Honest opinion for a soon-to-be New Grad

[sunshine63]

I would really appreciate some advice from OB nurses! I am a senior nursing student and I am getting ready to choose my senior practicum. My heart and soul lies in OB/L&D and I would love to be placed there, but I hear a lot of people saying that as a new grad, having a med/surg background is best. I know that not many hospitals hire new grads in L&D (some do for NICU, which I also enjoy), so I would really like some advice on if whether I should ask to be placed on a med/surg floor for my last semester. For those OB nurses that started in in OB, do you feel like you are well-rounded enough? I am really torn! I want to follow my passion and really fight for the little number of placements that they have in OB for my last semester, but I am afraid that I will not build those med/surg skills that I need as a new grad in May. PLEASE HELP!!!

[whitebunny]

im in the same situation as you. But im willing to go for med/surg for couple years and do a 6months course in Lbr in order to become a mat nurse

[bmcm2girls]

I really appreciate everyone's feedback! I asked to be placed in a women's health setting so we'll see what happens!

Good for you! I went straight into LD from nursing school. I had heard rumors of med surg being necessary...but I knew from the begining that I wanted LD. I personally don't feel like I am missing out on anything. No, I probably could never float to a med surg floor and be "ok"....but they could never float to my floor either, lol. And, honestly, MOST of the nurses I work with have some level of med surg background but you would never know it. There are plenty of fairly basic things that they can't do or are uncomfortable doing that I do for them. They have been out of it for so long and they have locked themselves into taking care of relatively stable patients and forget the skills they did anyway.

The only thing that seemed like I was really disadvantaged in from the begining was time management. It would have been nice to have more experience in juggling priorities, etc.....but it all worked out in the end. Really, if you can get a job as a new grad...go for it!!!!