Best hospitals for working postpartum or mother baby

[oluchika]

Hi,

I'm thinking about moving the the D.C area within the next 6 months or so. I have family in the area and loved it when I visited earlier this year. I have 4 years experience, 1.5 yrs in intermediate/step-down and 2.5 yrs postpartum where I work currently. I'm hoping to find a postpartum or mother baby position. My current hospital has the newborn nursery and postpartum units as separate entities so I do not have any experience caring for newborns other than helping mothers breastfeeding, changing diapers, etc. I am looking for some insight into the better hospitals for this specialty. My current hospital is magnet designated.

I would also be okay with looking into hospitals in surrounding cities around the D.C. area in Maryland or Virginia. I don't know much about the area, so any suggestions about places that would be safe for a single female with no kids and a dog would be greatly appreciated! I would like to be near an area that has things to do, parks, outdoor activities, etc.

Thanks in advance for any help/advice provided!

[Divatologist, ADN]

You definitely should apply to many different hospitals in the area. You should also look into applying on USAJOBS - The Federal Government's Official Jobs Site

The government job benefits are awesome! You can also look at the state jobs. The state jobs usually place you in prisons and mental hospitals though. I can't tell you about the best for L&D or mother/baby though. I hope you have started the process of getting a DC license. It can take about a month to get one. Most nurses in this area have 2 licenses. I have a MD license as well. It's great because MD is a compact state. So, I can use it in VA and Delaware and vice versa because they are compact states as well. DC wants their money though LOL! I would suggest getting both.

I love it here!! I live in MD. This is basically a tri-state area. That's why we refer to this area as the DMV (DC MD & VA). DC folks hate that though lol. No matter where you live in this area, you won't be far from something to do. The farther you get from DC, the cheaper it will be. When you move here, you will get use to "the commute". So, folks in this area are use to it taking an hour or more to get somewhere. When looking for a place to live, always check out the place on something like google maps to see what is close to you in that area. You also want to check the crime report in that area and if you can, drive by that area late at night. Right now, DC is going through some serious gentrification. Many of the areas in DC are crazy expensive! It's not worth it to me. PG County MD probably has the worst rep in the area behind Baltimore. There are some questionable areas in PG, but there are some very nice areas as well. I live in Laurel (PG County). It use to be the cheap place to live, but not so much now lol. I love it here because it's close to 95 and the BW Parkway. I'm halfway between DC and Baltimore. It use to be quiet and slow, but they have built so many houses and apts that it takes you 20 mins to go around the corner now! Ugh! LOL! Places as far out as Glen Burnie are considered cheaper, but they are really building up the area. So, I suspect that will also change. It's great if you can live around the corner from your job, but don't miss out on a great opportunity for a few extra miles. You have people that drive in from Richmond, Va and Philly to work in DC every day. So if you're thinking of living around WHC, expect to pay a pretty penny. The best thing to keep in mind is what you require to live and how close it needs to be. You also need to consider what area you are comfortable living in and how important it is that it's cost effective, but also safe. I'm close to the main highways. I'm close enough to the metro and the marc train. I have a Walmart and a Chipotle lol. My apt complex is quiet and safe. Life is good. If you love shopping, then you will love the DMV! You have any and everything your lil shopping heart desires. Everything from the Hermes boutique to the flea market, we got you covered here. Don't forget that you're close to NYC too!

There is always something to do here!!! I am a music lover and I could see a show every night if I wanted to and I'm talking about well known artists. You have all the sports you could want here if you're into that. Don't forget how close you'll be to Philly and NYC. It's nothing for me to jump in the car and hit Philly (about an hour and half drive) or NYC (about a 4 hr drive). You can also jump on the Bolt or Megabus if you don't want to drive and pay all those tolls. You can usually get a $30 or cheaper round trip ticket to NYC if you purchase them a few weeks in advance. Folks usually catch the morning bus and stay all day and catch the last bus back (usually leaves around 11p). Now that I have the EZ-Pass, I just drive up and come back when I feel like it. The bus is great and cheap, but I might not be ready to go back at 11p LOL! There are so many places to go and so much to do every day of the week. Being close to other big cities in other states is a definite plus, especially when you want a change of scenery. Popular places to hang out here are the national harbor, Georgetown, U St in DC, The harbor in Baltimore and so many other places. If you like gambling and the casino life, you have Maryland Live, Laurel racetrack, Pimlico races in Bmore, and the MGM Grand that's opening soon at the national harbor. There's some places in West Virginia too. You're also not far from Atlantic City. You have so many events and festivals too. There's something for everybody.

Traffic sucks! It's a pain whether you drive or take the metro. There are a few toll roads that supposedly offer a quicker commute. If you think that you'll be driving up north a lot or you have a toll road near you that makes the commute easier, then I suggest you look into getting an EZ-Pass. The traffic from Laurel to DC is horrible in the am and worse in the pm. You can usually get a break in the morning traffic on the weekend, but not so much for the pm traffic. Traffic just sucks here lol. That's why I said you'll get use to it taking an hour or more to get somewhere. Driving to Philly or NYC will be no big deal after you've lived here for a while.

Good luck with everything!

[oluchika]

Thank you so much for this info. I agree that I would like to try and balance safety, cost and being close to things to do in my spare time. I have a car so if I had to commute I would be okay with it. Any ideas on surrounding towns/cities that are considered less expensive but still have things to do without having to drive into the D.C area?

[Divatologist, ADN]

You're welcome. An area you might want to check out is the neighborhoods around Indian Head/National Harbor in PG County. That area is growing. I know that Medstar Southern Maryland Hospital Center is out that way, but I'm not sure of any other hospitals except those near Arlington, VA. It's real nice at the harbor. They have events there. The new MGM hotel and entertainment complex will definitely add to that. Also, check out Hanover, MD. That area is growing as well. That's near the University of Maryland Medical Center and the University of MD Baltimore Washington Medical Center. You have everything you need there as far as stores and entertainment. Maryland Live is located there. You may want to check out Columbia, MD too. That's a real nice area. They have a hospital, Howard County Hospital. Don't really hear about a lot happening in Columbia. They do have the Merriweather Post Pavilion. They have a lot of shows there during the spring and summer. It's an outdoor venue. They have the Capital Jazz Fest there every year. Glen Burnie, Clinton and Waldorf are some places to check out too. They are kind of far out and they don't have too much going on, but you may find it cheaper in those areas.

[CodeRed5]

Sibley Memorial in DC and INOVA Fairfax in Va are both really good for labor and delivery and both recently opened up new mother baby units