Any OR nurses that successfully transferred into L&D?

[YelenaRN1]

Hi all! I am in need of some encouragement . I currently have two years experience as a circulating nurse in the operating room. Although I am not completely miserable in my job and my work as a OR nurse has been an incredible opportunity, I find myself emotionally dissatisfied with the line of work I am doing. I am looking to transition into women's health, which was originally my area of interest all throughout nursing school. The dilemma I find myself in now is that most position within this specialty require experience and I somewhat feel that my OR nursing skills are not marketable to OB positions (of course other than the ability to scrub and circulate C/S)

Are there any nurses out there that transferred to L&D from the OR? If so what are some qualities of OR nursing that you felt helped you in your transition? Also how long did it take you to find your current position?

P.S.. I tried to do an internal transfer at my current hospital and even had an interview that went very well. But in the end they denied my transfer d/t not wanting to "step on anyones toes" as the surgery department and L&D unit are closely related and we sometime send staff up there for their sections so the managers know each other well.

Thanks in advance!

[not2bblue]

I did. I hated the OR. They have an internship at my hospital for non experienced in labor. The OR in l&d is different too but since we only do a few types of surgeries very few of the nurses worked OR prior.

I would talk to HR if that is the reason they gave you for not hiring you because that seems a littllllle immoral if not illegal. Denying you a job not to hurt the managers feelings? What?? Look at other hospitals if that is the case. The ORs are closed in my unit (no floating in or out of our unit) and the specialty is different. Sorry they wouldn't give you a chance.

[nursenursingnursed]

I'm not sure if my comment will get transferred to another threat but I'll take my chances. I am looking into applying to OR or L&D. I have taken a year off and the last place I worked in was the NICU. Can anyone share their experiences with me to help me decide where I'd feel is best for me. I know I won't really know unless I try it out but understanding other's experiences may help me out. Thank you.

Yelena, were you able to apply at another hospital?

[ctsurgeryscrubrn]

I'm not sure if my comment will get transferred to another threat but I'll take my chances. I am looking into applying to OR or L&D. I have taken a year off and the last place I worked in was the NICU. Can anyone share their experiences with me to help me decide where I'd feel is best for me. I know I won't really know unless I try it out but understanding other's experiences may help me out. Thank you.

Yelena, were you able to apply at another hospital?

Nursenursingnursed - Those were my top two choices as well coming out of clinicals as I headed toward graduation! i ultimately went with the O.R. because I applied-for and got accepted to a 12-week perioperative nurse residency program that focused on giving new-grad nurses the exposure (especially with scrubbing) cases in high-acuity specialties - specifically, CT and Neuro. That said, I loved working in L&D and there are so many life-changing moments (for the positive) that you get to experience in that unit that is unparalleled. I don't regret my choice one bit, but I certainly understand the appeal.

My opinion is this...if you want to go for O.R., you have to be very clear with yourself (and others) about what you want to be doing. If not, you will just end up circulating all the time, which I never found appealing. I like being in the field and fighting with the team - you lose that circulating. But, everyone has different motives and ambitions - that was mine.

[email protected]