NEW GRAD: L&D, PP, or ANTE

[Curious1alwys]

I am a senior nursing student LOVING my OB clinicals and am really considering it as a career.

I have asked my preceptor nurses about whether they thought it was better to start out in PP or Ante and then move to L&D (if I want) or vice versa. One said L&D possibly too fast of a pace for new grad and one said if you start in L&D you get to see the whole picture, which would make you more successful in PP or Ante. Both viewpoints make sense to me.

What is your opinion? I am also looking for the easiest transition from being a student to a Graduate Nurse.

In addition, I have heard a lot about the liability involved in OB. Is it huge enough to keep me away from the field? I am scared. :smilecoffeecup:

Can you give me what you consider to be the PROS and CONS of OB nursing??

THANK YOU!!

[StudyingNursing]

I started on L&D as a new grad last June. I was hired into a fellowship with other new grads, there are 10 of us in our fellowship. Our hospital has a wonderful fellowship program that trains us to work in L&D. Our unit tends to stay busy; we had just under 12,000 deliveries last year, and is well organized so nurses do get breaks during the shift. I love my job, and I don't want to work post-partum so starting in LDR was what I really wanted to do.

I did an externship at another hospital in the system the summer before I graduated in L&D, so had an idea of what the job entailed; and then worked in Telemetry as a ClinTech/Nurse Extern until I graduated. That taught me time management in a hurry (nothing like having to care for 12-20 patients on a busy Tele unit to learn how to manage your time, or to make me glad I was hired into L&D as a new grad). I learned a lot, but realized that L&D is definately where I want to be. A lot of the nurses in the tele unit were appalled at the idea of L&D; they loved Telemetry and couldn't stand the idea of working with 'screaming women' (their words, not mine). I'm glad everyone is different and has differing specialty areas they enjoy.

[NYCRN05]

LKB82...My situation is very similar to yours. I am also a relatively new nurse (17 months) and for eighteen years knew Labor and delivery was where I wanted to be. Right out of school went into a different specialty (orthopedics) and I was absolutely miserable After writing to this forum a number times for advice and with the wonderful encouragement of SmilingBlueEyes, I was hired as an L&D nurse ten months ago. I love my job and worked very, very hard and learning the ins and outs of L&D and to this day I still feel I have so much more to learn. I worry every day because the hospital I work at extremely busy (it's not unheard of to have 3-4 patients in various stages of labor) but I too have very supportive coworkers who have always been available to give a helping hand and are always asking "How are you doing?, Is everything alright?, Can we help you in some way?" I also had an extensive orientation period (six months) which really made a difference.

So in response to the original poster, it Is possible for a new grad to flourish in L&D!!! Good luck!!