[Babybear]

I am very happy that you were able to get in to L&D. I am currently a student who very much wants to go in to L&D when I graduate a year from now. My supervisor at work encourages me to go for it. Along with your story I think I will defenitly go this route as well.

[following_faith]

How inspiring! I had to leave LPN school this week to work as a Unit Clerk (Float) in order to help us out a bit financially for a few months. I was so upset and missed school dearly.

So I had been accpted into a LPN-RN bridge for fall '06 and on a whim, I called and explained that I was not going to be finishing the LPN afterall and would it be possible to keep my acceptance under "regular" admission. Well it sure was and now I am just going straight to my RN.

My point is-to come on here and see all of you getting to work as new grads in such amazing areas is very encouraging to me and helps me realize that I made the right decision.

Thank you all for sharing!

[lannisz]

I graduated two years ago and was hired directly to CCU. I felt over my head and after 3 months went to med/surg. while I didn't really care for med/surg I do feel like I learned many solid skills and gained confidence. Here is what I regret: I went to nursing school to become a L&D nurse, and once I was in med/surg I felt stuck there. I still want to do L&D but they require at least 2 years of L&D experience. If I had entered as a new grad, I would be working there now. Sometimes I think they are so short of med/surg nurses that once they have you they won't let you go. Any advice on how to change to a specialty - L&D - without experience in that specialty?

[maryk650]

Is your institution willing to let you transfer to that area for your "on the job training?" If not, you could check into another facility that may be willing to train you. I have noticed lately that most classifieds for nurses want you to have experience. I haven't figured out yet where you are suppose to get that experience if the facility is not willing to give it to you. Good luck. I have 30 years of nursing experience and wanted to try the cath. lab. The place I applied wanted one year of experience. I have worked all aspects of the hospital setting and in corrections. Where am I suppose to get my "experience?"

[AtlantaRN]

times they are a changin'!! When I graduated 10 yrs ago, it was a blessing to get hired in a hospital, and now new grads are going right into IMCU; ICU; surgery: Endo, etc...

I'm SO glad this is the case!!

congrats to you

linda

[martiforlife]

I graduated nursing school in the spring of '04. A fellow classmate and I started off in the surgical cardiovascular ICU in a level I trauma hospital. A lot of the other nurses there said the same thing that many seasoned nurses say, which is that it is better to start off in med-surg. Well we didn't and it was fine. I don't agree that starting off in med-surg is the right thing for everyone.

[lannisz]

That's great -Congrats! I know what you mean. I've come to the conclusion that if you really know where you want to be in nursing and you can go ahead and start there when you graduate, then you should go ahead and start there, not just do the "mandatory" med/surg time.

[Peanut_]

wow, i can't believe i ran into your message. I'm in the exact same situation right now. I graduate nursing school with my BSN in may 2006. I really want to do labor and delivery but my instructor's have stressed on having med-surg exp. before specializing in anything. I'm going to try to get into labor and delivery before I go into med-surg.

Thanks

[lannisz]

Good for you, go for it! Good luck and let us know how things turn out.

[mona b RN]

Originally Posted by alongbella

Here is something that AllNurses has done for me. About a year ago, I was still in school, and I asked for advice on AllNurses about specializing right out of school. A few of us at school decided that we were very interested in Labor and Delivery. Our instructors told us that we would do well to do at least a year in Med/Surg, which is true, undoubtably, before we tried to specialize. "And besides," they said "no one will hire a new grad in Labor and Delivery." I made up my mind that I would do Med/Surg for a year, but got more and more depressed about that decision. I got some good advice from this site but I remember 2 posts especially. One from a L & D nurse manager in the Midwest that said that she would hire a new grad, and another post from a woman who was given the same advice as me and my classmates. She said she always wanted to do L & D but decided to get some experience in Med/Surg. She went on to say that she regretted that decision because 20 some years later, she is still doing Med/Surg. SO- I interviewd for and have started a job in L & D and I really like it so far. My friend went to Med/Surg and she wants out. Thanks to this site, I didn't go with the crowd and I was able to do the right thing for me! Thanks!!

I feel the same way. I have also learned a great deal from Allnurses

I have heard opinions that support both sides of the issue of specialization and the new grad. I think that m/s would be a great way to get "all around" exposure to assessment and technical skills but on the other hand, if you have a good preceptor, it shouldn't matter what specialty it is.

I happen to very interested in psych nursing and peds and so far I have found one hospital who is considering me for a psych position. Most of the other hospitals only have m/s, telemetry, etc. Another thing to keep in mind is if you take advantage of any bonus package you may get stuck there until you fulfill that obligation.