doula experience helps an RN get job in L and D?

[thekid]

I understand the current requirements to get into L and D is previous experience.. what about doula experience? Would this help at all or at least help one get to know the staff at a hospital?

[klone, MSN, RN]

Requirements to get in depends totally upon the hospital. Some hospitals do hire new grads or are willing to train an RN who has never worked in OB. It's more difficult right now in this economy, but they're around (my hospital just hired 3 new grads). For those hospitals, I would think that experience as a doula may help, because you're more familiar with the culture and some of the lingo, and you may already have a relationship with some of the staff (although, considering a few of the doulas we see, that could be a negative as well as a positive).

As far as those hospitals that do require experience, they want RNs who have OB experience. Being a doula would not meet those requirements, because a doula is not an OB nurse.

[arabianeyez83]

Are doulas too pushy or something, why am I always reading negative things about doulas?

[bagladyrn, RN]

Are doulas too pushy or something, why am I always reading negative things about doulas?

Some doulas are excellent and a pleasure to work with. Others do not seem to know, or choose to ignore the boundaries of their position. Some seem to promote an adversarial position and appear to see themselves as "defending" the laboring woman from the OB staff. This type often seem to be promoting some agenda of their own, even to the extent of one that I personally saw walk out and leave in the middle of one young woman's labor because the patient decided that she needed the help of medication.

[CEG]

It can help or hinder. Some units are more supportive of doulas than others. Personally, I would take the fact that a unit was unsupportive of doulas as a sign that I wouldn't want to work there. In an environment like a birth center (not a hospital unit but an actual birthing center) doula experience would definitely give you an advantage over another new grad.

[cayenne06, MSN, CNM]

I want to get a job in L&D, but I am nervous because I feel like my past experience could work for or against me, depending on the hospital. I was a licensed non-nurse midwife (still am, but inactive) and I did home and birth center births. I am afraid that someone might think that I wouldn't/couldn't be supportive of women who are getting epidurals, c/s etc. Which of course is far from the truth.

[cjcsoon2bnp, MSN, RN, NP]

I think that having experience as doula would help you get an OB job at a hospital only if you have used your time as a doula to network with the nursing staff and have shown yourself to be an asset to the staff and to the mothers whom you are serving. Yes you have some insight into the culture and a more comfortable with pregnant women then the average new grad. but you will not have more OB nursing experience then the average new grad. So to answer your question, yes it may help if you were good at your job as a doula and well received by the nursing staff at the hospital in question but otherwise your the same as any other new grad. Whether they choose to hire you will be more dependent upon your academic performance, interview skills and the institutions policy and official position on hiring new grads into these positions.

!Chris

[cjcsoon2bnp, MSN, RN, NP]

I want to get a job in L&D, but I am nervous because I feel like my past experience could work for or against me, depending on the hospital. I was a licensed non-nurse midwife (still am, but inactive) and I did home and birth center births. I am afraid that someone might think that I wouldn't/couldn't be supportive of women who are getting epidurals, c/s etc. Which of course is far from the truth.

If I were you, I would use your past experience as a non-nurse midwife as a selling point. You are not only comfortable with pregnant women and know their needs but you understand the need for further education. I would say that in your quest to constantly improve and build upon your practice you have returned to school to become a nurse thereby establishing your medical and nursing knowledge so that you can better serve this particular population. If an interviewer asks you about your position on women getting epidurals and c-sections and such then answer the question honestly and share the fact that you support the mother's right to choose. Otherwise, if the interviewer doesn't ask about it then don't bring it up, they might not be focusing on that. I think that with your experience as a midwife (which is on a different level then being a doula) it would probably put you a step ahead of many other new-grad applicants. Just try to remember to always keep the interview process professional, make sure that you let the interviewer know that while you may encourage pregnant women to labor naturally you will always support their decision to use an epidural and you will always provide all mothers and families the best care possible.

!Chris