AHA.
   + Other advanced life support certifications may be required per unit/department specialty according to patient care policies.
   + Specialty certifications may be required per unit/department specialty in accordance with the department provision of care.
   + Requires knowledge of personal computers using various types of word processing and database software.
   + Requires clinical work experience, medical terminology.
   + Requires understanding of medical record requirements, regulations and policies.
   #LI-SL1
   REQNUMBER: 340759

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right maternity nurse for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your maternity nurse job on Zippia to find and attract quality maternity nurse candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit maternity nurses, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new maternity nurse

   Once you've decided on a perfect maternity nurse candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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