Pursue the UNIT I Desire to work in or the FACILITY I Desire???

Nurses General Nursing

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As a new grad I desire to work in OB. I do have experience as a summer extern in postpartum/nursery and I now work as a nurse tech in a med/surg unit while finishing up school. HOWEVER, in my area many frown on hiring new grads for Labor & Delivery and Postpartum/Nursery. So here's my question (after already been told at my hospital that it will be VERY hard for me to get in there in OB)......should I go to all local recruiters and hospitals and those within an hour's drive to pursue my OB passion OR should I be pursuing the facility that I prefer instead?

Thing is.......can't honestly agree with the experienced folk that say "you have to have your year in Med-Surg first..." because it's a whole different ball game in L&D/Postpartum - different disease process, different drugs etc. Anyway, doesn't matter if I "agree" or not this is what I'm faced with and it's a bit discouraging. I almost might not have even gone into nursing if I knew I HAD to do wound care and etc on a med surg floor for a year before doing L&D.

Any thoughts appreciated. Thank you!

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I think your answer should be obvious. If L&D is your passion- then why are you listening to the nay-sayers? At least- don't give up before you've even TRIED! No, you probably won't get 100% what you want in your first job- that would be a miracle. It usually takes several tries to find your perfect job. I would say, put in those applications and hold out a while. Why sacrafice a whole YEAR of your life? If, after waiting, you find the answer is no- then do what you have to do. But never take "no" as the end-all answer. It may just be 1 no.

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Thanks much L&DWannabe (I hope you are in L&D now!:wink2:). I just needed a bit of feedback from kinder and more experienced nurses! I hate to have to actually DOUBLE my drive time to work & this winter has been HORRID but....I can't imagine spending as you said a year of my life being bummed out! Again thank you for your quick reply!

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Specializes in Pediatric/Adolescent, Med-Surg.

I agree, do what your driven too. I saw many of my classmates upon graduating take med-surg jobs because "that's what new grads do." That's not what they wanted to do, and they were absolutely miserable. I know that at least as a new grad, I would not have been as happy in med-surg. I say, apply for OB!

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I say go for the unit. You can always come back to the facility you like once you have experience.

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Thanks Christine - I love your cute little emblem! And yes I work with some newer nurses on the med surg floor who also wish they weren't there - how awful. I also loved your quote by Natasha Bedingfield. I'm sorry for whomever you lost LH 1985-2008 - I lost a sister that was 22 to leukemia. Keep working on that BSN it will open doors that the ASN won't I'm afraid. Take care!

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Specializes in Med/Surg, ICU, ER, Peds ER-CPEN.

I say go for the unit you want, I'm a freak of nature, I wanted med/surg and I love med/surg, I detested L&D/MB clinicals, the only OB clinical I like was my 2 days in the NICU but even that would wear thin on me after a while. You never know your dream unit could end up being in a facility that is more disirable than the one you currently work for. It's familiar and has a bit of a safe feeling to it because you've been there for a while, but familiar isn't always best. Good luck!

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Specializes in Rodeo Nursing (Neuro).

I think it depends a bit on why you prefer a particular facility. Drive time is definitely a factor to consider. Some of my coworkers have long commutes. They work 12s to save trips, but then the have 12 hrs work + 2 (or more) hrs drive. I have a 10min commute, and it still seems like when I'm working, all I do is work and sleep. Plus, it seems likely gas will return, eventually, to something like the sky-high prices we've recently seen.

Part of what keeps me where I am is inertia. Easier to stay than change. But on the whole I'm pretty happy with my management and the climate in my workplace. A smaller, community hospital is only about a mile farther to drive, and sounds like an okay place to work, but I haven't been motivated to look at them since I like where I am.

I also would not dismiss the year of med-surg thing. First year is pretty rugged, no matter where you are. I think a lot of people hated med-surg as much for that reason as for med-surg itself. But in the course of all your suffering, you are also developing skills you'll need anywhere. It's a good chance to learn a variety of basic skills and at least a bit about a broad range of disease processes. I'd recommmend med-surg more strongly if you were thinking about ICU or ER, but even in L&D, you're apt to see co-morbidities.

Still, I don't think going straight to L&D would be stupid. I've known people who have gone straight into ICU and done fine. If you're sure the facility is okay, it might make sense to go for it. Only, do keep your eyes open. Is there a reason they're so ready to hire a newbie for a unit where other facilities have a waiting list? Is their turnover really high?

Good luck with whatever you decide.

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