Graduate Nurse aspiring to be an OB (Labor & Delivery) Nurse

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I am a recent BSN graduate from Michigan (May 2010). I am aspiring to be a Labor & Delivery nurse. I have applied to many positions within MI, WI, TX, DE, & CA with zero luck. My main focus is finding an OB job in WI. This is my absolute dream career; must I wait for my dream job or do you think I am able to get this job right out of nursing school? I need advice, a reality check, or words of wisdom. Any Labor & Delivery Nurse Recruiters out there?

I don't mean to be frustrated, but I feel like not many hospitals want a new graduate nurse, especially one that has zero nursing experience (and no license). I was never a CNA, LPN, or had an externship (mine got canceled a week before it began). Maybe I am being impatient; I graduate in a week. ha.

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Specializes in med/surg/tele/neuro/rehab/corrections.

Good luck to you in your career aspirations. :) Don't give up and keep looking! Maybe you could work on a different unit while you get some experience and then transfer to the L&D unit when a position opens up.

The Army or Navy is always willing to take a new BSN grad and will train. :)

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Specializes in Psych, LTC, Acute Care.

Its hard to say, but I know in NC, its hard to get L&D position in the hospital as a new grad. There are at least 2-3 people on my neuro unit that wants to go to L&D but are not having any Luck. That seems to be a popular specialty. I would say, apply to several positions and then try to transfer to L&D if you don't land a job right away. Good Luck and congratulations on your upcoming graduation.

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Have you considered midwifery? Direct Entry or apprenticing with a Licensed Midwife?

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Just don't give up because maybe it's not the right time for you. There are so many chances that you could reach that dream of yours...just believe in yourself and learn to wait. Good luck to you and I know that someday you will become a OB nurse...you have all the potentials...just learn to trust and wait because He knows whats best for you.

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Specializes in IV Therapist.

:nurse:

it depends on the demand of every hospital's nowadays, but for me, if you really wanted to apply in that area, you must wait patiently for the oppurtunities that will come. remember! nurses are optimistic, as long as we live their is a chance for us. Don't loose hope.

it's really challenging work in labor and delivery area, knowing that it's really difficult coz, you are handling two lives at a certain event.

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Babies, babies, babies, babies!

Helping bring a new life into this world, and mother through the ordeal. What is not to love!:D:D

Methinks it is very hard in most areas to get into L&D even for experienced nurses as turn over is very low. Most nurses I know in that area simply love their jobs, in fact think some would work for no pay! LOL*

On the other side of things, at least in New York, there is a huge liablity issue associated with L&D and anything to do with maternity for that matter. Long before Saint Vincent's Manhattan hospital closed it shut down their "lying in" hospital due to the huge cost of . Just several months ago Beth Israel did the same for pretty much the same reasons, IIRC.

There is little to no room for errors in L&D, one small mistake can cause serious harm to the mother and deform or injure an newborn infant. In NYS think the age cutoff limit is when the child/person is 18 years old to sue for damages related to birth, so you can imagine how that goes over with those running hospitals.

Being as all this may, never give up on your dream. Maybe send a nice letter to the charge nurse of the L&D unit where you did clincals letting her know you are interested. Or, try working "next door" in a OB/GYN or Peds floor and bide your time. However it may be hard to find a position if you give off a vibe that you are only cooling your jets on any other floor until a spot opens up in L&D.

Best of luck!

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Maybe you should come to New York City, There are all kinds of great opportunities in the big city. Good luck with your search.

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Thank you all for your responses. To mseisback, in the future I would love to do midwifery. I have considered going into studying it right away, but feel like it would be more beneficial to practice as an OB nurse while going into that field. I am only 24, so I have plenty of time to go back to school! What do you think?

All the responses were helpful. I am going to keep my head up, follow the suggestions, and keep you updated! Thanks again.

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I think DoGoodandGo did a good job of explaining the extreme liability involved in labor and delivery and what a tremendous responsibility working in this area is. THE ENVIROMENT SHE DESCRIBED IN NEW YORK EXPLAINS WHY MIDWIVERY IS IN DANGER IN NY. I've been looking at midwifery and the common belief is that pregnancy is not a disease therefore the medical model is often a hinderance and not necessary in the majority of pregnancies as pregnancy is considered a natural process. The use of epiderals, other medications, lichthetomy(sp) position make labor risky, lenghty, and demoralizing for the women...according to some. As long as the woman recieve consistent pre-natal care and is not found to have high risk factors her labor and delivery need not take place in a hospital...so i've been reading. The midwife recieves education in the nataural and medical models. Each state have different regulations and regulartory boards for midwives. The main difference is betwen the nurse midwife and lay midwife, ones a nurse and one studied under another midwife and did an apprenticeship... There is also an emphasis on entreprenuership in lay midwifery...

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Hello,

I have worked in labor and delivery for 10 years. It is a difficult specialty to get into and like others have stated, once there it is difficult to leave! I do love my work. I started in different areas before I came to L&D. Frequently, nurses take positions in other areas and then watch job postings. It is much easier to get into L&D as an internal candidate. L&D is also for specialized--no other unit runs quite like it. It would actually benefit you to spend some time in med-surg, ICU or ER--just to establish strong organizational skills and learn the work flows.As you job search continues, I would encourage you to seek facilities that have Magnet accreditation, strongly support their nurses through education and encourage certification in their specialty areas. Also look for facilities that haved shared governance, and encourage nurse participation in ethics committees. I congratulate you on completing your degree. Look for a facility worth your contributions!

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Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
Methinks it is very hard in most areas to get into L&D even for experienced nurses as turn over is very low.

Depends on where you go. Large cities, it's not difficult to find an L&D job (as an experienced nurse) as there is always plenty of turnover. I just moved to Denver and was offered two jobs.

Now, the smaller town in AZ I came from, different story. Obviously, all the new immigration garbage is really affecting our census, and they're definitely not hiring at the moment.

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