ER nurse to L&D

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Hey everyone! I have been an ER nurse for 4 years and am going to be making the transition to L&D in the next few months. I have wanted to do L&D all along and am really excited for the opportunity.

I want to be somewhat prepared when I start and I know that I forgot a lot of my OB from nursing school. What books or materials do you recommend I look at prior to starting on the floor?

What other advice do you have for someone coming from ED to L&D. I know they're different worlds!

Thanks in advance!

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Specializes in Pediatric Home Care, Dr Office/Clinic.

Just wanted to say congrats on the switch! I am extremely interested in L & D too! I currently am a CNA on the PTU unit & while I love it here, L & D is definitely where I want to end up once I get my RN. Good luck!

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Specializes in High-risk OB, Labor & Delivery.

Welcome to the amazing world of L&D! I've been an OB RN for 4 years and new to L&D as of this year. I did ER for a few months and can tell you that the pace is similar on L&D -fast-.

One word: NRP. Know it, know it, know it, and know it well. When you see your first blue baby with an Apgar of 1, you need to act fast and know what do to. If you're in California, take the Regional Perinatal Program. It's great, formal training. Other than that, just study your EFM interpretations and what to do for the various FHR decelerations.

I studied for my RNC-OB and that helped me transition to this role. But you need 2 years of OB RN experience before taking your RNC-OB exam (just something to look forward to).

Anyhow, I hope you like OB! I cried at my first delivery, it was so incredibly beautiful, and I'm constantly amazed by birth!

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You're going to love it! Congratulations on this exciting switch. I think you will find that your experience is extremely useful and relevant. One book that I really enjoyed when I was orienting was Intrapartum Management Modules. You can buy it on Amazon. Some of the information is dated, but the majority of it is very relevant/informative! It's a great introduction to all things OB! Good luck!

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Thank you all for your feedback! I'm so excited to get started in L&D!

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