Labor and Delivery Nursing

[pinkbutterfly88]

Hey Everyone,

I'm hoping that someone in here can answer some of my questions and help me out...

I'm in my second year of college and right now I'm just going to a community college basically just getting started. I am really interested in becoming a Labor and Delivery Nurse and I don't know where I'm supposed to start. How long does it take to become one and how many years of school and what specific degrees are needed? I'm so confused because I know theres so many different things that you can do in Nursing because its such a huge category but I want to focus on Labor and Delivery so if anyone knows anything about this....PLEASE HELP :)

Thanks

[shock-me-sane]

You have to go through a nursing program and get a degree. You specialize after you have finished nursing school and taken the state boards.

You'll need to take pre-reqs to get into a nursing program, I don't know if LPN/LVNs are generally in Labor and Delivery, but RNs will work in that area.

Good luck to you!

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

hi, pinkbutterfly88 and welcome to allnurses! :welcome:

you need to read about nursing and what you need to do to become a nurse first on this website: http://www.discovernursing.com/

then, on the same website is information about labor and delivery nursing: http://www.discovernursing.com/jnj-specialtyid_244-dsc-specialty_detail.aspx

you cannot become a labor and delivery nurse until you go to nursing school, take the licensing exam and become licensed as a nurse. then, you find a hospital that is willing to hire and train you to learn labor and delivery nursing. labor and delivery is a specialty within nursing that you can only train for after you get your license to practice. during nursing school you will have a short exposure to obstetrical nursing for a few weeks only as part of the course requirements.