Advice for a 2nd degree BSN student please?

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

Specializes in OB/GYN.

I am starting an accelerated BSN program soon and I am so excited!!!!My background is in child/family social work (MSW) and I was an ED PCT forever ago...I'm 99.9% positive that I want to go into OB nursing... My own L&D experiences, my past work w/ pregnant and parenting teens, as a social worker, and my experiences at a number of births has really motivated me to finally pursue nursing. I've been told that OB nursing, especially L&D is difficult to get into so I'm looking for advice about preparing for my future job hunt... Any advice would be greatly appreciated!I am a member of our local perinatal providers network, and I attend their monthly meetings to just gain exposure and meet people in the field. I'm also hoping to get a job as a student nurse/pct, but w/ a 15 month program and 3 kids of my own I'm realistic about not being able to work very much while in school... And since I won't have summers off, that kind of rules out some of the student nurse internship programs offered by our local hospitals (I'm close to 4 hospitals w/ birthing centers. 3 with special care nurseries and 1 with NICU).Again, any advice would be helpful!

0 Votes
Specializes in ICU.

Congrats on getting ready to start your accel BSN! I'm not working in OB or L&D, but would recommend the following:

- Make sure your OB professor knows your enthusiasm for the subject, and why you want to work OB

- Over the next 15 months, "work" your contacts made through the perinatal provider network. Make sure they know you're doing nursing school now, are strongly interested in OB/L&D, and see if they can connect you with any nurse managers in that work area.

- Once you're in your OB class, see if you can shadow with some of the local hospitals. Either you should contact the department managers to try & set this up, or see if your professor (or perinatal provider contacts) could make this happen. Shadowing is like an extended 2-way interview. It would get your face in front of the manager, and your potential coworkers.

Good Luck!

0 Votes
Specializes in OB/GYN.

Thanks! Those are all great ideas. I'm so excited : )

0 Votes
Specializes in Labor and Delivery, Public Health.

Congratulations on starting an accelerated program and good luck. I finished an accelerated nursing program. Like the other poster wrote, let your instructors know first hand you have an interest in maternal/newborn nursing. I requested to do my practicum in L&D. The school of nursing I attended pushed med/surg and refused to let me do L&D. After much complaining they settled for letting me do postpartum. I worked we'll with my preceptor and she introduced me to the L&D manager at the hospital I did my clinicals. After passing boards I contacted both my preceptor and the L&D manager. I was offered a job in L&D and I love it.

0 Votes
Specializes in OB/GYN.

Awesome! Great for you and congrats on graduation : )

It's so nice to see hear that it worked out for someone in a similar situation!

0 Votes
Specializes in L&D/Maternity nursing.

network, network, network!

0 Votes

Consider doing a lactation educator or doula (depending on the types of facilities), NRP, childbirth educator or other similar type of course. It will give you a good background of knowledge as well as some practical experience. It will also show the manager that you are committed to OB, you have some clue what you are getting into, and you are teach-able. I went to nursing school to be a CNM so I knew I wanted/needed to work L & D. I got doula certification, took NRP, became a lactation educator, and did my preceptorship in L & D. I did get several offers in L & D for new grad positions. Best of luck.

0 Votes
Specializes in OB/GYN.
Consider doing a lactation educator or doula (depending on the types of facilities) NRP, childbirth educator or other similar type of course. It will give you a good background of knowledge as well as some practical experience. It will also show the manager that you are committed to OB, you have some clue what you are getting into, and you are teach-able. I went to nursing school to be a CNM so I knew I wanted/needed to work L & D. I got doula certification, took NRP, became a lactation educator, and did my preceptorship in L & D. I did get several offers in L & D for new grad positions. Best of luck.[/quote']

I've been looking into many of those options... unfortunately, I'm not sure I'll be able to finish a certification program while in this accelerated BSN program and juggling my kids : (

I'm also on a bit of a budget as I have to pay for my program out of pocket mostly... even at State tuition that's tough.

I'm still looking for a more affordable option for some of those trainings/certifications, but I don't want to pick a lower quality one just because it's affordable right now...

0 Votes
+ Add a Comment