Fetal Heart Monitoring

[jcecere]

I am still in nursing school and will be finishing in May 2014. I really want to be a labor and delivery nurse and was wondering if 1. I could talk a fetal heart monitoring class before I was an RN. And 2. If it is worth it to do that for my resume to look better.

[NBSAlvarez]

Hi! To answer your question, I don't think you will be able to take the fetal heart monitoring because you need a minimum of 2yrs experience. If you do find a class, it might be a class not a certification.

I do suggest that you do take BLS and ACLS. Employers really do look at that.

[BuckRN]

AWHONN has a basic fetal monitoring class online that provides a certificate of completion at the end. This could be helpful in a portfolio to present at an interview. I am an experienced nurse so the situation isn't exactly the same, but when I recently interviewed for the L&D position that I got hired for, my portfolio included the AWHONN Basic Fetal Monitoring course completion certificate, BLS, ACLS, and NRP certifications, and 3 letters of recommendation. S.T.A.B.L.E. is another certification that a lot of L&D units require for their nurses. However, be aware that doing all of these things will cost you a good deal of money. I have always wanted to be an L&D nurse. It's the reason I went to nursing school, however, I have been a nurse for 4 years and just now got my L&D job. I truly believe that my experience as a cardiac nurse is invaluable as I start in L&D. Don't get discouraged if you can't get your dream job right out of school. Sometimes things work out better than you could have planned!