Delivery Hospital vs Children's Hospital

[Krystljoy]

Is one or the other better for a new grad? I have already accepted a job in a delivery hospital, but I was offered a job in a Children's hospital as well. Do you get more experience with sicker babies in a Children's hospital? I always wanted to be around deliveries, which is one reason I chose the delivery hospital. Do many of you attend deliveries, and is that a good reason to choose a delivery hospital? Thanks! I was just curious what everyone though.

[RainDreamer, BSN, RN]

Either of them could give you really great experience, just depends on what kind of NICUs they are.

I work in a delivery hospital .... we have a level III that does everything the Children's hospital does (surgeries, cardiacs, ECMO, etc), we don't fly anything out. We have sick kids born at our facility and we have sick kids flown to us. If it's a cardiac and/or known surgical case, then mom is transported to us before the birth. If it's a really sick kid that's being transported to us, in need of ECMO support, then one of our neos will fly out to transport the kid back to our unit.

As far as deliveries, they still scare the crap outta me!! We have a high risk nurse that goes to all high risk deliveries and they're accompanied by a neo, an NNP, or a resident. If it's a major high risk delivery like a rough cardiac kid or a micropremie, then the high risk nurse will take along a few extra nurses, an RT (or 2), and the docs/NNPs.