All Ob/gyn Nurses.... Pleeeeeeease Help!

byrdgirl210 · Dec 4, 2003

ALSO... IS AN OB/GYN NURSE A LABOR&DELIVERY NURSE? IF NOT, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

TO THOSE WHO TAKE THE TME TO ANSWER MY QUESTIONS... I THANK YOU SO MUCH IN ADVANCE FOR MAKING A BIG DIFFERENCE IN MY LIFE!

justjenny · Dec 6, 2003

I just wanted to mention that you should contact your local hospital and inquire about either volunteering opportunites and/or some kind of "job shadowing" of an RN, if possible.

I decided that I wanted to become a L&D nurse, too.... but I have decided to keep an open mind and explore all the possibilities of nursing.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think an OB nurse would either (1) work at a Dr. office (so, no you are not with the babies) or (2) work on the OB/GYN floor (yes, you would be with the babies if you are on the OB side..... the GYN side would be "womens health" ie: med/surg type stuff I guess..)

You can specifically be a "nursery" nurse. At least in my area... I have looked in the Sunday Classifieds and the larger hospitals hire specifically for the nursery. You may think it would be "fun" to work with the babies, etc. and it has got to be one of the most rewarding jobs I can think of... but just make sure you want to work in that kind of environment for the *right* reasons..... babies *do* get very sick....

I think you mentioned the PICU.... and I'm not sure that you can work in one right out of school.

Clear as mud??? LOL! HTH and I hope someone can explain a little better than I.

Jenny

NurseMegA · Dec 7, 2003

OB-Gyn Nursing actually encompasses several things. Yes you can work as an OB nurse in a doctors office. In the hospital setting OB nurses will work Labor and Delivery, Post Partum (after the baby is born), Intrapartum (preterm labor, sick pregnant women), Nursery (with the babies if the hospital has a separate nursery). Some hospitals have a seperate Gyn floor where they do Hysterectomies and other Gynecological Surgeries.

A neonatal nurse usually refers to a nurse that works in the Neonatal Intensive Care with the sick newborns. Though some refer to the nurses that work in a Newborn Nursery for healthy babies a neonatal nurse as well..

Hope that clarifies a little.

I agree with a previous poster. Many OB floors utilize student volenteers. It might be a good experience for you.

BabiNuRsE · Feb 17, 2004

Hey everybody-After i graduate from highschool, i would like to become a OB nurse. But now im kinda confused:uhoh3: .Does an OB nurse work in the newborn nursery in the hospital, taking care of the healthy newborns after birth and the mother? -Thank you in advance

BabiNuRsE · Feb 17, 2004

If you would please PM me the information, id appreciate it. If not dont worry about it. -Thanks

suzanne4, RN · Feb 17, 2004

Labor and Delivery nurses work in Labor and Delivery, where babies are born.

Some hospitals actualy have what they call LDRPs. The mother actually goes through labor, delivers the baby, and stays in this room for the duration of her admission. This depends on what your hospital offers.

In units that have the baby room in with the mother, the same nurse is responsible for the care of the mother and baby.

A Neonatal nurse is usually what we call the nurse that works in a Neonatal

ICU taking care of very ill or premature infants. You will only take care of one or two babies at a time. If they are what they call feeder/growers then you would possible have three or four infants to be responsible for.

Most hospitals have Obstetrics separate form Post-Partum. If a woman comes in to deliver and has a still-born baby, you would not wnat to put her on a unit with mothers with healthy babies, as an example. Patients having hysterectomies would go to the GYN unit.

So OB/GYN nurse is basically the title of the nurse who works in the physician's office, who specializes in Ob/Gyn,

Hope that this helps the students out there.

Good luck with your future schooling........

BETSRN · Feb 18, 2004

There are many thypes of OB units, depending on the philosophy of the hospital. The old fashioned" way (and still the way many places) is to have three totally separate staffs in OB (a nursery, a labor area and a post partum unit). In my opinion, those units are becoming less and less popular because of the growing feeling that mothers and babies shuld be kept together as much as possible. I have worked in three different facilities (the most recent for 15 years now) and our unit is the type where all of us nurses do all three areas and have to be competent in all to work there. It's the best way for the families.

I tell any promising nursing student to get a good all round nursing education and then specialize after working on a med-surg floor, where you really learn to prioritize and get well rounded experience with many disease processes.

I know many will disagree with me here, but OB is a specialty unto itself and also NOT an exact science (it can't be). You need all the broad experience you can get.

Good luck.