Is there anything I can do?

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

Hi, I am going to be starting nuring school the end of this month and I am soo nervous about everything but excited at the same time. I have an absolute passion for babies and would just love to work on the OB floor anywhere, whether it would be working with new moms or just the babies. I received a scholarship through the hospital that I am attending school as long as I promised to work there for so long (hope I don't regret that later) but I am so worried that they won't even send my application/resume to the OB unit and they will just send it to the floors needing nurses.

Is there anything I can do while in nursing school to get my foot in the door to be placed on the OB floor after graduation?

Thanks

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Specializes in Emergency.

You might discuss your interest from the get-go with your instructor for ob/maternal newborn. They would probably have suggestions or know of positions opening up before others as they are working on the floors frequently.

One of the students in my nursing program signed on as a pt care tech in l&d. She worked for 2 years while in school and then when she graduated she accepted a full time night position.

Maybe you would consider working as a CNA on the floor. If you are not a cna, maybe you could take the test after your first semester of nursing school when the units are completed and get your license. That way you could get to know the facility, the manager, and the staff. Usually a unit will hire a current employee as long as they are a good worker and a good fit to the floor.

GOOD LUCK!

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Specializes in High Risk In Patient OB/GYN.

Well, if you love babies, then you want to work in Mother baby or Nursery, not L&D (only see the babies for an hour or two).

In my experience, mother baby is frequently hiring. High turnover rates for MB are due to several reasons: Many RNs work there only until they can transfer to L&D or NICU. Many RNs in MB are in their childbearing years and take time off/quit/reduce hours to have children. Many RNs take the job thinking it's something different, and decide they don't like it (a lot of new/semi-new grads).

Either way, if this is where you want to work, you shouldn't have too much of a hard time getting in to mother baby. :)

But yes, express your interest, and excel in your OB/Peds class(es). If you end up getting "stuck" on a med/surg floor, put in for a transfer whenever something opens up-they can't not move you just because you got a scholarship, yk?

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Thanks so much for everyone's help. Everything you said makes complete sense and I am going to try hard to get in there but like you said if I get placed elsewhere I will just have to wait for an opening. I don't know much about the differences that you were talking about with Mother and baby and L&D. I'm hoping to learn a lot more in clinicals and school.

Thanks so much again for your advice!!

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I agree that if you "love babies" then Mother Baby is probably better than Labor/Delivery BUT in my experience getting into Mother/Baby is just as hard or harder than L&D. NONE of the nurses that I work with have ever expressed an opinion of just working Mother/Baby to get their foot in the door to L/D or NICU. Where I work getting trained to work nursery allows you to be floated to NICU but to the progressive side but you don't have to. Our hospital delivers close to 5000 babies a year so we are extremely busy. We have several pregnant nurses and some out on maternity leave now. There are full time positions but MANY MANY part time ones to allow the "childbearing years mom" to work just 2 days per week and that includes benefits. In 2 years there were only 5 positions posted for Mother/Baby and L/D had MUCH more than that. We have several RN"S that have worked M/B for over 15-20 years. They just DON"T leave from our floor. Now granted it could be different from the other posters hospital and there are different personalities, etc that want to leave and she is right alot of new grads-especially the YOUNGER new grads leave more often than the older folks--GOOD LUCK

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