How to get L&D experience

I was wanting to know if you felt that it was beneficial in assisting your patients during labor. Guess I should have been more clear, but I suppose it can also help in the hiring process. Thanks again for your input

Hi,

While I was in nursing school I knew that I wanted to work L&D ONLY (and 12hr Nights on top of that) after I graduated. I lived in Ft Lauderdale, FL and when Jackson Memorial Hospital (Miami, FL) came to recruit senior nursing students for hire close to graduation time, I asked what possibilities there were for me (a second semester nursing student) at the hospital. It turned out that they had Nurse Tech positions available for nursing students who had completed their first semester of nursing school (where we had already learned the skills of taking vitals, changing foley's, making beds, etc.). It paid about $12hr I think and they had positions in L&D, Med Surg, Burn Unit, ICU, Trauma, ER and some others and the regular shifts 8hrs, 12hrs, days, evening, wknds, etc. You weren't required to work at the hospital after graduation, it was just a regular job. I took advantage of the 12 hr nights position on the L&D unit at Jackson and although it was a 30min -1 hr drive coming back to Ft. Laud at the end of the shift (traffic was horrendous) it was a great experience! The nurse tech position there, restocked the linen in all the rooms, transported the babies to the nursery, transported patients to the post-partum units, etc. The LPNs there did the recovery fundal checks (after the RN did the initial fundal assessment post delivery) and cleaned up the moms post delivery so that the nurses could chart and if there was an issue with the patient post delivery, the LPN would assist with "catching" the baby and providing tactile stimulation until the RN could get over to the baby. (The LPN was totally an extra hand at delivery when another RN couldn't be there. This was not their customary role). Because they knew I was in Nursing school and desired to do L&D, they sometimes let me insert foley catheters under supervision, and do the LPN stuff under supervision of the LPN. Not only did this give me valuable training, but it did expose me to things in L&D that though I didn't understand then, I understand NOW as a practicing L&D RN.

Jackson is a very big, very busy, Level 3 Trauma, Community based, Teaching hospital in the heart of Miami, FL. I would suggest that you seek the hospital in your area that is as busy and apply for a Nurse Tech position there on their L&D unit. Even if they don't have that position for L&D, try to get in anywhere you can - cause sometimes if you're already in the hospital you can see openings (not publicized) that other units have that you may qualify for. Let them (nurse mgr, nurse director) know on the L&D floor that you are a nursing student with a desire to be an L&D nurse on graduation and they may "create" an opening for you.

Then try to work the hours that you think you'd be interested in as an RN. The experience for days is different than the experience for night shift. I don't know anything about Maine, but maybe your city isn't the busy city and the neighboring city is. Don't be afraid to venture outside of your city for what you want. You will have to be aggressive whatever you do because nothing is going to be laid out for you. If I didn't speak with the recruiter, I wouldn't have known about the tech position available and after I brought it up , the subsequent time they came to recruit seniors, they made a point to speak with the lower classmen as well about tech positions. You just never know....

Good Luck!

Yes it has definitely helped with with assisting women in labor; for sure! I of course can not be with the woman at all times like doula would be, but I function as a nurse and give comfort like a doula. Does that help?

When you attended the 2 live births, did your trainer arrange that for you? Did you ever have the chance to work as a doula? If so, how were you compensated? Did you find that doulas were heard of on the L&D you worked on? If a woman is about to give birth in a hospital and requests how doula, what processes are taken to do that? Thank you!

I have a question about becoming a Doula. I work full time nights at a pediatric hospital and would like to become a L&D nurse .. right now I'm a CNA. My question is become a Doula how do I co-ordinate the hours? Should I just try to do post-partum Doula?