Looking for advice/info?

[Elisel]

Hello all! I am currently enrolled in a LPN program and will be graduating November. I of course plan on continuing to the next step in the nursing ladder and obtaining my RN/BSN. My goal is to ultimately work labor & Delivery, I have done enough research to know that this is a typical "dream job" for a nurse and one of my instructors in my current nursing program has many years of experience working in all areas of L&D in the hospital and was also a manager for an L&D unit at one of our local hospitals, so I know I have heard many stories and I know it's not always a piece of cake. So please save the negativity because I already know. What I am wondering is for those of you who are current L&D nurses or are aspiring L&D nurses like myself, what are some of the things you did/are doing to make yourself more marketable? other than the obvious BSN thing. One of the reasons I decided to do an LPN program first is because I know how hard even as an RN it is to get jobs in the areas you want, so I figured working as an LPN would help get my foot in the door. I know as an LPN the chances of landing a job in an L&D unit are like 0 , especially in Florida...but if I were to work in an OB/GYN clinic would that make me more marketable? Or getting licensed as a doula? Or a midwife?

**I do plan on asking my instructor for advice on this as well, but I would like many insights!

[klone, MSN, RN]

I think you're putting the cart before the horse here. You say "get licensed as a midwife" as if it's a simple thing. A midwife is an advanced degree nurse who has either a master's or a doctorate in midwifery.

Becoming a doula is typically not considered a stepping stone, because it's a fulltime training and career in and of itself. It requires many hours of training, being on call at all hours of the day and night, sometimes spending 12-24 hours at the bedside of a laboring woman. Training to become a doula is not really conducive to fulltime nursing schooling.

I would just recommend finishing your LPN training, immediately enrolling in an RN bridge program, and then focus on getting your BSN. Once you have your LPN, try to apply to some outpatient OB/Gyn clinics in order to gain experience in women's health. Look into getting your CLC certification, and look into taking an AWHONN basic EFM course. But mainly, just get good grades in school and get your RN and BSN at the soonest possible time you can.