Confused on how to start a career in OB

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So more than half of my mentors, teachers and friends are telling me to start in Med/Surg (which is where I work now as a tech while I finish school), because it's good experience.

However, a handful of trusted advice is coming in that I should go right into my specialty, OB, which I think I am leaning towards because I am never going to get experience with OB situations on med/surg, it's such a unique patient population.

Reading some threads, I am now seeing that it might even work against someone going into Pedi or OB to begin their career in adult care.

Those of you who work in OB, do you have any insight from the inside? Anything you can offer is appreciated!

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Specializes in Adult Stem Cell/Oncology.

I have the same questions and concerns as you. I have my heart set on a job in peds, and am worried that if I start out in adult med-surg, it'll make it that much harder to get a job in peds in the future. Every job posting I've seen always says "one or more years of experience in (insert specialty here) required" which is why I'm trying so hard to get into peds.....

If you're already working in a hospital as a tech, can't you apply to an OB position as an internal applicant? Do you know any nurses on the L&D floor? If not, maybe go and introduce yourself to the charge nurse and ask her if and when they'll be hiring new grads.

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Specializes in Cardiac.

I'd say if its what you want to do.Do it! These jobs are so hard to come by and if you get the opportunity, go for it. Also, you might get labeled as the Med/Surg nurse or the cardiac nurse and it'll be that much harder to break into the field after your "experienced."

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Specializes in L&D,Wound Care, SNC.
I'd say if its what you want to do.Do it! These jobs are so hard to come by and if you get the opportunity, go for it. Also, you might get labeled as the Med/Surg nurse or the cardiac nurse and it'll be that much harder to break into the field after your "experienced."

True, but I am now dealing with the opposite problem. I went straight into L&D 5 years ago thinking I would never want to switch specialties. I am a military spouse and we have just relocated. Due to childcare issues, my daughter starting kindergarten in the fall, and my husband getting ready to be gone for 6 months, a 12 hr hospital job with call will not work for my family. There are L&D jobs here, but they are nights which is especially not going to work for my family. So here I am with 5 years L&D experience and finding it just as hard to break into other fields. I LOVE labor and delivery and maybe in 5 years when my husband gets out of the military I can go back. :crying2:

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I wish my hospital had an L&D floor. We are all adult care. The company has a few hospitals in my city so I can stay with the company and transfer to another hospital but right now there are no positions open. I'm hoping to get an externship in OB and I'm working on getting all my letters of recommendation. I'm torn because I love my hospital and I know they will want me to work there but I really want to be in OB and I don't want to waste time in med/surg when I already know where I want to be. It's a contradiction to what most people say, "get your med surg experience before you specialize." Idk if that's best if your specialty isn't adult care...

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In L&D most pts are young and healthy, but you get a few sick ones. We had one with an NG d/t GI issues, and some of the L&D nurses had never worked with one and were quite intimidated. I had two years of med-surg, and I had no problem with it. Our L&D also does the GYN surgeries, and we had a pt. go into CHF. With a pure L&D history, it would be hard to care for that patient.

In nursing school that was my plan, 2 yrs med-surg and then L&D, and it's really helped me with our sick moms. Med-surg wasn't what I wanted to do, but it built my confidence as a nurse.

Also, someday I might move, and perhaps there is no L&D position where I move. When you're a new nurse, and you can't put in a catheter, people are willing to help. When you've been a nurse for 15 years and have problems, it's embarrassing. Male catheters look easy, but if he's got a large prostate or a limp manhood, they can be tricky.

Anyway, that's my :twocents:.

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I had the same questions, but in the end it didn't matter! I applied to all the open L&D/Maternity Care New Grad positions that I could, but didn't get an interview for one. I also really only wanted to work at the hospital where I'm currently training to be an IBCLC because they're the only hospital in the area that's even trying to be Baby Friendly. Sadly, they had nothing open in Women's Services. So, I applied to some Adult Medicine positions and got one! I think that I'll be a really good fit for the floor and I know I'll learn a lot that will benefit me in the future.

I also have experience as a doula and am studying to be an IBCLC, so I'm getting my mom/baby experiences in other ways.

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Specializes in Cardiac.

Good Luck! Your doula and IBCLC experience will build your resume and you'll be a great OB nurse someday!

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Good Luck! Your doula and IBCLC experience will build your resume and you'll be a great OB nurse someday!

Thanks! I'm thinking that I will probably just go straight to midwifery school and not do L&D since I think being an L&D nurse would drive me :uhoh3:. The "plan" is to work my Adult Medicine job for a year and then do Lactation Consulting while I'm in Midwifery school.

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you usually need L&D experience to apply for CNM programs

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you usually need L&D experience to apply for CNM programs

Generally you do, I have a pretty significant background in women's health and health-care and feel comfortable applying without it at this point in time. The programs I'm interested in all say they prefer L&D, but there are nurses in the programs without L&D experience. We shall see!

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It's usually quite easy to pick out the new CNMs who have experience as an L&D nurse and the ones who do not... Just sayin!

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