If you are exploring Federal Healthcare nursing opportunities, NMC Portsmouth is one facility worth getting to know. Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP) serves military members and their families and offers a dedicated Labor and Delivery (L&D) unit with specialized clinical support. Here is what nurses should know about the facility, its L&D unit, and what working there can look like.
A Quick Look at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth
Naval Medical Center Portsmouth is the U.S. Navy’s oldest continuously operating hospital. The medical center has served past and present military members and their families since 1830.¹
NMCP sits in Hampton Roads, Virginia, an area that includes Portsmouth, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Hampton, and Newport News. The region is home to a large military presence, including most of the ships, aircraft, and Navy and Marine Corps service members assigned to the Atlantic Fleet.¹
NMCP’s Women’s Health program provides obstetric care to active-duty service members and TRICARE Prime beneficiaries. The program also offers services such as maternal-fetal medicine and fetal assessment.¹
What the NMC Portsmouth L&D Unit Is Like
The layout of the L&D unit gives candidates a clearer picture of the clinical environment.
NMCP has six triage rooms typically used for patients who are 20 weeks pregnant or later. In triage, patients are evaluated to determine the appropriate level of care for their concerns. Depending on their needs, patients may be admitted, observed, or sent home with follow-up instructions.²
Patients who are admitted or need extended observation move to the Labor Deck. The unit includes:²
- 10 labor and delivery suites
- Four complicated antepartum/postpartum rooms
- Three surgical suites
- A two-bed postsurgical recovery area
The unit also has 24/7 in-house access to anesthesia, perinatology, and neonatology teams.² That gives nurses access to key obstetric specialties when patients need additional clinical support.
The unit also follows evidence-based maternity practices. When medically possible, NMCP offers delayed cord clamping, immediate skin-to-skin contact, and lactation support from obstetric nurses and/or certified lactation consultants. Stable mothers and newborns can room together for the duration of their stay.²
Who Does NMC Portsmouth Serve?
NMCP’s Women’s Health program provides obstetric care to active-duty service members and TRICARE Prime beneficiaries.¹ This includes a military-connected patient population that can look different from the general community population at a civilian hospital.
For nurses coming from civilian L&D settings, the military connection can also mean caring for patients whose lives involve deployments, relocations, and other demands associated with military service.
What Kind of Care Can You Expect?
NMCP’s L&D unit supports patients through labor, delivery, and the immediate period after birth. The unit also has dedicated rooms for complicated antepartum and postpartum care, surgical suites, and postsurgical recovery.²
The unit has also received recognition for its maternal care. In 2021, the National Perinatal Information Center released data covering October 2019 through September 2020 that highlighted NMCP’s low primary cesarean delivery rate and significantly low severe maternal morbidity rate. NMCP identified both measures as important markers of quality of care.³
The DVIDS report also described the L&D team as a multidisciplinary group that includes physicians, midwives, nurses, and hospital corpsmen.³
What About Staffing Ratios and Shift Schedules?
Staffing ratios and shift schedules can vary by position and staffing needs. During the hiring process, ask about typical patient assignments, shift length, weekend requirements, call expectations, and how the unit handles changes in patient volume.
These details can help you compare the role with your current or previous L&D environment. Matrix Providers can help you understand what to expect as you move through the hiring and credentialing process.
Do You Need Military Experience?
No. You do not need a military background to pursue a civilian nursing position at NMC Portsmouth.
You do need to meet the requirements for the specific position, including the appropriate active, unrestricted nursing license, and complete the required federal credentialing and onboarding process.
For nurses who have only worked in civilian healthcare, federal hiring and credentialing may feel unfamiliar. Matrix Providers can help candidates understand the process and what to expect as they pursue an opportunity at NMC Portsmouth.
Is NMC Portsmouth Right for You?
NMC Portsmouth offers L&D nurses a dedicated obstetric environment with six triage rooms, 10 labor and delivery suites, four complicated antepartum/postpartum rooms, three surgical suites, and 24/7 access to anesthesia, perinatology, and neonatology.²
The unit also serves a military-connected patient population and follows evidence-based maternity practices, including skin-to-skin contact, delayed cord clamping when medically possible, and lactation support.²
If you want to bring your civilian nursing experience into a Federal Healthcare setting, these details can help you decide whether NMC Portsmouth fits what you want from your next role.
Interested in NMC Portsmouth?
If NMC Portsmouth sounds like the right environment for your next role, the first step is a conversation. Matrix Providers knows this facility specifically, not just Federal Healthcare in general, and can walk you through the credentialing and placement process for your specialty.
Book a recruiter conversation through Match Point or apply now to find out whether current L&D openings at NMC Portsmouth fit your experience.
References
- “About Us.” Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, portsmouth.tricare.mil/About-Us. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.
- “Labor & Delivery.” Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, https://portsmouth.tricare.mil/Health-Services/Womens-Health/Labor-Delivery
- Johnson, Christina. “NMCP’s Labor and Delivery Recognized for Excellence.” DVIDS, 18 Oct. 2021, www.dvidshub.net/news/407446/nmcps-labor-and-delivery-recognized-excellence
