Labor and delivery nurses come in

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Hi everyone I am new. I am 33 and starting college for the first time in August. I really want to go into labor and delivery nursing. Please educate me on how I need to go about this. I know I need to go to nursing school but, how do you specify what area you want or can you even do that? I was thinking maybe doing my clinicals at a womens center to help get my foot in the door. I am feeling so overwhelmed at times it seems some guidance of would be great thanks!!

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Hi there so I thought I might kinda fill you in on picking a specialty! I am currently in my 3rd semester (doing L&D as a matter a fact) of 4 for my RN. Basically you do your clinicals wherever the school assisgns you...So you will get a taste of almost everything that nurses do. It usually consists mostly of med/surg which I am beginning to see that many students dont like and plan on doing a specialty (peds, icu, etc.) You could try to get a job or something at a women's center if you think that is what you want to do? In school you will probably figure out if it is really for you or not! Goodluck!

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Specializes in Maternity.

ditto to the previous post. you do not get to pick where you wish to have your clinicals. once you have your rn, youcan try to find a job in the specific area that you are interested in.

good luck!!

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Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.

You can try to get into an preceptorship. I got 300 extra hours in L&D giving up my summer and winter breaks. It really helped me land a job in L&D straight after graduation.

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A lot of programs, especially BSN programs, are creating expanded clinical experiences for seniors in a given specialty. I'm familiar with one school that sends students to our NICU (and several other critical care units around town) for a 132 hour preceptorship as part of a high acuity course.

Many hospitals around here also hire nursing students (usually with a semester of clinicals behind them) as patient care assistants or nurse techs.

If you're in the pre-nursing stage, you might look at hospital volunteer opportunities to get some ideas of what is out there.

While it's true that nursing school does not train you as a specialty-prepared nurse, there are definitely options to experience a specialty before graduating and going out into the real world.

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Specializes in Trauma ICU, Peds ICU.

Ditto to the last two posters. I don't know how many ADN programs offer preceptorships, but seems like all of the BSN programs in my area do.

Research different programs, find out if they offer a preceptorship, what specialities it can be in, how many hours they require, and if you have an option to exceed that amount.

My program required a 240 hour senior preceptorship during our last semester, and I logged 300 hours during mine (in neuro/trauma/surgical ICU). It's a great opportunity to network and set yourself up for a possible job.

Good luck!

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