ER nurse to OB nurse...anyone done it?

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Hi,

I was just wondering if anyone has done this and what your experience has been. I have been an ER nurse for 13 years and had recently been thinking about switching to OB. There are several open positions right now. OB was where I always thought I'd be...but I landed in ER and there I have stayed.

Any and all opinions will be welcome.

Thanks,

Wendy

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Specializes in High Risk In Patient OB/GYN.

Oh that's funny...I was thinking about doing the exact opposite--going from OB to ER.

I think it'll be great-especially if you're into sporatic adrenaline pumping (meaning, it can be slow and/or steady....then BAM-maternal hemorrhage, pre eclamptic seizures, baby not breathing, etc).

I'm sure your background will come in handy, as we often have non-pregnancy related issues (mama on a Heparin drip s/p MI, HTN, IDDM, psych, drug abuse/withdrawl, domestic violence, etc).

Good luck!

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Hmmmm, most do the opposite. I have several coworkers who went from OB to ER. I am currently a L&D nurse, but love ER as well. I actually finished posting on one of the new ER threads. I started out in the ER, but the ER I started in was a nightmare (low staff, unsafe pt loads, no preceptor, etc...) that I went back to L&D where I already had a niche (I was an OB scrub tech for years prior to nursing school).

I absolutely love L&D, you probably will as well. ER RN's, in my opinion would make awesome OB nurses, due to the emergency situations that can arise on a regular basis. It is a bit different, we have pt with increased BP's but it is PIH, and is treated with different meds if the liver is involved, etc.

OB is a great place to be, it is just a bit different. The doc's are different, you will bang your head against the wall a bit more. But it really is worth it.

Good luck,

Shannon

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Specializes in L&D all the way baby!.

I haven't done it but we have a nurse on our floor who did. She picked up on everything very quickly and seems to have adjusted to the change with ease. She was one of those who thought she'd end up in L&D but went to ER for four years first.

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I work in a small rural hospital and do both. Actually I do three things. OB, ER and med-surg.

It is doable.

I like ER best . . .I thought I would like OB while I was in school but I don't like the scary stuff, as mentioned above.

Especially in a rural hospital, where you know the mom and dad and you are 70 miles from an NICU.

steph

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thanks for the replies!

i actually thought i'd be an ob nurse years ago. i am in the same boat as someone who replied...small hospital with the nearest NICU at least an hour away by ground.

i love er and feel an intense loyalty there but on the other hand think a change would be nice.

i love to get in on a delivery and have received babies several times.

and we have had the occasional precip with no ob nurse inhouse.

if they happen to be closed, ob is oncall.

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