About how long is an L&D orientation?

Specialties Ob/Gyn

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He everyone,

I'm about to graduate in December and am hoping to go into L&D I have a couple of questions: how hard is it to find a GN L&D position? and about how long is the orientation for it?

Specializes in L & D.

I graduated this past dec and I was offered both L&D jobs I applied for, which happen to be the only positions I actually applied for. L&D is what I wanted to do from day one in my OB class and I had the same worry as you have. I knew I was going to try to get a job in Montgonery Al at the big "baby hospital" in town and, thankfully it worked out My orientation lasted about 16 weeks and I worked mainly with one preceptor. I hope everything goes well for you.

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Specializes in ICU, OR.

spin-off of this question: I'm not a new grad, I have adult med/surg experience. How long would my orientation be? Same as the new grads? Thanks.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele.
Anything less than 6 months' orientation for a new graduate is not doing justice, not nearly enough.

Look for a place that offers OB residencies or orientations for new graduates that are no less than 6 months' duration or let the buyer beware. 12 weeks, ridiculously short unless you are a nurse from another specialty with good acute care skills.

REALLY OB takes a long time to learn......you need it!

I was hired as Gn into L&D right away. My hospital does 12 weeks orientation. When I graduated I actually got hired for this job and another L&D position at another hospital with 6 months orientation. Now I wish I would have taken that position instead. I have now finished my 10th week and was told that L&D may not be the right fit for me. I am devastated. About halfway through my orientation, I have questioned myself and my preceptor. I have asked her how I was doing, and she said I was doing really good. L&D can be really hard, I think I am doing great when it comes to the routine stuff, but need more time for acute situations. Unfortunately they won't give me that, I don't know why. I haven't done anything significantly wrong, I'm just not up to speed in acute situations. Now I have to see if I can transfer within the hospital and possible have to except a med/surge position (something I definitely didn't want to do) since there are no openings in postpartum or nursery, or I will have to pay back over $5000 for Internship tuition.

If I were you, I would make sure the internship is at least 6 months long and it gives you an option to extend it, if you need to.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

The bottom line is this. NO ONE is "really good" at high acuity situations right out of the chute, so to speak. You must never be afraid to ask questions and find your mentors early-on. Never pretend to know what you do not and never do what you are not experienced enough to do. OB is dangerously litigious as we know. Even after 11 years, I am never afraid to get the opinion or assistance of a more experienced colleague when I am unsure of anything.

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I was given my current position on our unit (L&D, PP, Nursery, Gyn, and Peds) as a new grad. My orientation was 12 weeks for the floor (PP, Nursery, Gyn, and Peds) and then about 4 weeks or so of L&D (in that time I think I did somewhere around 15 deliveries - very very busy with deliveries for our hospital!. In order to be "fully oriented" to L&D, all of the older nurses have to be okay with it - if anyone thinks you are not ready to "do it on your own" you have more training.) Since then, I have been "on my own" with labor/courtesy checks. However, all of the older girls have said time and again if I have a question to just call them! Usually though there are at least two of us here when we have a labor pt - always if they're active. If I question my exam, I just have the other nurse check. Never be afraid to ask questions!!!

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Do some hospitals really do L&D orientation for 6 months!?! I am a new grad with nursing being my second career. I am almost done with orientation, and I am really nervous about being on my own for labor and delivery. I had 5 weeks orientation in postpartum, will have 8 weeks total in L&D (am currently on my 7th week), and then I get 2 weeks on the peds/women's med-surg wing. I was hired primarily for L&D. I am confident about PP and think I will be fine on peds/women. I just don't feel prepared in L&D yet. My PP orientation was supposed to be only 4 weeks but got extended by a week. That's a long story, but now of course I wish any extensions were placed in the L&D section of my orientation rather than postpartum. However, it seems I have used up my grace week, and I am out of luck with my L&D orientation. So many people tell me it takes a year to really feel comfortable and that I can always ask for help when I am off orientation. However, I am getting mixed messages about that since I have also heard that I need to function just like anyone else on the unit once I am done with orientation. My previous career was in information systems, and I worked in corporate training for several of the later years in that career before I took time off with my kids. I know enough about adult education to know there is a learning curve and I will NOT be as efficient as the experienced nurses who have 5, 10 , or 20 years under their belt after I have just had 8 weeks of orientation. Most of the nurses are nice, but I do often get that underlying sense that some nurses think I am stupid when I don't know something that is new to me. Maybe it is just my pride that is wounded because I have always been competent in my previous career and in nursing school. From these message boards, I guess every new grad tends to feel overwhelmed and incompetent. However, I want to be SAFE, and I am just concerned that I may be thrown into L&D before I really have a handle on it. Any words of wisdom or encouragement would be much appreciated.

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I just started my orientation on L&D and my orientation is full time, 40 hours per week!! I feel it is not enough at all, especially when your a new grad and you have to learn to scrub or circulate in the OR and recovery in OB PACU as well. I wish my orientation was 6 months!!

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Specializes in Labor and Delivery.

HI! I've found that some hospitals hire GN's and some don't, so its all about just looking around in your area. In regards to orientation ours is 7-7.5 months, this is on a high risk unit. We're expected to orient to labor, triage, pacu, circulating, and scrubbing (we rarely have to scrub though since we have an OR tech on each shift). I thought it was such a long time at first, but I'm six months in and a little nervous about being on my own :uhoh21: :no::chuckle:chuckle

Good luck to you!

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Specializes in Labor and Delivery.
spin-off of this question: I'm not a new grad, I have adult med/surg experience. How long would my orientation be? Same as the new grads? Thanks.

The nurses that come to our L&D with a year or more of previous floor nursing experience get 4-4.5 months of orientation.

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