Med Surg before OB/Maternity???

[SerenityR.N.]

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

[SmilingBluEyes]

I went straight into OB w/o doing the requisite med-surg time. No regrets, no looking back, 9 years later. It's up to you really. But be aware, SOME units will not hire you w/o some acute care nursing experience. Be aware if this applies where you would like to work, and plan accordingly.

Good luck!

[OBnurse3]

I "did my time" in med/surg and what it taught me was priceless. However, I have also found that (at least where I've worked) there's not a lot of turnover in L&D (Because it's soooo awesome) so if you have the chance..go for it! Med/surg does give you a solid basis on which to work...it helps to hone those skills you learned in school, and teaches you quite a lot along the way. A major bonus of going striaght into a specialty field is that you're a "clean slate" and can go into the field without any "Bad Habits", as my boss would say. The nurses I worked with on med/surg that loved it were some of the best nurses I've known...but then again, they were doing what they loved...I was not. Just food for thought.

[Colorado dreaming]

Many hospitals require 1+ years of med surg experience before you go into L and D. I work at a small rural hospital where we hire new grads and train them. It is very hard to get experienced help our here. I have to say though, I think it is a benefit to have the med surg experience. OB is much more than delivering and birthing babies. I have seen some pretty critical patients, pre and post delivery such as cardiomypathy, pe's etc. Having the med surg background makes me feel much more secure in catching critical situations over some of the new grads who have missed critical moments.

[nursedude1]

Both cammy and jolie are correct. Although you do assess your OB patients and provide their care much in the same way as with M/S patients, you often enough do not deal regularly with the more complicated medical issues found elsewhere. This is not to say that OB is a cake-walk by any stretch. Some of the OB-specific conditions can be just as complicated as the general medical ones.

I have worked in both OB and now in med/surg. Many of the OB nurses I used to work with were incredulous that I would want to leave that specialty for something they considered less glamorous or important. In reality, though, I feel that it HAS made me a better all-around nurse. That doesn't mean it's the right thing necessarily for you to do. Only you can judge the pitfalls and benefits for yourself.

Good luck though...

[kaezor]

i need help it took me a while to pass my nclex and now have my rn license. i have worked on med surge floor for the past 5 months and it is very stressful but like it. i am in a position to where my manager might let me go because the facility i work for requires you to pass a test in order for you to be alone on the floor . i am still on orientation and basically i have been on my own for months except that i am still on orientation. i have recently gotten a job offer to postpardum. i am skeptical about accepting even though it sounds interesting and maybe less stressful.

[allthingsbright]

I was hired right inor labor and deliver. Starting next week--lots of people say its good to go either way! I'm just thrilled to be in the specialty I want right out of the gate!!!!