L & D nurses routinely deliver babies?

Specialties Ob/Gyn

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I was wondering if there are any hospitals in which the L & D nurses routinely deliver women? I am a midwife in London and hoping to move to Florida soon. My mum lives in Fort Lauderdale. She spoke to a L & D nurse who works in Memorial West in Mirimar and she told my mum that the nurses there deliver babies without doctors. Doctors are involved if there are any complications only. I hope this is true as this would be ideal job for me!

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It better not be true or those nurses are risking their lisences not to meniton lawsuits. Nurse midwives are qualified to routinely deliver babies. Nurses do it when they have to, not as a part of normal nursing care in the US. Sounds extremely fishy to me.

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Interesting, I didnt think nurses in USA delivered babies. Wonder why this nurse said this to my mum. Will need to ask her to speak to her again.....

It better not be true or those nurses are risking their lisences not to meniton lawsuits. Nurse midwives are qualified to routinely deliver babies. Nurses do it when they have to, not as a part of normal nursing care in the US. Sounds extremely fishy to me.
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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

CNM's (certified nurse midwives) are licensed and it IS in their scope of practice to deliver well-woman health care, to include delivering babies. RN's are NOT licensed to routinely deliver babies and therefore, no, it should not be "routine" they deliver babies anywhere. YES, in precipitious cases, RN's may be forced to deliver babies when a doctor is not available. This is different than routinely delivering babies, however. It's out of our scope to deliver this level of care on a routine basis. Hope this helps.

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Maybe the person speaking to your mom was speaking of nurse midwives? The problem with it for you is that British trained midwives can't usually register as midwives in the US because it requires a Masters degree. I have worked with tons of British midwives in L&D and their scope was always as a L&D nurse, not a CNM.

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If there's an emergency and the doctor doesn't get there in time, as in precipitous labor, a nurse might occasionally need to deliver a baby. But otherwise, doctors deliver in the US. If you are a Certified Nurse Midwife, you might have hospital privileges, but it requires a masters degree, usually ~2 years beyond a BSN.

I believe you are thinking of CNM, because regular deliveries are not within the normal scope of practice of a regular L&D nurse.

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Thanks for the replies. Maybe she was talking about CNMs?? I am coming to USA with an agency and am contracted to them for at least 18 months as a L & D nurse. Worried that I am going to find it really difficult to adjust to the practice in the US. Used to being fairly autonomous as a midwife in UK. Anyhow I want to come live in US so will have to get through it. May train to become CNM eventually..... Thing that puts me off this is that it seems that it is the L & D nurses who are with the women through their labours and not the CNMs. Defies the whole essence of what a midwife is. Anyway going to Atlanta tomorrow to sit NCLEX. If I cant pass it all of this is irrelevant as I cant come! :)

If there's an emergency and the doctor doesn't get there in time, as in precipitous labor, a nurse might occasionally need to deliver a baby. But otherwise, doctors deliver in the US. If you are a Certified Nurse Midwife, you might have hospital privileges, but it requires a masters degree, usually ~2 years beyond a BSN.

I believe you are thinking of CNM, because regular deliveries are not within the normal scope of practice of a regular L&D nurse.

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Thanks for the replies. Maybe she was talking about CNMs?? I am coming to USA with an agency and am contracted to them for at least 18 months as a L & D nurse. Worried that I am going to find it really difficult to adjust to the practice in the US. Used to being fairly autonomous as a midwife in UK. Anyhow I want to come live in US so will have to get through it. May train to become CNM eventually..... Thing that puts me off this is that it seems that it is the L & D nurses who are with the women through their labours and not the CNMs. Defies the whole essence of what a midwife is. Anyway going to Atlanta tomorrow to sit NCLEX. If I cant pass it all of this is irrelevant as I cant come! :)

Good luck on your exam! :)

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:)

Thanks for the replies. Maybe she was talking about CNMs?? I am coming to USA with an agency and am contracted to them for at least 18 months as a L & D nurse. Worried that I am going to find it really difficult to adjust to the practice in the US. Used to being fairly autonomous as a midwife in UK. Anyhow I want to come live in US so will have to get through it. May train to become CNM eventually..... Thing that puts me off this is that it seems that it is the L & D nurses who are with the women through their labours and not the CNMs. Defies the whole essence of what a midwife is. Anyway going to Atlanta tomorrow to sit NCLEX. If I cant pass it all of this is irrelevant as I cant come! :)

The midwives at our hospital are with their patients for much of their labors and many of them started as L&D nurses and went on to get their CNMs. I love our midwives, they are the best to work with

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:)

Thanks for the replies. Maybe she was talking about CNMs?? I am coming to USA with an agency and am contracted to them for at least 18 months as a L & D nurse. Worried that I am going to find it really difficult to adjust to the practice in the US. Used to being fairly autonomous as a midwife in UK. Anyhow I want to come live in US so will have to get through it. May train to become CNM eventually..... Thing that puts me off this is that it seems that it is the L & D nurses who are with the women through their labours and not the CNMs. Defies the whole essence of what a midwife is. Anyway going to Atlanta tomorrow to sit NCLEX. If I cant pass it all of this is irrelevant as I cant come! :)

The midwives at our hospital are with their patients for much of their labors and many of them started as L&D nurses and went on to get their CNMs. I love our midwives, they are the best to work with

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Specializes in Going to Peds!.

My sister labors so fast the nurses didn't have any choice but to deliver her babies. :chuckle

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Specializes in Going to Peds!.

My sister labors so fast the nurses didn't have any choice but to deliver her babies. :chuckle

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