No matter what stage you are in your career, AWHONN’s Obstetric Patient Safety: OB Emergencies Workshop is for you. AWHONN is the recognized leader in obstetric education. AWHONN’s convenient online and live formats are evidenced-based and provide the essential tools necessary for educating the entire team.

OB Emergencies Workshop

Self-paced prerequisite online course and one-day instructor led workshop.


This Workshop is designed to disseminate best practices for various obstetric emergencies. Through active simulation and debriefing, this Workshop helps clinicians working in any clinical setting to identify, assess, and manage the care for patients with an obstetric emergency.

Nursing contact hours/CME: 10.75 nursing contact hours (CNE available through 5/31/2028), including: ABOG MOC Part IV credit, and NCC credit for Inpatient OB, Inpatient Antepartum, Maternal Newborn Nursing, and Women’s Health

Take if: You’re a clinician who works in perinatal care (intrapartum, antepartum, and postpartum [mother/baby]), emergency, medical/surgical, intensive care, or critical access, or EMS.

Cost: $120 member/nonmember
For group purchases, contact productsales@awhonn.org.

Note: Instructor fees for teaching the courses are not included in the listed AWHONN price

OPS Instructor Levels

Instructors have the opportunity to participant in the OPS: OB Emergencies Workshop at various levels. Instructors in all levels must:

  • Maintain AWHONN Full-membership at all times (non-perinatal co-instructors must maintain full membership in their professional organization at all times).
  • Maintain required certifications as identified by the specific instructor led course (perinatal OPS instructors only).
  • Disclose any financial relationship and the nature of the relationship with named ineligible company as the relationship may influence the content of any AWHONN CNE courses.
  • Follow the ANCC Standards of Integrity, and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education.
  • Follow the procedure for initial appointment as an instructor and change in instructor status.
  • Adhere to all policies and procedures in the AWHONN Instructor Administrative Policies, AWHONN Social Media Code of Conduct, AWHONN Bylaws, and specific course Instructor Resource Manuals.

FHM Instructor Bridge to OPS Instructor

Current FHM instructors interested in becoming an OPS instructor must follow all of the requirements as an instructor candidate: they have to apply and meet all eligibility requirements. They do NOT have to attend the instructor candidate virtual training, since they have already completed that program with FHM. For the OPS Workshop teachback, instructors need to provide proof of the FHM instructor status and the nursing contact hour certificate of completion of the OPS Workshop.

OPS: OB Emergencies Workshop Instructor Candidate


An Instructor Candidate must:

    • Apply for OPS: OB Emergencies Workshop Instructor status through AWHONN.
    • Maintain AWHONN full Membership in good standing.
    • Maintain nursing certification through the NCC in Inpatient Obstetric Nursing (RNC-OB®), Inpatient Antepartum Nursing (RNC-IAP), or Maternal Newborn Nursing (RNC-MNN®).
    • Physicians must maintain board certification through ABOG in Obstetrics & Gynecology.
    • Have experience in facilitating simulation and debriefing.

Once approved by the AWHONN OPS Administrative team, the instructor candidate has one year to:

    • Attend, and successfully complete the OPS: OB Emergencies Workshop.
    • Attend and successfully complete the OPS: OB Emergencies Instructor Candidate Virtual Training course.
    • Complete a teach back of at least 25% of the OPS: OB Emergencies Workshop under the evaluation of an OPS Designated Instructor or OPS Instructor Trainer.

The OPS: OB Emergencies Workshop Instructor candidate who successfully completes all the requirements listed above is notified by the OPS Administrative Team, will receive OPS Instructor status, and is eligible to teach the OPS: OB Emergencies Workshop.

OPS Co-Instructor Candidate

An OPS Co-Instructor Candidate meets eligibility requirements, and would like to teach the AWHONN OPS Workshop.

To be eligible for consideration to become an OPS Co-Instructor Candidate:

  • Co- Instructor candidates must apply for OPS: OB Emergencies Workshop Instructor status through AWHONN.
  • The Co-Instructor candidate must hold a full membership to the professional organization associated with the care provided to a specific patient population; e.g. Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), Association of Critical Care Nurses (ACCN), The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health (NPWH), Board of Certification for Emergency Medicine (BCEM), or American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM). For any organization not listed, consult the nurse leader for the OPS Program.
  • The candidate must have experience in simulation and debriefing.

Once approved, the Co-instructor candidate has one year to:

  • Attend, and successfully complete the OPS: OB Emergencies Workshop
  • Attend and successfully complete the OPS: OB Emergencies Virtual Instructor Candidate Training course
  • Complete a teach-back of the OPS: OB Emergencies Workshop under the evaluation of a Designated Instructor or Instructor Trainer.
  • The teach-back does not count toward course requirements for the candidate’s instructor status maintenance.

