What are the requirements to be a L&D nurse?

sleepy247 · Aug 28, 2002

Most hospitals in need of L&D nurses will train you to work in that department, although many will want you to have some sort of med/surg experience. I my case, I worked on a med/surg floor for about 8 months before I got to transfer to L&D. Good Luck to you!!!

JenniferNRN · Aug 28, 2002

Hi!

I went to work in L&D right after graduation from an ADN program last summer. They were very much in need of help and I think many hospitals have waived requiring previous nursing experience because of the shortage. There is a lot to know and learn that you don't get in school and there are many rough days but I believe that if it is what you truly want, you should go for it. Good luck!

indynurse · Aug 28, 2002

I worked with a CNA on post-partum who was going to nursing school for ASN. She was determined to be a L&D nurse because she just thought the L&D nurse she had when her daughter was born was just awesome. Back then, our L&D department had a reputation for eating their young. I tried to encourage this young (22) woman to think about staying on PP for a few months after she graduated to sort of get a feel for things before she tried for L&D. (Very sweet and naive young woman and I feared she would be "eaten alive" in L&D as a new grad.) She refused to listen to that advice so I told her to talk to the current mgr and see if they had any tech positions open and she could start working down there as a tech and see if she would like to be an RN there. She started working as a tech in L&D about 5 months before she graduated. About that time, there was yet another change in mgmt in L&D and many of the problem people who worked in L&D either left or were terminated.

She has now been down there for three years and said she is glad she started working as a tech there first. She said it gave her the opportunity to see everything involved in working that department that you don't learn about in nursing school. She loves her job and she can't imagine working in any other area of nursing.

Swiftee · Aug 29, 2002

Hey Heidi. :)

Around here, a lot of the school offer advanced placement for people with a 4 year degree who want to go into nursing. Sometimes you can get in and get a BSN in about the same amount of time it would take to get your ADN. Do your shopping, and good luck! If you haven't already, pop by the Student Nursing forum. I bet everybody would love to meet you.

Dayray, RN · Aug 29, 2002

1) Ability to have compasion for patients who are very emotional

2) High tolerance for idiotic family members

3) strong stomic (meconium can be pretty nasty)

4) Sense to know when to be quite and when to fight like hell ( with doctors, family members, social workers and anyone else effecting you patient)

5) probebly the most overlooked prereq... a Huge bladder!