Hi everyone! I'm new to the site and am hooked! Haha but I have a question I would like some help with.

First of all I'm really not liking my med-surg clinicals. It's hard because all my friends absolutely love it and I don't know how I'm gonna make it through. But to get the most out of the experience, can you tell me what the major skills you learn on med-surg (I know probably quite a few) that I will need to know most for OB

And also, I've heard from about a million people that I am not going to like OB nursing. I have always wanted to be an OB nurse (not sure exactly which department yet) but I'm feeling discouraged. Everyone says they started out wanting to do OB and ended up hating it and everyone who thought they wouldn't like it loved it. Help please

must guys joke about wanting to do obgyn due to the area dealt with a lot, but when it comes down to it, no thanks, it can ruin it, ha.

MedSurg Clinicals are the backbone for future clinicals. My clinical rotation in OB was in the late 1970's; things change rapidly, so what I did in my OB rotation may be a lot different as compared to the present day. However, you will need to be able to insert a foley catheter, give a s.c. injection (do they still use terbutaline for premature contractions?); the rest, I can't recall. I did not like my OB rotation; I think it is one clinical rotation that you either love or hate....

loved my maternity placement but absolutely hated my Gyane placement for the simple fact that there were so many women admitted in that month with advanced ovarain Ca that had very little recovery chance. These women were only in their early 30's only 10 years older that me! This was the only placement that made me cry (I was a 4th yr student so had seen death and dying plenty) but these women were SO young and we could do little for them.

My maternity placement was excellent seen some amazing deliveries and apart from my second on was all good! One of my lecturers partner was delivering and I spoke to my preceptor and explained who this couple was and she told me to talk to my lecturer who was so cool and was like "yeah of course!!" all good until my precetor handed me this new baby girl to swaddle. the only thought that I had while holding this new born was "I can't drop this baby I'll never pass!!! " But the baby was safe gave her IM vit K and handed here to her proud daddy!

Until you actually become competent at a certain job, you should reserve judgement. Please do not listen to the nay-sayers. As for not enjoying med-surg, well, that is the jumping-off point for everything else.

Starting IVs, inserting foleys, repeated vital signs, dealing with anxiety and pain, difficult family members, that is only the beginning of the overlap between MS and OB. Meds, meds, meds. Dosage calculations. Bedmaking ! Baths !

Try to lighten up a little bit, and enjoy as much as you can of this time. You will never have another chance to be a nursing student, and that was the best time ever.

Best wishes!

I think it is one clinical rotation that you either love or hate....

I second that.

I'm a guy, and I absolutley loved my L&D rotation. Mother-baby was boring in my opinion, but some people like it.

I liked L&D because it was fast paced and there was a great collaborative atmosphere, nurse/nurse and nurse/doc. The nurses had a lot of autonomy and were trusted and respected. The other thing I liked was the variety. You start out the day in straight-forward L&D and the next thing you know you're a circulating nurse in the OR (for a C-Section) and then you're a PACU nurse in recovery and then you're doing a little bit of mother-baby.

I had such a great time I actaully stayed over and followed my instructor when she had shifts following our clinical rotation.

I still think about going to L&D someday. I might even consider becoming a midwife. I also think they really need to find a gender-neutral title for that job, but that's another thread.

My advice is go into it with an open mind and try and do as much as you can. Don't be a wall flower unless someone tells you it's time to stand over by the wall. The more you get to do the more fun you'll have.

Good luck.

Yep, I agree - either you love or you hate OB. It's certainly not for everyone. I went to nursing school to become an OB nurse, though. I knew what I wanted the second I got accepted. I've been doing OB nursing for five years now, and I love it just as much now as the day I started (actually, more, because I've discovered as I've become skilled at it that I'm a damn good L&D nurse, so in addition to loving my job, I excel at it).

So if you think you want to go into OB, don't let the naysayers discourage you.

I still think about going to L&D someday. I might even consider becoming a midwife. I also think they really need to find a gender-neutral title for that job, but that's another thread.

