New L&D nurse advice

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

I recently got hired as a Labor/Delivery/Recovery/Postpartum new grad nurse at a large teaching hospital. I'm sure there is already a thread out there on this but..

What would you recommend as a "Quick" reference quide to bring to work with me?

Any advice on being sucessful?

I'm very excited but really nervous! I feel like I have SO much to learn!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I'm sorry I don't have an answer for your question. My question is for you: How did you land a new grad job in OB? What type of experience/certifications do you have on your resume? It seems like they always want M/S first.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I think I got an interview by a very well written cover letter and resume. Where I got hired nurse recruiters pull interviews for managers. During my interview the nurse manager really like that I was a member of AWHONN, had my senior partership in M/S and I had a summer externship in PACU. She said the PACU experience would help considering they have a recovery room themselves.

I would look at larger teaching hospitals as well they hire more new grads than smaller ones!

Good Luck on your search! There are plenty of places that hire new gradS

Up Vote Up Vote ×

thanks!:)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Women's Health.

Congrats on your new job:yeah: I am also a new grad, graduated last Sept, and also got hired in L&D. One great book that has a wealth of information is "Intrapartum Management Modules, A Perinatal Education Program". It covers almost everything you will be dealing with. You can find it on B&N or Amazon, don't remember exactly how much it was but it's totally worth it. I take it to work with me every shift and look at it very frequently. I'm not sure if you are a member of AWOHHN but they have a wealth of information available too.

How long is your orientation going to be?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Women's Health.

sorry, I mean to say "AWHONN" :lol2:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
How long is your orientation going to be?

It's 6 monthes how long was yours?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU, Home Health, Camp, Travel, L&D.

Read the stickie list above this thread. There are all the best books already posted there, including a couple of pocket references.

Advice on being successful:

1. Never lose your awe, and never buy into the lie that women's bodies have somehow turned into lemons in the last 100 years.

2. Join AWHONN, the White Ribbon Alliance, and, perhaps, ACNM or MANA, or in FL, CFM.

3. READ, READ, and READ some more, about how birth is a natural process, not an illness. Have it tattooed someplace like your arm, if you have to, so you can always keep in mind that, while the interventions we do are *sometimes* necessary and it's great that we can offer them, more often they are a slippery slope to the OR. And having said that, we forget the OBGYNs are surgeons much to our (and our patient's) peril.

4. Never, ever forget that you are the advocate for a family, not just a patient. What may be the defining moment of your shift may be the defining moment of their lives.

5. Know that you are blessed every day to be able to work in our specialty, and don't forget to have a blast!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I too was hired as a new grad to a busy L&D unit approx 8 mnths ago. What I did was get a clear, little bendable photo book (little book where you can slide 4x6 photos in) and typed up notes, printed them and put them in the photo spots. I have our facility protocols for Cytotek, Cervidil & Pitocin inductions, epidural management, circulator responsibilities for CS, etc. Some pages with FHT patterns and interventions. Facility protocols for charting , ej. how often to document BPs, R, & P after epidural, etc. You can really put anything you need extra assistance with in there and it's easy to change up as you go along. It slides easily into a jacket pocket so you constantly have it with you. It helped me tremendously in the beginning and I still find myself accessing it every once in a while (like last night I couldn't remember how often I needed to assess and chart BPs after Pitocin began). Just a suggestion :) Good luck to you.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I am starting day two of my orientation to l&D I have been a postpartum nurse for almost 2 years I am excited but need lots of information, would you mind sending me some of the cards you made up just for me to get going like on cyto, cervadil, pit, and epidural I would appreciate it if you dont mind sharing them I am very much so trying to get organized please my email is [email protected] thank you!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Aged Care, Midwifery, Palliative Care.

Thanks for sharing that tip Misstvlgirl, I'm going to do one of those up myself now. Great idea and its really going to help me as well. I'm still a student but I'm doing 4 years, with the extra year in a Midwifery degree. I'm currently doing that year now, so that little photo album is going to be a godsend for me. My minds ticking over allready with the information I would include in it. IOLs, shoulder dystocia, Syntocinon (pictocin), even a flick sheet for documentation at this stage of the game.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Hello. I attend Lebanon High School in PA, and I am doing a research paper on L&D Nurses. I would like to know is there is anyone out there willing to do and interview for my research paper. It will be highly appreciated and very helpful

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment