Med Surg before OB/Maternity???

suzanne4, RN · Apr 6, 2006

It is not a requirement to have med/surg training first. Some facilities may want it, but it is not a requirement set in stone.

jillyk*rn · Apr 6, 2006

one of the age old questions:uhoh3:.

you used to have to have that year of med-surg. i think that now, with hospitals having different training programs, it is no longer such a big deal.

besides, from what i see, med-surg and ob are miles apart. :coollook:

good luck!!

littlejo · Apr 6, 2006

there are lots of things to be learned in med/surg that can be applied in any hospital environment... i guess i see all learning profitable as many medical fields overlap and i can even understand doing things other way around... each facility you learn in will vary from the one you end up in, so how ever you do it, i wish you the best!!!

cammy429 · Apr 6, 2006

There is such a shortage of nurses that they do hire new grads directly into specialty areas. I got a year of critical care/med surg experience before accepting my postpartum position (starting in june). I woudn't trade it for the world.

Personally, I hated Med/Surg when I was in nursing school but EVERY older nurse that I know told me to make sure I get in a year first. They said that it would make me more marketable and if I got into OB and didn't like it, I wouldn't have a problem going elsewhere. I know that things are somewhat different now than the "golden" days, but I do respect the advice of older nurses.

I remember my last year in Nursing school running into one of the girls that graduated a year before me in clinicals (on the L&D/Postpartum unit) and she was saying she felt like she lost her nursing skills. I cannot really comment on her statement at this moment because I personally cannot compare it to anything else but I WILL say that I am happy that I got the chance to refine the skills that I learned in nursing school.

If you know you want to be a OB/Maternity nurse, is it beneficial or required to start out in Med Surg? Are there chances to be directly hired into OB?
Thanks

Jolie, BSN · Apr 7, 2006

If med/surg interests you, then by all means do it! Of not, don't. The notion that organizational skills, prioritization, decision making, etc. can only be learned on "med-surg" units is just plain wrong. On most mother-baby units, an RN will care for 4 couplets. That's 8 patients, some healthy and ambulatory, some post-op, some experiencing complications, and all requiring massive amounts of teaching. Admits and discharges occur on all shifts. It is a terrific environment for learning these basic nursing skills, while caring for patients with a wide variety of conditions. Not to mention that PP/mother-baby essentially IS a specialized med-surg unit, just like the ortho, neuro, renal, and respiratory units that so many people try to push new grads towards, whether they are interested or not.

I remember my last year in Nursing school running into one of the girls that graduated a year before me in clinicals (on the L&D/Postpartum unit) and she was saying she felt like she lost her nursing skills.

This kind of statement makes me nuts! Just what skills is she losing? Does she not assess her patients, develop a plan of care, implement medical and nursing interventions, and evaluate their effectiveness? Does she not care for patients with ante-natal complications such as hyperemesis, incompetent cervix, pre-term labor, HTN, diabetes, cardiac problems, renal problems, mental health issues, and psycho-social issues? Does she not use technical skills such as IV insertion and management, phlebotomy, Foley catheter insertion and management, IM injections, and fetal monitoring? Does she not apply her knowledge of normal anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology, disease management, pharmacology, human growth and development, psychology and sociology? If she does these things, then what skills is she losing?

I once worked in an LDRP unit with a Level II NICU. The nurses on that unit were required to demonstrate compentency in caring for ante-natal patients, laboring moms, post-partum moms and healthy babies, have fetal monitoring certification, NRP certification, complete a state-approved course in epidural management in order to care for C-section moms with epidural PCA, learn to circulate in the OR, recover C-sections in PACU, and have ACLS certification. They were the most versatile and well rounded professionals I have ever worked with!

OK. I'll step off my soapbox now.

cammy429 · Apr 7, 2006

I really didn't mean to offend anyone. I was merely stating what someone else said to me. I am sure in any patient care area of nursing you would have to assess patients. Med Surg is generalized so you see a little bit of EVERYTHING.

Jolie, BSN · Apr 7, 2006

I really didn't mean to offend anyone. I was marely stating what someone else said to me. I am sure in any patient care area of nursing you would have to assess patients. Med Surg is generalized so you see a little bit of EVERYTHING.

Sorry, cammy. I didn't mean to chew you up and spit you out, especially since it wasn't you who made the comment:mad:

I tend to get overly-passionate about this issue for 2 reasons: I wonder how many new nurses have burned out doing a "year or two of med-surg" which was never of any interest to them. And secondly, because I have dealt with too many nurses who look down on OB as being a "cake-walk", which it clearly is not.

I just want to strongly encourage a new grad to pursue his/her area of interest. Life is too short and nursing is too hard a job to work in a field that doesn't interest you :).

LilPeanut, MSN, RN, NP · Apr 7, 2006

I also would think that those nurses who want to work on med-surg would be annoyed/insulted by the insinuation that med-surg is just essentially a training ground for "real" nursing, a weigh station until you get to do the stuff you really want to do.

RN2Bn2006 · Apr 7, 2006

To the OP - I graduate in 5 weeks, and already have a job in L/D. I considered the year of med/surg - but as one of the posters said - if you aren't really interested in m/s - could be easily burnt out. I went to school with the intentions of being an L/D nurse, and even though I do have a slight interest in other areas, and have enjoyed learning - my first love is OB. Some m/s nurses in our hospital (I currently work m/s as unit secretary) gripe about the L/D nurses saying they can't come out on the floor and work very effectively when needing too because all they know is L/D. (this is when M/S is short, and requesting nurses from other dept) My question to that is - if L/D is short, could the M/S nurses just jump back there and work effectively? I bet they would be a little out of their element too - so it goes both ways.

And for the argument people make about being more valuable with a m/s history. I don't know what to say other than - IF and I say IF I ever decide I no longer want to be an L/D nurse. Then I will just orient to another department, and start the learning curve again.

I'm not trying to critize any one type of nurse - because I currently work with M/S and I know for a fact they work their buns off! I admire them greatly - its just not what I want to do.

Paula

fergus51 · Apr 7, 2006

No need for it. I bucked the system and went straight into a specialty area, unlike 90% of my fellow grads at the time. I have no regrets. Did postpartum first, then L&D and antepartum, now I'm in NICU. I've seen friends go from NICU to adult ICU, OR, cath lab, etc. You aren't locked into one area of nursing whatever you choose.

GooeyRN, ADN, BSN, CNA, LPN, RN · Apr 7, 2006

You don't have to med/surg first if you don't want to. But some hospitals require you to float to med/surg when your specialty unit has a low census. Just something to keep in mind. And don't worry, if you don't like OB, you aren't stuck in it forever. I started out in LTC, then went into Psych, am now in Med/Surg, and looking for a change again.