Landed my dream job - gonna be a L&D nurse! :) Do you have any advice??

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Specializes in Psych, OB-GYN.

I cannot wipe the giant smile off of my face - I keep pinching myself! Not only did I land my dream job, I got the offer before I even graduated!!

I wanted to ask some seasoned L&D nurses for their wonderful wisdom & advice...

What do you wish you had known about L&D when you first began?

What did you struggle with?

Any hints to learning?

What do you think new nurses should know?

Specializes in Operating room, Pediatrics.

Hey, congrats! My interview was yesterday and it was difficult but I think I did pretty well. They want me to come back and shadow this coming Tuesday, which I am told by fellow RN's that that's a sign they're interested in me (fingers crossed!). I'll be interested in seeing other posters' responses to your questions :)

Specializes in Antepartum, Intrapartum L&D, Postpartum.

Congratulations punkydoodles! I'm so happy for you. I went into nursing school knowing that L&D was the only place I wanted to be after graduation. I was on a mission. I applied and got the job during senior year of my BSN program. Many told me that I shouldn't do that and that I really needed to do at least the first year in med surg. I didn't agree because I knew where my heart was and I didn't want to waste any time being somewhere I didn't love after all that school work! :-)

There's tons of advice one can give to you. What I will share with you is to study and know the policies/procedures for L&D like the back of your hand. The unit will have a copy of them all. Having your own copy of the ones you most commonly use would be wise. That will help guide you and keep you "safe" both as a new and seasoned nurse. All of the policies for each procedure are important, but one of the biggies is knowing the policies/procedures in administering pitocin. Know everything that there is to know about that drug.

Again, Congratulations! I wish you a long and successful career in nursing!

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