Program Overview

This certificate is designed for RPNs employed in and/or seeking to advance their practice in obstetric nursing following a holistic, comprehensive model of care. Content spans pregnancy through postpartum and newborn with a focus on low risk situations and settings. It includes understanding historical perspectives and current themes, relevant assessments, evidence-informed nursing interventions, and development of collaborative partnerships with obstetrical clients, families, support persons, and other inter-professional team members.

There are opportunities for developing high level critical thinking, care planning, leadership and professional practice skills while exploring personal reflection and ethics. Special attention is paid to current trends in maternity care in hospital and community settings in Canada. This certificate is based on the Canadian Association of Perinatal and Women’s Health Nurses (CAPWHN) Perinatal nursing standards in Canada and the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) competencies for perinatal nurses.

Please note that the courses in this certificate need to be taken in a specific order.  Check that you have obtained the necessary pre-requisite prior to registering for a course.  Learners without the necessary pre-requisites will be removed from courses and charged the administrative fee. 

For nurses enrolled in legacy or previous versions of the certificate/theory courses, after March 2022, certificates for legacy programs will no longer be granted. The program advisor can provide information on how to upgrade your certificate to the latest curriculum.

Admission Requirements

• Registered Practical Nurse (RPN) 

Academic Partnership with Canadian Nurses Association

Additional Information 

New! Please be advised that this Obstetric Nursing Certificate will be phased out. The current certificate will not be offered after Winter 2026. 

We will be phasing out the current courses as follows:

Please note, OBST 608 will remain unchanged and will continue to be offered because it is also a course within the Lactation Support Certificate. 

To complete the current certificate, students are encouraged to undertake courses within the timelines above. Students who do not complete the courses within the above timelines will be unable to finish their current Obstetric Nursing certificate.

To ensure a smooth transition from coursework to practical application, all learners are required to complete their placement within one year of finishing the required courses. This timeline is essential for maintaining the integrity and relevance of the skills acquired during your studies. We encourage learners to initiate their placement as soon as possible to fully benefit from the hands-on experience.

If you wish to be enrolled in the Obstetric Nursing - RPN certificate program please select “Next Steps” below. 

Courses

Compulsory

• OBST 608: Human Milk Feeding Basics
• OBST 521: Understanding Labour, Birth and Women and Newborns at Low Risk
• OBST 524: Postpartum and Newborn: Assessment and Initial Management
• OBST 529: Obstetric Nursing - Clinical Practicum for the RPN

How to Register

You are required to register for each individual course included in a CE program. You can register for a course by selecting it and following the instructions in the “How to Register” box.

Fees

Each CE program is comprised of a series of courses which may all have different fees. You are required to register for each course individually and pay the associated fees. Once you select the course, the fee is displayed in the “How to Register” box.

Contact Information

Humber Continuous Professional Learning Health Sciences & Wellness
cplhealthsciences@humber.ca
647-577-5334

Every attempt is made to ensure that information contained on this website is current and accurate. Humber reserves the right to correct any error or omission, modify or cancel any course, program, fee, timetable or campus location at any time without prior notice or liability to users or any other Person. On October 21, 2019, the Provincial Government of Ontario announced the renaming of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) to the Ministry of Colleges and Universities (MCU). Both names may appear on this website.

Select information only is included in this printable PDF. For complete program details, refer to humber.ca/programs.