Labour, delivery and perinatal nursing

Labour and Delivery Nurse Staffing Across Canada

Labour and delivery nurses, where births need them. We help perinatal RNs find contract, relief and permanent work, and help birthing units cover shifts with nurses we have verified.

Submit your profile Request L&D staff
  • Free for candidates. Always.
  • Licences verified with the regulator
  • Every province and territory except Quebec

What L&D nursing involves

L&D nurses support patients through labour, birth and the first hours after, watching both parent and baby and escalating quickly when something changes.

Fetal health surveillance

Reading fetal heart tracings, recognizing patterns and acting on them.

Birth and postpartum

Epidural support, oxytocin management, caesarean births, postpartum recovery and early newborn care.

Team

Obstetricians, family physicians, anaesthesia and neonatal teams, and midwives.

Credentials and what employers look for

Hospitals decide what they require. Here is what they commonly ask for.

Usually required

  • Active RN registration in the province of work
  • BLS (Basic Life Support)
  • NRP (Neonatal Resuscitation Program)

Often valued

  • Fetal health surveillance education
  • ALARM (Advances in Labour and Risk Management, from the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada)
  • Participation in the MOREOB program
  • ACLS
  • CNA perinatal nursing certification, PNC(C)

NRP is administered in Canada by the Canadian Paediatric Society, and provider status is valid for two years. BLS is a Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada program. MOREOB (Managing Obstetrical Risk Efficiently) was developed by the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada and is delivered by Salus Global.

Our honest note: Hospitals decide what they require. We verify registration and certifications before any submission.

Why birthing units are hard to staff

Births are unscheduled, so coverage must be there every hour.

Little room for gaps

In British Columbia, minimum ratios are set at 1:1 in active labour and 2:1 at birth.

Small units, wide scope

Small units need nurses who can cover labour, postpartum and newborn care, and a single vacancy can force diversion or closure.

Training takes time

Competent perinatal nurses take time to train, and cross-training from other units adds to orientation load.

We ask about your delivery volumes and unit model so the nurse fits your scope.

How it works

For nurses

  1. Submit your profileShare your volumes, skills and certifications.
  2. We verify and askWe verify NRP, fetal surveillance education and registration status.
  3. We share rolesRoles that fit your perinatal experience.
  4. You decideYou decide on introductions.

For facilities

  1. Share your needsYour births per year, shifts and unit model.
  2. We screenWe screen for recent birthing experience at your volume and acuity.
  3. You reviewCandidate summaries for your team.
  4. You decideYou interview and decide.

Contract, relief or permanent

Pick the arrangement that fits your life or your unit.

Contract and relief

Cover leaves, vacations and rural coverage.

Contract and relief staffing

Direct hire

Permanent labour and delivery roles.

Direct hire

Managed programs

Maternal-newborn float pools for hospitals and health authorities.

Vendor and managed programs

We place in every province and territory except Quebec. Read how we check documents on our credentialing and compliance page.

What makes our approach different

We keep this practical and we do not overpromise. Hiring decisions stay with the facility, and career decisions stay with you.

Recent birthing experience

We screen for experience at your volume and acuity.

Verified credentials

We verify NRP, fetal surveillance education and registration status.

Clear terms

Plain communication on terms and expectations.

Related pages

NICU and neonatal nurses

Care for premature and critically ill newborns.

NICU nurse jobs

Midwives

A separate regulated profession in maternal care.

Midwife jobs

Registered nurses

The parent page for RN jobs and staffing across Canada.

Registered nurse jobs in Canada

Hospitals

Staffing for acute care hospitals.

Hospital staffing

Population and specialized care

Specialized populations and settings.

Population and specialized staffing

Nurse managers

Leadership roles on the units we staff.

Nurse manager jobs

Frequently asked questions

What certifications help in L&D?

NRP, fetal health surveillance education and BLS are the usual starting points. ALARM, MOREOB participation and CNA perinatal certification, PNC(C), are also valued. Hospitals decide what they require, so tell us your history and we will say which roles fit.

Can I do L&D contracts without recent L&D experience?

Usually not. Facilities want recent experience for safety reasons, because a short-term nurse cannot be oriented for weeks. If you have moved away from birthing units, tell us your history and what you are hoping for, and we will be honest about what fits.

Do you place midwives?

Midwives are a separate regulated profession from nurses. This page covers registered nurses in labour and delivery. See our Midwives page for midwifery roles and how we work with that profession.

Will you place me at a rural birthing unit?

Possibly. Many rural sites need cover, and we confirm conditions for each assignment, including shifts and any housing or travel support, rather than assuming them. Tell us whether rural work interests you and which provinces you can work in.

Safe births need ready teams.

I am a labour and delivery nurse

Share your profile and we will be in touch. Free for candidates. Always.

Submit your profile

I need L&D coverage

Tell us your births per year, shifts and start date.

Request L&D staff