Obstetric caregivers must deal with a wide range of emergencies, some of which are quite uncommon, and many believe they have achieved a high level of expertise based on study rather than experience. Yet a growing body of work demonstrates that simulation training can sharpen the skills of all caregivers and promote the development of efficient teams capable of reducing the morbidity of these rare events. This paper outlines current recommendations for emergency and teamwork training in obstetrics and reviews different training methods and their effectiveness.