The term 'midwife' literally means - 'with woman', so it's still gender neutral (in reference to the person who is 'with woman') though in present-day speak it doesn't very much sound like it. I'd love to see more caring men in this field, so come on over. :)

To the OP - you may not be enjoying your med-surg rotation much, which is a matter of individual taste as much as anything. But you are still gaining skills that you'll use no matter what specialty you end up choosing (and med-surg is a specialty too). Foleys, IVs, sterile technique, and any number of other things - they are all things you'll learn in med-surg that you'll see again in L&D, if you choose it. So treat it as the learning experience it is, whether or not it's your 'thing.' As to whether or not you'll like OB - well, it's one of those things that remains to be seen. Some people who have absolutely no desire to do it end up loving it, and others who think it is their dream end up hating it. It just depends. Good luck!

Hello, I too desired to be in OB but I wanted to work with babies. I have finally been given the opportunity to be a part of the Mother Infant Unit. I am not working with the babies soley so perhaps this is where some of my disappointment comes in. As far as school I did really well in OB and very good in Psych and peds. It was the Medsurge that gave me a run for the money. I failed Medsurg I by 0.5 of a point and MedSurg II by 1 point. I worked very hard but if you have a weakness in an area it can quickly pull your grade down. My weakness both times was the endocrinology. I am proud to say by the grace of God I was fighting for A's in both courses but obtained high B's. Nurses say Medsurg is important because it exposes you to many of the disease processes at a time where if you specialize you may not see as many. I am feeling that I am not using those skills I learned in school while on the medsurg floors but I kind of like dealing with women because as a woman I can relate and as having children that too helps me. People told me the same thing about not liking OB but you have to go through it for yourself. They like Medsurg I don't everyone has their own opinions and everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. You go in that class and see how you feel at the end of the rotation and that will help you determine where you really desire to be. Best of Luck to you!!!

I am just finishing a clinical placement in OB and I just can't wait to be finished. The nurses are not supportive, rather angry that students are there. I have witnessed nurses talking about eachother openly, behind eachothers back, complain profusely about their patients and generally be miserable for their full shift. I just don't understand how you could go through your day in this manner. My second day I just put my head down, got the most out of it by connecting with my patients, and tried to ignore the rest. So very sad... I will never, ever work in OB again.

I am just finishing a clinical placement in OB and I just can't wait to be finished. The nurses are not supportive, rather angry that students are there. I have witnessed nurses talking about eachother openly, behind eachothers back, complain profusely about their patients and generally be miserable for their full shift. I just don't understand how you could go through your day in this manner. My second day I just put my head down, got the most out of it by connecting with my patients, and tried to ignore the rest. So very sad... I will never, ever work in OB again.

It's not OB. It's that particular department.

I am just finishing a clinical placement in OB and I just can't wait to be finished. The nurses are not supportive, rather angry that students are there. I have witnessed nurses talking about eachother openly, behind eachothers back, complain profusely about their patients and generally be miserable for their full shift. I just don't understand how you could go through your day in this manner. My second day I just put my head down, got the most out of it by connecting with my patients, and tried to ignore the rest. So very sad... I will never, ever work in OB again.

Unless that's the only OB place around where you need to work or something, I'm not sure why that would exclude working in OB. The stuff you describe is environmental and could go on in any unit.

I wanted to throw another opinion out there. Throughout all of nursing school I absolutely despised my med-surg rotation, but once I got into mother baby it was completely different. Labor and delivery as well as pp. In my last semester, I busted my butt to get a job where I wanted to be, and even made a huge move for it. I'm not a postpartum nurse in a hospital as a new grad, and am going to be transferring to labor and delivery hopefully sooner than later. So don't let go of your hopes.

Sure a lot of our core foundations, like vital signs, injections, basic IV stuff, foley catheters, etc. But a lot more of it is specialized that we do on our daily. Don't be let down, don't give up!! You've got this!