How can a new RN become a L&D nurse?

RN2Bn2006 · Sep 25, 2007

i have spoke with a few nurse recruiters who tell me that they do not hire new nurses into l&d. they say they would like 1 year of ob experience. my question is: how do you get ob experience if none of the hospitals around will hire new grads into ob??? !

this is very frustrating. i like you had special interest in ob. in fact - that's the very reason i went to nursing school - so i could be an l/d nurse. sure i enjoyed learning other things in nursing school, but always returned to l/d.

i started in l/d fresh out of rn school, but i think it is because i live in a rural area of arkansas, and rn's are very hard to come by. now, i've been there a little over a year, and believe i have proven myself, and feel like i have learned alot! maybe you could get hired on in a pp unit, and eventually work your way up - just a thought! good luck! you will find a way to get there eventually!

studentmom2007 · Sep 26, 2007

Me, too!! I am going back to school for the reason that I want to be a L/D nurse! I have been told to get a CNA and work a PP floor or in a L/D unit, or even end up as a tech on another floor that may not seem relevant. Another poster here said she did work on a liver/kidney floor and was doing foley cath's and IV's, which are done in L/D all the time! I live in major metro areas where it will probably be hard to find L/D spots, esp just out of nursing school.

jenrninmi, MSN, RN · Sep 27, 2007

hello.
i have been an lpn for 5 years and i have mostly worked skilled nursing facilities. hospitals around here don't hire lpn's often. i am currently in a asn program and scheduled to graduate in early december. i have always wanted to be a l&d or pp nurse. in my clinicals, this is where i love to be! i score very well on the ob portion of the nclex practice, ati's and class tests. i find myself doing extra studying and research on ob and l&d. i have a sincere interest! i have spoke with a few nurse recruiters who tell me that they do not hire new nurses into l&d. they say they would like 1 year of ob experience. my question is: how do you get ob experience if none of the hospitals around will hire new grads into ob??? any advice? how did some of you land your job in ob/l&d?
i also have questions about fhmpp? does anyone know where i can take this course? how do i find an instructor? are there any other classes i can take to make me more appealing to the ob depts at local hospitals?
thanks for any input!

my unit doesn't hire new grads. actually no hospital in my area will. they want at least 1 year of med/surg (or of course l & d experienced nurses). i had a year and 3 months of med/surg behind me when my l & d unit hired me. i've been there almost a year now and so...happy there!

studentnurserachel · Oct 1, 2007

Where I live it is sometimes possible to go directly into L&D from nursing school BUT although I don't want to spark up the debate again, I think a year of med/surg, ER, or ICU experience prior to L&D is really beneficial, particularly if you are going to work in a high risk L&D unit. I spent a year first learning how to be a good nurse in general before transitioning into L&D and it has made me a pretty darn good L&D nurse and a very fast learner. It is true that some people have a knack for L&D and do well in it even coming straight out of nursing school, but I think that most nurses who did it are glad that they spent some time elsewhere because sometimes L&D patients come in with complicating medical conditions or develop them over the course of their stay. So although it is your dream to go straight into L&D (it was mine too) and maybe that will happen for you, if it does not, try not to look at the time you spend elsewhere as a waste because it will help you in L&D if you allow it to and keep a good attitude. A PP suggested you consider working on postpartum and although I think it is sometimes easier to "get the job" if you start there and move to a sister unit, I personally believe that the experience you gain working as a nurse in one of the areas I have mentioned is a lot of times more beneficial in the long run then postpartum.

zahryia, LPN · Oct 1, 2007

Where I live it is sometimes possible to go directly into L&D from nursing school BUT although I don't want to spark up the debate again, I think a year of med/surg, ER, or ICU experience prior to L&D is really beneficial, particularly if you are going to work in a high risk L&D unit. I spent a year first learning how to be a good nurse in general before transitioning into L&D and it has made me a pretty darn good L&D nurse and a very fast learner. It is true that some people have a knack for L&D and do well in it even coming straight out of nursing school, but I think that most nurses who did it are glad that they spent some time elsewhere because sometimes L&D patients come in with complicating medical conditions or develop them over the course of their stay. So although it is your dream to go straight into L&D (it was mine too) and maybe that will happen for you, if it does not, try not to look at the time you spend elsewhere as a waste because it will help you in L&D if you allow it to and keep a good attitude. A PP suggested you consider working on postpartum and although I think it is sometimes easier to "get the job" if you start there and move to a sister unit, I personally believe that the experience you gain working as a nurse in one of the areas I have mentioned is a lot of times more beneficial in the long run then postpartum.

I have to agree. I'm still in nursing school and my plans were to go straight to L and D, but after having clinicals and seeing no one on the L and D floor knowing how to insert an NG tube, I saw firsthand how the lack of med/surg skills on a L and D unit can adversely affect the patient.

rnmomtobe2010 · Oct 2, 2007

It can be easier to get a cna license and get hired from the inside. that is my plan and a little birdie told me that if I got a cna license she would help me get hired in that dept. and when I got my rn, I was in the door for sure.

SmilingBluEyes · Oct 2, 2007

Come to Washington State. There are several units who hire new graduates in OB!

I was a new grad in OB. I got in by telling EVERYONE I knew my goals, including the nurse manager at the OB Unit that hired me. This was in Oklahoma, in a unit whose policy it was never to hire new graduates.

I guess what I am saying is, never give up hope. You can do it...many of us have. Be persistent and positive.

allnurses Guide · Oct 2, 2007

Come to California!!

I don't agree with the 1 year of med/surg being a necessity - you can do it but you don't have to.

You can actually say that you've had experience, being an LPN for 5 years for goodness sake!

There are places that hire new grads . . . . I was in orientation recently for a new job and there were many many new grads there . . who are going into specialty areas.

I like Deb's post - be open about your goals.

Someone will listen.

steph

CrunchyLaborRN · Oct 3, 2007

I was hired as a new grad in L&D so its definately possible. It was at a hospital where MANY new grads before me were told "not a chance, get some med-surg experience." The hard part wasn't really getting hired because I was confident and honest. The hard part was getting the other nurses on the unit to take me SERIOUSLY! LOL The doctors would ask me where I came from (what hospital) and I would reply that I came from school. :) Funny looks on their faces.