Maternal Nursing in Las Vegas

christina731 · Sep 3, 2014

Get a BSN. The market is flooded with new grads now and you need something more to stand out what school did you go to? I'm about to get my ADN from CSN in December but I'll be enrolling in an RN-BSN program as soon as I can.

msmama0509 · Sep 3, 2014

You should wait and find an employer who will pay for your BSN first ...you might need to go into another position for time being. The days of having no experience and getting hired for a specialty is over. Do a year of med surg and then transfer departments. Labor and delivery have medical problems other than labor stuff that's why you need a experience.

MallysMama · Sep 3, 2014

It's very hard to get into any acute hospital setting without having experience or having connections (unfortunately) here in Vegas. For a first RN job- be flexible. Apply to LTCs/rehabs too if you really want a job. You can try calling HR at the hospitals to see what they're looking for in the positions you applied to- but most likely they'll tell you they want experience first. If you are able to eventually get into the hospital- your best bet would be to go for the postpartum jobs and then work your way into L&D. Good luck (don't give up! Just be flexible!)!!

LVHI_RN · Sep 7, 2014

My advice would be to start at med-surg. That's what most employers look for. However, its not impossible to get into your specialty for your first position. It'll probably take a lot of time, patience, and luck though.

Belli3 · Sep 8, 2014

Try volunteering for the hospital you want to work for. Also, look into American Red Cross. My sister volunteered as RN for their L&D in another state and gained tons of experience. She received no pay, but the experience was what she was seeking. It might be worth looking into.

Shantinaa · Sep 12, 2014

I never thought of volunteering at hospitals as a way to gain employment as a nurse. Something i'll look into for sure.

I'm a volunteer for red cross, I didn't know they did L&D related work?

Shantinaa · Sep 12, 2014

I'm slowly learning that! I'm not in desperate need of a job immediately, which is why I am trying to first focus on finding a job in maternal care before expanding my search if I don't have any luck. Thanks for your input :)

Graduation2016 · Sep 12, 2014

You may want to get a fetal monitoring class under your belt too, ACLS, etc. good luck!

Shantinaa · Sep 12, 2014

I'm signed up for ACLS... Sorry to be a pain but can you expand on "ect." I'd really like to hear if any other courses/certifications would be useful.

THELIVINGWORST, ASN, RN · Sep 12, 2014

Honestly it's just luck and timing. If the timing isn't right it will be that much harder. Patience grasshopper.

LVHI_RN · Sep 12, 2014

I agree with previous posts. Look into volunteering at the hospital of your ideal job. Try to get onto the maternal/infant floor. When you do start volunteering, network as much as possible. Introduce yourself to manager and make yourself very marketable. Another thing that sometimes works is actually going down to the units and personally handing in your resume and cover letter. Leave a business card as well. Always follow up with a phone call after you apply/interview.

Most of the online job apps are automated systems that'll deny your application automatically once it sees that you have no experience. Adding on volunteer work to your resume could be very helpful.

My heart was also set on maternal/infant coming into the job market. I needed a job ASAP. I decided to take everyone's advice about starting on med surg and started applying to those jobs as well. I know how it feels having lived through it. It's a lot easier said than done. My heart was/is far from med surg. Its a really big challenge having to go through it when I know my heart is set on maternal/infant. So since you don't need a job ASAP, I would say to try and go straight into your specialty. Be persistent, the right job will come :)