Is it really that hard to get a job in L&D?

NurseforPreggers · Sep 12, 2005

I'm just starting nursing school right now and have 3 years ahead of me before I graduate, but I already worry a little (okay, a lot) about how difficult it will be to get a job in L&D. That is what I want more than anything. Birth is my passion. I'm very, very seriously considering going beyond the RN degree and becoming a midwife. I've got other interests (specifically NICU), but what I really want is L&D.
However, it seems like EVERYONE wants L&D. Most of the women in the nursing course I'm taking this semester are either aiming for L&D, or pediatrics (which I'm not as interested in). I worry that when the time comes to get a job, I won't be able to find one that I want.
How difficult is it, really, to get into L&D? Is there anything I can do to help boost my chances of getting a position if one should open up?

At the end of nursing school, most schools have you do a preceptorship. This is where you go and spend a certain amount of hours at the hospital, similar to clinicals, except that you are under the direction of a staff nurse rather than a clinical instructor. Try to go to a hospital that you would consider working at, and try to do your preceptorship in L&D. That would give you a "foot in the door", so to speak. You may not be able to do all of your hours in L&D. At my school we had to do 200 hours of med/surg and could do 50 hours in a specialty area.

sddlnscp · Sep 14, 2005

I asked a friend of mine who just graduated as an LPN and is headed into the RN portion of her schooling this exact question. She told me that you just have to be patient and eventually you will get a L&D job if you really want it. She said that a lot of people go into L&D (at least here because it is combined with nursery) thinking they will have to do little more than play with babies all day and, when they get into it, they realize it is really not for them and move on, allowing a new spot to open up. So, if your heart is really set on L&D, go for it and just be patient - try out some other areas while you are waiting (who knows what you might find you really love) and apply for L&D positions - eventually you will get there. Best of luck to you!!!

elphaba · Sep 16, 2005

Thank you both for the information and encouragement. I talked to my kids' pediatrician about it and she told me that a lot of the nurses in her office started out in L&D and realized that it wasn't what they expected, and moved to different areas. To hear that here, too, gives me hope. This will sound awful and I don't intend for it to, so I hope that what I say is understood - for me, the appeal of L&D isn't the newborns, it's the woman's experience of birth. Don't get me wrong, I'll drool over a newborn baby as much as any other person, but that's NOT what attracts me to L&D at all. Hopefully that will help me in the long run - being more interested in the woman and the actual birth, than "playing" with babies.

sddlnscp · Sep 16, 2005

Thank you both for the information and encouragement. I talked to my kids' pediatrician about it and she told me that a lot of the nurses in her office started out in L&D and realized that it wasn't what they expected, and moved to different areas. To hear that here, too, gives me hope. This will sound awful and I don't intend for it to, so I hope that what I say is understood - for me, the appeal of L&D isn't the newborns, it's the woman's experience of birth. Don't get me wrong, I'll drool over a newborn baby as much as any other person, but that's NOT what attracts me to L&D at all. Hopefully that will help me in the long run - being more interested in the woman and the actual birth, than "playing" with babies.

Actually, from the people I have talked to - you have the perfect attitude for L&D! It really should be about the experience for the mother and making sure she has a safe and as comfortable as possible child birth as well as care for the newborn child, not just one or the other and you seem to exhibit interest in both. I think you'll be wonderful in that field with this attitude.

Of course, keep in mind, I am still a pre-nursing student myself, but we are certainly getting good at educating ourselves as what to expect being in this forum. I love it! Anyway, best of luck to you and just be patient - you'll get there eventually!

My dream job is in a Neonatal ICU myself. I think it is pretty similar to L&D where a lot of people want to get into it until they get there. Of course, who knows if I will change my mind between now and then, but that is where I really feel drawn to and where I want to work - assuming I can ever get into nursing school :chuckle: Anyway, as long as we are patient and keep our dream in sight, we will achieve it!!! :)