Advice for new L&D Nurse

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Hi. I will be starting in L and D next month and, while it is what I've always wanted to do, I am SCARED. I am coming from an ICU and med/surg background and just don't know what to expect. Does anyone have any advice as to how to prepare myself? Any books or guides I should read? Any insider tips? Thanks so much.

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Specializes in Cardiac.

Join AWHONN, you will get lots of info there. Good Luck, i'm so jealous BTW.

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Specializes in OB/women's Health, Pharm.

Being scared is GOOD. L&D is an intense job with lots of responsibility and need for you to use more judgment than average, but is also a very, very fulfilling place to work. You will have butterflies in your stomach when you go to work for the first 18 months or so. I would be frightened of ANY nurse who went into this and who was not at least a bit scared; it would mean he or she has no clue at all.

I would suggest that you attend a childbirth education conference or read up a LOT on labor support. That will give you some skills to help your clients cope, and will help you feel less powerless about doing something for women in labor. Even though most women end up with an epidural, there are times when wither they deliver quickly or anesthesia is tied up and they have to cope. Knowing how to help them do so is an important skill in L&D.

By the way, while epidurals take away pain, they DO NOT take away fear of the unknown or anxiety in labor, so please, spend time with your patients and their families providing emotional support and lots of explanations and teaching. Please don't do what I have seen at least some L&D nurses do: get an epidural in by 2-3 cm., tell the patient she should sleep, close the door, and deliver care by watching the monitor and documenting from the conference room. Nurse then pops her head in the door once an hour. This is definitely easier on the nurse, but the woman gets cheated.

Women in labor need your poresence and your human touch, and will rememeber you years later if you are the one that honored this very big event in their lives and made it less scary.

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Specializes in new hire on L&D.

I just got hired in L&D as well!!! I'm a new grad first job and I'm nervous too like sick to my stomach but ill def take the advice given above thank you :)

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I'll definitely take the above advice as well. I haven't gotten a job yet, but L&D is where I'd like to work. It was absolutely the best clinical experience I had throughout nursing school.

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