Hi,

My name is Teresa and I will be graduating with my associates in May. I have been interested in OB nursing ever since I started school. I took on an intership on an LDRP this summer and loved it but don't know if L&D is for me. Honestly, I think I'm scared of the major responsibility and I don't think my assessment skills are high enough to start in this area.

I was thinking of taking a job at a large hospital in my area (Yale New Haven Hospital) in postaprdum. My question is what is the role of a postaprdum nurse? Do you have to float to L&D? What types of patients do you see? Do you feel that you are able to keep your med/surg skills in this area? Do you feel its a good place for a new grad to start?

Thanks in advance!

Teresa

Teresa, you are almost done! Congratulations to you. The correct spelling is "postpartum." Every hospital is different regarding floating/cross-covering -- since you are interested in Yale -- set up an appointment with the Nurse Manager and ask him/her. Remember, you will become more adept with your assessment skills with experience. Perhaps you can shadow the ob/gyn departments there to see if you feel it is a good "fit" for you.

The pay is supposed to be outstanding. If I lived closer, I would work there in a heartbeat. Close family member had a major surgery done there -- the care was outstanding. Can't say enough -- and as a nurse that means alot!

Regarding floating at Yale -- A recent ad for float pool pays up to $46+/hour; differentials up to $6+/hour & a sign-on bonus of up to $12,000. Get your experience -- find what you LIKE to do -- then you will have so many choices. Remember, one day at a time ... you can't "rush" experience. I also believe that if a new RN has a strong theory base & solid critical-thinking skills -- with a good orientation and support, he/she should be able to succeed in most areas. Good luck.

We usually start new OB nurses in PP, then train them to L&D in a year or so if they are interested. PP is great for learning assessments (moms and babes), how to teach (especially about breastfeeding and infant care which is great for if you move to LDRP), and a lot of family stuff! You will be a teacher, nurse, counsellor rolled into one. It's a great place for new nurses because they get the chance to take on the rol of nurse, in a lower pressure environment.

You'll probably get all kinds of moms. I get everything from healthy vag births to heroin addicted women who had c-sections at 35 weeks. You won't use some med-surg skills a lot, like NG tubes or chest tubes, but if you want a career in maternity it really won't matter all that much. It is usually busy enough that new grads learn to prioritize pretty quickly, which also helps for L&D.

Congratulations! Welcome to the fold! Some hospitals have different nurses in all three areas. Some,like the one I work in, have us float between all three areas. That is a good idea because you learn all areas and incorporate them all...For instance, you can have a pre term pt on post partum go into labor, and you can have a pre termer in delivery get transferred to pp for monitoring and treatment once she has stabilized. Not to mention that anyone can deliver and it is a good idea to know how to take care of the infant too...I think each area is high risk and I am not just talking OB...All areas from surgical to OB to PP have potential problems. Just because you work pp doesn't give you freedom against the occasional hemorrhage, Dic, Stroke, diabetic or cardiac problem...Delivery can be scary..So can being part of an unexpected code on PP....Think about it and try what you think you want. In the beginning sometimes, you have to try out different things on a path you think you want in order to lead you to the path at which you eventually arrive. Good luck!

Thanks so much everybody. Sorry for the incorrect spelling. I think I'm going to do a nurse shadowing experience there sometime in the near future.

Teresa

Teresa -- good luck to you. (I was trying to be helpful regarding the spelling -- please don't apologize.) I think shadowing will be a good experience. Let us know how it works out -- maybe I WILL make that long commute! Sue

everyone offered great advice. nothing to add but my best wishes to you!

Keep us posted!{{{{}}}}