ER to Labor and Delivery

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

Hello everyone,

I'm a new graduate and have been a nurse in the Emergency Department for about 8 months. I have enjoyed it but Im considering other options after my year there is complete. I've always been drawn to labor and delivery, but at this point I feel like I've lost the little textbook knowledge I had and would truly be starting from scratch.

Has anyone transitioned smoothly from the ER setting to Labor and delivery? If not, what was your experience? Do you personally recommend it? Thanks! :)

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I work with some former ER nurses and they are wonderful. I've personally only ever worked in maternal-child nursing, so I can't speak from personal experience.

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Specializes in ER.

I think it would be a great fit.

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The little bit of text book knowledge is nothing compared to what you'll learn on the unit. I am a 1 yr LDRP nurse and waited nearly 11 yrs in ICU before I made the switch. I realized change is hard and wish I had made the switch earlier. I'm a mom first and nurse is down the line, this is what worked best for our family. Good luck!!

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I was an ER nurse for 3 years and transitioned to LandD nursing a year-and-a-half ago. It was a fairly seemless transition and I've always said reminds me a lot of the ER. You can have one assignment and a placental abruption walks off the elevator and you go into critical care/OR mode, that feels a lot like a code in the ER. That being said, ER nursing was invaluable, in that it taught me how to think critically (physiologically-what's going on with the momma/baby?), how to prioritize care, and how not to panic when things get crazy (I.e. a "bad baby who needs some sort of resuscitation after a shoulder dystocia, or a postpartum hemorrhage). It is a specialty and has a language that you have to learn, but that's nursing. It doesn't matter what you remember from nursing school. You'll learn it in greater detail. I'm in a small community hospital (500+ births per year) so I've been fortunate enough to work as a labor nurse and postpartum nurse. Both different with different challenges but very rewarding. I always say that in the ER- you often meet patients on the worst day of their lives. In LandD- the worst day of their lives becomes their best. Good luck!

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