Labor and Delivery ???

kasperas, BSN, RN · Oct 21, 2008

I am still a student but here is my understanding of it:

First you must go to nursing school. You can do an LPN, RN or BSN/RN program depending on how much time you want to invest, as well as your previous education.

Once you are in nursing school you will do clinical rotations in various departments. You can then get an internship or externship in L&D and hope to get hired directly into that department upon graduation.

Some schools to look at are UCDHSC (University of CO), Denver School of Nursing, Regis, and your local community college. In fact your local community college is a great place to start in general. You can meet with an advisor and they will discuss all your options. That is what I did.

Good Luck!

Satori77, ADN · Oct 23, 2008

Have you gone to nursing school? There are no ADN programs specifically for L&D nurses. I am pretty sure you need to be an RN or have your BSN. Just look into any nurse school that offers an RN. You will have a clinical rotation in L&D. Some require med/surg experience after you graduate, a lot of hospitals will not hire you directly into L&D. Once you get a job there, you can go on a get a master's though, and become a midwife if you are interested.

boilernurse23 · Nov 23, 2009

Hello-

In order to become and L&D nurse, you must first go to nursing school. In nursing school you go through several rotation, including Med/Surg, Pediatrics, Women's Health, Geriatrics, Psych, etc. (These are sometimes different depending on what school you go to). Generally nursing programs are between 2 and 4 years. There are different types of nursing programs you can go through. LPNs (Licensed Practical Nurses) generally are 2 year programs. This is not an RN (or registered nurse). To become an RN, you can either get an associate's degree or bachelor's degree. Assoc. degrees usually take 2 years. Bachelor's usually take 3-4 years. You can become an RN with either degree, however at some hospitals you make more money and have more leadership positions with a Bachelor's degree. Again, this is different at all hospitals. Once you have your degree, you must take boards, which basically is a big test that includes everything you learned in school to test your knowledge. If you pass this test, you have your license as either an LPN or RN, depending which test you take. Once you have this, you may work as a nurse. Depending on the hospital, you may or may not be able to become an L&D nurse right out of school. It is an intense area that requires a lot of nursing skill. Many people think it's fun and easy because you get to work with babies. It is fun, however a lot can go wrong. That is the main reason why you may have to work on medical/surgical unit or post partum unit right out of school. Now my hospital hired me directly into L&D after college, so it is possible. However a lot of small community hospitals will not do this. I work at a moderately sized inner city teaching hospital, so they are a bit more liberal on who they hire. If you have any other questions feel free to message me! Good luck!