Hired in L&D as a New Grad!!! Any advice?

[RNtoCNM]

Hello all! I just graduated on March 24th and have accepted a position in L&D and I could not be happier!!! I start orientation on the 1st of May(took and passed my NCLEX on 4-4). I know without a shadow of a doubt that this is where my passion is and I'm willing and able to climb that steep learning curve that is L&D to be successful in my area of nursing! Any of the experienced L&D nurses out there have any words of wisdom, tips, or tricks that they would care to share with a newcomer? Thanks so much! Looking forward to talking with you all!

[Semper_Gumby]

Congratulations on passing NCLEX and getting a job in L&D! I am not a labor nurse but worked two years in newborn nursery including going to deliveries--stressful but rewarding! My recommendation would be to learn policies and procedures at your facility, study up and learn the meds you're commonly giving and the common procedures and why, learn at least the basics of fetal monitoring (many hospitals will do a class of some kind for you as it's super important), and learn all you can from the more experienced nurses you're working with. Make sure to keep up with your progress as you go through orientation--you'll likely have a check sheet of skills that you need to be competent in before you can finish.

You'll encounter situations where people are not always happy or joyful about the birth of the baby--sometimes the baby is unwanted or the product of a bad relationship or assault, sometimes the mother has made poor decisions in pregnancy and baby suffers the consequences, sometimes things just plain go wrong and the outcome is not what anybody wanted. Do your best to check any judgement at the door and provide the best, most compassionate care you can for your patients. Usually it's a happy time but it's also stressful so try not to take anything personally! Most of the time (in my experience, anyway) families are pretty great to work with and you're in the unique position of caring for and coaching them through one of the most transformative, life-changing experiences anyone can have. Best of luck, and congratulations again!