[lasierra]

HI! I've been an RN on a med/surg floor for a little over a year, and am heading to specialize in OB/GYN. I am specifically trying to get into a local hospital which has openings on the Mother/Baby unit which I imagine would be a perfect starting position for this field. My question is, what exactly am I looking for in these types of units? I know the hospital offers many education classes and are also willing to transfer new nurses to other units after 6-8 months of employment. Is there anything else in particular I should be looking for on this unit?

Thanks for the advice!

Li-Li

[wsiab]

Let them know where you want to be. Ask what training they offer (how many weeks of orientation/classes, etc.). Also think about what kind of facility you would most like to work in (high risk, lg/sm, LDRP or LD and PP, teaching facility, etc), look for a facility that suits you best. Good Luck

[Angel Baby]

Talk to the nurses that currently work on the unit--interview them. The best advice I can give is that OB nursing is not like any other area of nursing. Administration and senior nursing leadership don't understand what we do and how we function, unless they have worked in the field (and I manage the L&D/Postpartum unit at my facility).

One of the primary things you will be doing is education. You never walk into a postpartum room without getting involved in teaching or reinforcing what has already been taught.

It is a wonderful place to practice 99% of the time, but when it's bad it's as bad as it can ever get. Know that you touch your patient's lives in a lasting way--even in the worst of circumstances you can truly make a difference.

I hang out with a buddy who's been doing L&D for 25 years and it's very common for women to come up to her and tell her about their child who's however old now--and she was their labor nurse. We met one woman at the department of motor vehicles who's son is 15 and she still remembered this nurse.

Your med-surg background will help you be an incredibly strong mother/baby nurse (and any other area you choose to specialize in) and your challenge will be learning how different the maternal physiology is--like I said--we don't do anything like anyone else in the hospital.

Good luck--I value your committment to women's health!!