The OPS: OB Emergencies Workshop Co-Instructor candidate who successfully completes all the above requirements will receive OPS Co-Instructor status and is eligible to co-teach the OPS: OB Emergencies Workshop with an OPS Instructor, Designated Instructor, or Instructor Trainer.

OPS: OB Emergencies Workshop Instructor/Co-Instructor

An OPS Instructor maintains full AWHONN Membership in good standing (Co-Instructor maintains full membership in good standing to their professional organization), meets the requirements of an OPS Instructor/Co-Instructor Candidate, and is eligible to teach the OPS OB Emergencies Workshop. Co-Instructors are eligible to co-teach the AWHONN OPS Emergencies Workshop with any OPS Instructor in good standing.

In addition to the General Instructor Requirements, the OPS Instructor/Co-Instructor must:

  • Teach a minimum of two OPS: OB Emergencies Workshops within a two-year period.
  • Teach a minimum of 25% of each workshop to include lecture, skill station, and simulation content for the workshop.
  • Maintain evaluation scores of at least 4.0 on a 5.0 scale in all areas of content on the evaluation feedback form.
  • Complete the online OPS prerequisite course(s) with each revision of the OPS Program.

OPS: OB Emergencies Workshop Designated Instructor

An OPS Designated Instructor (DI) maintains full AWHONN membership in good standing, meets all the requirements to become an OPS DI and is eligible to teach the AWHONN OPS Emergencies Workshop and evaluate Instructor Candidate teach backs.

For OPS DI eligibility, candidates must:

    • Maintain all the OPS: OB Emergencies Workshop Instructor requirements for at least two years and teach at least four workshops.
    • Teach a minimum of 25% of the course being evaluated as the DI is the instructor of record for the course.
    • Maintain evaluation scores of at least 4.0 on a 5.0 scale in all areas of content on the evaluation feedback form.
    • Apply for instructor status change via the OPS AWHONN Webpage and earn OPS Administrative Team approval.

In addition to the general Instructor requirements, the OPS DI must:

  • Maintain all the OPS: OB Emergencies Workshop Instructor requirements.
  • Evaluate a minimum of one OPS: OB Emergencies Workshop Instructor teach back within a two-year period.
  • Complete the Instructor Candidate evaluation through an AWHONN course specific website within 24 hours of the completion of the teach back.
  • Maintain evaluation scores of at least 4.0 on a 5.0 scale in all areas of content on the evaluation feedback form.

OB Emergencies Workshop Instructor Trainer

The OPS Instructor Trainer (IT) maintains full AWHONN membership in good standing, meets OPS IT requirements, and is eligible to teach the AWHONN OPS Emergencies Workshop, evaluate Instructor Candidate teach backs, and teach the OPS: OB Emergencies Workshop Virtual Instructor Trainer course.

To be eligible for consideration for OPS IT, the OPS Instructor must:

    • Be a DI for two years and meet all DI requirements.
    • Apply for a change in status through AWHONN during the “call for Instructor Trainers.
    • Once approved, the individual must complete a teach back of the OPS: OB Emergencies Workshop Virtual Instructor Trainer course under the supervision and evaluation of a current OPS IT.

In addition to the general Instructor requirements, the OPS IT must:

  • Maintain all the OPS: OB Emergencies Workshop Instructor requirements.
  • Teach a minimum of one Instructor Candidate Virtual Training Course every two years.
  • Teach a minimum of 25% of the course being evaluated as the IT is the instructor of record for the course.
  • When creating an Instructor Candidate Virtual Training course, ITs must complete the entire form including the Instructor Candidate AWHONN member ID.
  • Complete the instructor candidate evaluation via an AWHONN course specific website within 24 hours of the completion of the teach back.
  • Maintain evaluation scores of at least 4.5 on a scale 5.0 scale in all areas of content on the evaluation feedback form.

Nursing contact hours/CME: 10.75 nursing contact hours (CNE available through 5/31/2028), including: ABOG MOC Part IV credit, and NCC credit for Inpatient OB, Inpatient Antepartum, Maternal Newborn Nursing, and Women’s Health

Accreditation Statement
The Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. Accredited status does not imply endorsement by AWHONN or the American Nurses Credentialing Center of any commercial products displayed or discussed in conjunction with an educational activity.

AWHONN is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider #CEP580.

Physicians, this activity was planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of AffinityCE and AWHONN. AffinityCE is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
Mention of any products in AWHONN’s Obstetric Patient Safety: OB Emergencies Workshop does not constitute an endorsement by AWHONN.