I need assistance on how to become a Labor and Delivery Nurse

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Hello.

I am 21 years old, and I graduated high school in 2011. For as long as I can remember, I have always had a passion for infants, toddlers, ect. I have had my heart set on becoming a Labor and Delivery Nurse, but I haven't found one person (college adviseries, included!) be able to help me fulfill my dream.

I feel lost! I don't know where to start, or even what to do!

Can someone help me with what steps I need to take to become a 'future' Labor and Delivery Nurse? I went to a Community College and completed 1 year, and realized my 'adviser' didn't properly understand what I was wanting to do for a career and had me take classes that was irrelvant to 'Nursing'.

I understand that there isn't a such thing as 'Labor and Delivery Degree', so what must I do? I'm ready to get into college and start chasing my dream.

Any nurses in this field, I would really appreciate your input and your advice and your stories on how you got to where you are.

I heard there are three parts to a L&D and I'm interested in all THREE.

Just please help clear my head up and give me a little insight on what to do and how to get started.

And one more question, how long does it take to complete school and start working in that department? I heard 8-10 years, I sure hope not! :(

Thank you so much!!

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

Your first steps would be to start prerequisites for a nursing program. It is competitive, so be sure you work hard and make good grades to increase your chances of getting accepted.

Get through nursing school. Getting into L&D right out of school can be a challenge. It is a high demand area with tons of people wanting the same thing you do and getting those jobs is very competitive. You will want to try to build connections that can help you get a job in that area. Network. Watch and apply for internships in your final semester of school. Be open to having to move to get your ideal job, to places nobody else really wants to live. Your chances will be higher in those places of landing a position in L&D. Think rural, desert, Mexican border, Indian reservations.

Get your head around the potential that you may not get to work in that area right away. Few people get their dream job right out of school. You may have to work with adults, the sick, the elderly first simply due to trouble finding an L&D position with no experience. Just work hard and keep your eye on the goal. First step is to explore your local nursing programs, find out what it takes to get in and start working on fulfilling those requirements. Best of luck to you!

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Specializes in ICU.

You need to go and get your prereqs done. Go to a college and speak to an admissions officer. Tell them you would like to become a RN and have them give you a booklet on what classes are needed for nursing school and sign up for those. When I was deciding where to go I went to the school's websites and looked at what was required for the differing RN programs. You will have around 2 years of prereqs before getting into the program. Once you obtain your RN license you can look at specializing with it. But first you need to get the prereqs done.

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