Anyone REGRET going into L&D as a new grad??

iteachob, MSN, RN · Jan 6, 2009

If it is what you want to do........no, I don't think you will regret "missing" the med-surg experience. Myself, I began in obstetrics (mostly Postpartum) and then transferred into an NICU position. Never, and I mean never, have I regretted not working in med-surg. This was galvanized for me when I once served as clinical instructor for a group of fundamentals students.

I'm not saying that they are not out there, but I personally have not met someone who began in L&D and regretted not working med-surg (I graduated in 1983....it's been awhile).

pink85 · Jan 7, 2009

Ok. I might fall into this category! I had two favorites when I was in nursing school. L&D and pediatrics. I hated to hear people say that you should start out in med/surg b/c I felt like I was NEVER going to do med surg so what would be the point. Let me tell you... You never know what life is going to hand you. I thought I would DIE first before doing med/surg. Especially adult care. Well, I have done L&D, newborn, NICU and then ended up for a short while doing inpatient corrections! (I won't get into how all that happened, long story) Anyway, I am now doing school nursing full time and also work in adult critical care. After about 7 months I got bored with L&D. Seemed like the same thing over and over so I went into pediatrics. Our pediatrics unit shrunk into a 4 bed area and it got rather boring b/c we took care of the basics.. r/o sepsis, asthma, RSV, some teen mvc's, etc... Nothing mentally stimulating. While all around me were these adult critical care nurses (we shared a floor) that were SO smart and getting to really get ino the nitty gritty of nursing! So.. I felt like I was really missing out and that I was stagnant. I am the type of person that loves to learn new things so I made the big jump and into adult cardiac critical care and I love it! The one thing I realized through this nursing career journey I have had is that when I was in L&D I was missing out on a lot of nursing experiences and knowledge and I didn't realize it until I left L&D. Pregnant women can have a lot of medical history before they get pregnant too. You will have such a heads up if you know about other medical conditions and can apply that in L&D. One of our critical care nurses went to L&D about 2 years ago and she loves it. The other nurses really look up to her b/c she is the one who knows what to do in a code or a crisis. She is really an asset to that department and has taught them a lot. My advice, for whatever it is worth, is to do critical care or med/surg first. It will also open up a lot of doors for you. If you have med surg experience you can work just about anywhere (Ican't even believe I can say this now!) but if you have L&D experience that is about what you are limited to. That is why it is hard to get a job in that area. Those nurses never leave! If they do leave it is to do L&D somewhere else.

Just my opinion...Hope it helps and at least gives you something to think about. Best of luck to you!

SmilingBluEyes · Jan 7, 2009

No I do not regret doing this.

The learning curve is sharp in any area of nursing a new graduate enters. INCLUDING med-surg, which is a speciality all in its own right.

GO for what you want and good luck.

PinkPeony7 · Jan 7, 2009

Its probably a bit premature for me to give my input on this seeing that I just finished my third day of orientation today, but here goes nothing :) I am passionate about birth and women's health. I can't get enough of it. I am absolutely fascinated by it. Now that I'm done with nursing school and will actually have free time, I plan on doing a lot of reading in the area (I have a long list thanks to the suggestion thread in this forum). The last three days i have been in a classroom learning about normal pregnancy and birth and am now geting into some complications with our unit's CNS. For me, I can't see this ever getting old. I hope that my insatiable interest translates into me becoming a good nurse.

Nursing is a second career for me. I used to work in a laborotory environment that was truly the same monotonous stuff day after day. I never looked forward to working. I think its important to follow your passion, because you will spend a huge chunk of your life working. You might as well enjoy it.

Good luck with school :wink2:

cnm in progress · Jan 7, 2009

I can't say that I regret not doing med-surg, but now that I am pursuing an advanced practice degree, I think it's a little more difficult. I keep thinking, "If only I'd done a year or two of med-surg, this would have stuck in my head a little better & I wouldn't be relearning so much." Don't get me wrong...the knowledge is there...but it's buried DEEP and I really have to dig to get to some of it :wink2:

emptybee · Jan 8, 2009

Thank you everyone for your input! I have decided to take the L&D position! Although, the pay is less, it is what I really want to do! I am in the process of taking a basic fetal monitoring class and getting my NRP certification now! I eventually want to become a lactation consultant and later on in the future get my NP in women's health or midwifery. I think this position will help get started with those goals! Thank you again for your opinions, they were things that I definitely wanted to hear before making this decision!

SmilingBluEyes · Jan 8, 2009

I wish you the best of luck. Remember, our forum is here to help you on your way to becoming an excellent L and D nurse, when you need us. Congratulations to you!

PLFRN · Jan 31, 2009

I absolutely do not regret going straight to L & D. I have loved every minute of it, although there have been some scary minutes at that. I will say, that what I wasn't prepared for was how critical care L & D is and how things can just change on a dime, but I was always able to handle things well and appropriately. Be prepared for a fast paced enviroment where you may have to adapt quickly and stand your ground w/the docs. It's great creating life long memories!

erjunkie8 · Feb 23, 2009

I was offered a position in L&D as a new GN. I started working there as a Senior Nurse Tech which helped get my foot in the door. I had 11yrs ED experience and was looking for a change. I have learned so much and am happy with the decision I have made. I have seen where there are some of the older nurses who had to start in med/surg and work their way up be a little resentful of me just walking on. In time they will get over it :)

I think that the most important thing to remember is that L&D has a very low turn over rate. Most nurses who go into L&D don't leave thus the limited positions available. To me that is reassuring of a positve work environment.

If you ever wanted to try something else aside from Maternal/Newborn nursing you have already learned so much about OB/GYN you are open to many options. You aren't so specialized you couldn't do perinatal high risk, NICU, post partum, OB/GYN med-surg, GYN oncology and even Infertility. You still have many options if this becomes something you decide later you don't want to do.

kuhkie1 · Feb 23, 2009

I never regret going right into L&D right from school. I was lucky, and was a CNA on my unit, transitioned into NE, Grad Nurse-RN. I have always known that this was were I wanted to be-I think with any specialty you either love it-or not:redbeathe. Some people who are not quite sure really value the experience they got from a Med Surg unit.

rn4babies63 · Feb 24, 2009

I don't regret going into L&D as a new grad. It's been 13 years for me. I worked L&D at 3 differant hospitals and couldn't imagine doing anything else. We recently had a new grad that worked on our unit for 1 year and left to a new cardiac intensive care unit. She hated OB. However, she had no problem getting hired into a differant specialty despite her lack of med/surg experience. So far, she states she loves it there! Our unit has 40 nurses and over 1/2 have been there for over 20 years, many much longer. It's gotta be in your blood!