[Essential competencies in training in obstetrics].

Objective: Analyze international reports related to training in obstetrics and present guidelines to help leading educational institutions to develop curriculum guidelines for the teaching of obstetrics and advanced nursing practice in this specialty.

Methods: A narrative review was conducted of documents from the World Health Organization and the International Confederation of Midwives. The search used the descriptors midwifery and education. All official reports that guide midwife education policies, published from 2009 to 2015 in English and Spanish, and available online, were included. Reports that did not specifically refer to training were excluded.

Results: Five reports were selected. Analysis and synthesis of their respective objectives and contents were based on three themes: requirements for professional qualification, continuing education, and guidelines for skilled training in obstetrics, taking into account accepted core competencies for this specialty.

Conclusions: Analysis of reports related to training in obstetrics identified that key tasks are being implemented for both educators and midwives. The reports represent a solid basis to develop educational policies that can contribute to universal access and coverage in health and to reducing maternal and neonatal mortality, and potentially can be used to guide international policies.