Advice-New to L&D

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Hi! I will keep this short and simple. I have been nursing for three years, but I am new to L&D and after 1 month I feel I am slow to grasp the concept of lady partsl exams. I'm okay with fetal tracing and interpretation and other things so far but I am not doing well on my lady partsl exams. Due to this, I am finding myself nervous to go to work and also hopeless. I know L&D is where I want to be. Have anyone else experience this and if so, what measures did you take to overcome it?

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Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.

This is very very common. The best thing to do is to just keep doing them. For me it was truly a lightbulb moment. Until you have it figured out, just make sure you have another nurse check after you.

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Thanks! Nice to know that it is common. I was getting a little hopeless especially the way some of my coworkers respond to the fact that I haven't grasp SVEs yet after a month. I plan to do just that-keep doing them,discuss my interpretation and ask my preceptor to check behind me.

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Specializes in OB.

Anyone who tries to imply that you should have your VE skills down pat after a month is probably insecure themselves and just trying to feel superior. You have a good plan for how to improve, and you will just "get it" eventually, I promise.

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Hi, I've worked med-surg for 10 years and I'm ready for a change. I think I'd like to do labor and delivery. Any tips on how to make the transition/find work?

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SVEs can take time to really master. There are several blogs out there that can add the personal experience/tips/tricks of current L&D nurses to your preexisting experience/textbook info. If you haven't already, take some time to cruise L&D nursing blogs for advice in addition to getting feedback from your preceptors. Here's one of my favorites to get you started.

The Mystery That Is The Cervix – Cervix With A Smile

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