From med surg to labor and delivery career advice

[KMHCO04]

I am a new nurse with only 6 months behind me of med surg. I have recently discovered that med surg is not the place for me due to the fact that I am having a hard time keeping up on the floor. I want to switch to another area but am not sure what would be best labor and delivery or a procedural area such as endo or even surgery. Labor and delivery is where I always wanted to end up but I am now second guessing myself after being told that if I can't keep up on med surg I won't be able to keep up on labor and delivery since the floors are the same. Are the areas really the same in dynamics and pace?

[SOSLN]

On 8/18/2016 at 2:56 PM, NewNurseLat said:

I am sort of in the same boat as you, so I'll share my experience. I have been working for almost 7 months. I work on an acute neuroscience/cardiac floor. The first four months I hated going to work. I got a sick feeling in my stomach every day before my shift. I talked to my anm and she said she felt the same way when she was new. Everyone says to wait at least a year before you feel "good". Well after my conversation with my anm I felt better. Each day seemed better and I felt more competent. (Still asking dumb questions and still praying that my shift that night was going to be a good one but I still better). As my 6 month mark came, I realized this was not where I wanted to be. While I was at work I often was thinking of what it'd be like in a different department and how I was tired of my not sick patients yelling for help with things that they had proven they could do themselves while I have a patient across the hall who's BP is 210/115 ready to stroke out for a second time. With this I knew I needed to change something. I changed my schedule to a better one that opened up. It helped, for awhile, but then I started thinking of other places again.. So I started putting out applications to other departments I felt drawn to. (ER, and L&D) both fast paced, tough departments. Especially for a new nurse. Today I had an interview for an LD position.

the point of my long rambling post... Do what you think will be what for you. Don't let people tell you that you need more experience to really understand what you want. (Of course that's true.. Just like you'll always get more confident with time). Hopefully whatever department you go to will have a more supportive management system that will want to orient a new nurse and be willing to take the time that you need to be proficient to want to stay on their floor. (This position if I get it is 3 months orientation, but will be extended if I need it to be)

I wish you you the best of luck with whatever you to chose to do. Nursing is all around hard no matter where you work. (And trying to figure out what you want to do, I find just as difficult at times!)

So did you get the Job in L&D?

[NewNurseLat]

49 minutes ago, SOSLN said:

So did you get the Job in L&D?

I did! I’ve happily been there for almost 4.5 years and this past year I’ve also started my women’s health NP. I absolutely LOVE labor and delivery and women’s health for sure is my calling 

[SOSLN]

2 hours ago, NewNurseLat said:

I did! I’ve happily been there for almost 4.5 years and this past year I’ve also started my women’s health NP. I absolutely LOVE labor and delivery and women’s health for sure is my calling 

This gives me so much hope! Currently working about 7 months in a medsurg/oncology/palliative care floor and yet I know that this specific floor is not what I want to do for very long but yet I try my best everyday! I am stuck between trying to complete a full year of medsurg experience or try to reach out to the unit director of L&D and see if I could possibly get a position there! Thank you for sharing! You inspired me to try to get the show going!