My first OB Interview

TonieRN · Feb 9, 2011

Dress professionally. This will make you FEEL more confident. Be honest about who you are and why you want to work in OB. I would not mention that you quit med surg because of stress. OB can be VERY stressful. Good Luck :)

RaziRN · Feb 9, 2011

I plan to tell them that I quit to follow my passion in nursing which is OB. It's the truth as well as is the whole stress thing. I'm hoping I can deal with the stress in OB because I actually like OB. Thanks for the advice!

BrookeeLou_RN · Feb 9, 2011

Relax! The person interviewing you is a regular person..be polite, answer appropriately, take deep breaths, talk slow and precise, smile, and then smile some more. Answer questions but have a list of a few to ask yourself, Take a notebook with you.. list some questions, nurse ratios, orientation?, on call policies? Whatever you want to really know and also write down some notes like SMILE!!, Take a deep breath, keep eye contact, try not to ramble on, do not ***** about med-surg or stress.. OB is many times over the amt of stress in med-surg.. but OB is challenging, stimulating and never boring... Yes, I know nurse who are great at med surg feel the same way about that area also!!

Also really listen to the interviewer..listen to the questions. Be positive!!

Dress professionally but be comfortable.. if you are stressing over your shoes or a part of your outfit,, it will show in your voice. Most OB RN's where scrubs.. I suggest wearing a nice pretty set, nothing childish but definatley stylish.

My opinion is I would not hire a plumber who showed up in a 3 piece suit!! Not everyone would agree.. if in doubt wear nice slacks, colorful blouse that makes you feel comfortable and a blazer or jacket.

Best of luck!

CEG · Feb 10, 2011

. Most OB RN's where scrubs.. I suggest wearing a nice pretty set, nothing childish but definatley stylish.
My opinion is I would not hire a plumber who showed up in a 3 piece suit!! Not everyone would agree..
I agree with everything but this... I really strongly disagree. Scrubs are sloppy and don't require any effort to wear. Putting on a suit, wearing a nice shirt and shoes, etc shows that you are a professional. It's actually kind of a cliche or joke among many nurse managers I know that they won't hire someone who shows up to the intereview in scrubs. At my facility the nurses are in fact required to wear professional clothing anytime they are working but not performing clinical tasks (i.e. training or special events).
Also wanted to add: I would think a plumber who showed up in a suit to fix my toilet was very weird. But if I set up an appointment with a plumber for a formal discussion of a potential job I would expect him or her to dress professionally.

serenity1 · Feb 10, 2011

Congrats! :yeah: Think of different scenarios you may have in ob and how you would handle them. How would you prioritize different situations? What would you do if your patient had a post-partum hemorrhage? How you would use your resources, what challenging task/situation you have had and what was the outcome? These are just some possibilities. We recently did some interviews on my unit and we were all invited to sit in. Dress as you would for any interview--slacks and jacket are fine. Smile, relax, be yourself. Your enthusiasm for the unit will show through and that is usually what they are looking for! Best of luck, keep us posted!!!

Forgot...joining AWHONN will also look good in the interview. :)

RaziRN · Feb 10, 2011

You guys that are saying that OB is super stressful are scaring me. I've never been in an OB unit that seemed to be near the amount of stress in med/surg. :uhoh3: There seems to actually be down time on these units. Now, the L&D nurses seem stressed but I'll be starting out postpartum, nursery, antepartum. But hey, I don't know what it's *really* like I'm sure.

Also, If I'm not experienced in OB how am I supposed to know what to do in different OB situations? If a pt. were hemmorhaging I know I need to get in touch with MD and that they need pit. Monitor V/S, especially BP and HR? Am I on the right track at all? Now I can tell you exactly what to do if a pt. is having chest pain or an actual MI...

I bought a nice blouse and black slacks today with some dress ankle boots and I have a business jacket that I'm going to wear.

What have I gotten myself into?

serenity1 · Feb 10, 2011

You are too funny! You are on the right track. You may be able to do some digging and find info here or on the web about different aspects of ob nursing. I work post-partum and it's a great place to start in ob. I rotate to the well-baby nursery and ante-partum as well ( ante partum can be scary--patients can turn very quickly). It may seem like there is some down time--and there is sometimes (especially in the well-baby nursery), but there is a lot to do. We do a ton of education especially with breastfeeding. That's the best part to me. I can't imagine doing m/s. That would stress me out!! I did an internship in tele and I never want to do tele or med/surge again! Once you get your routine down, you will probably feel like it's a bit of a break. Your outfit sounds just fine.

TonieRN · Feb 10, 2011

Yes, there is downtime in OB at times. However that can QUICKLY change. Postpartum and nursery are good places to start in OB. You will be on orientation for some time. Use that time wisely. If you see another nurse dealing with a pp hemorrhage...go and "help" her...learn from other opportunities on the floor...be it your patient or not. I remember my last week of orientation on postpartum MANY years ago....a HORRIBLE day....i was crying by noon. 1 day post op c-section dehisced...while her babys circ started bleeding...while the next room newly delivered mom started hemorrhaging...while surgery was calling for my postpartum tubal...while L&D was calling wanting to give me and admission.....Not every day is like this ....thankfully, they are few and far between..but they DO happen. Yes there may be down time...but you pay for it later. Balances out in my book. Labor and Delivery....lol...can go from quiet ..(dont say THAT word at work) to a zoo in minutes...you never know what may come thru those doors....I have worked a level 1 facility...was empty..was alone on the unit...friday night...empty until 2am...two came in at the same time...one at 7cm..the other, bleeding....first thing i did was take my own pulse...lol...and then did what i had to do...The quiet time ended at that point for the night....lol. you appreciate the down times...and roll with the crazy times, if that makes sense. I love OB...LOVE it. and while i do not want you to fear OB..respect it.

blessings

tonie

TonieRN · Feb 10, 2011

BTW..i have worked at level 1, 2, and 3 facilities...in reverse order actually...started at a level 3..went to a level 2...now at a level 1....the level 1 scares me the most....you have the least support avail. It sounds like you are looking at a level 2 at least..if not a level 3.

RaziRN · Feb 10, 2011

So, what are the differences between the levels? This hospital has a NICU so I'm assuming the support is definitely there if something goes wrong.

I respect OB, I've seen first hand things that go terribly wrong. In my final semester of nursing school I did a preceptorship in OB and we had a 23 weeker born in a hospital not at all equipped to deal with that baby. The baby should have been shipped to one of the areas larger hospitals but there was a lot of hemming and hawing on both sides and the baby was born before any action was taken. It was a very stressful day for the whole unit. There was also a lady there to birth her stillborn baby so it was definitely just a bad day all around for everyone.

tablefor9, RN · Feb 10, 2011

1. Dress well, in an appropriate outfit that makes you feel like a million bucks, taxfree.

2. Know your strengths, and your weaknesses. Between now & your interview, find a way to answer the question about what your weaknesses are so that they come across as an opportunity for growth you are in hot pursuit of.

3. What were the anxiety producers in M/S? Ask questions about the unit that will reveal any similarities that might make this a nay-nay for you.

4. Let your passion for OB shine, but don't be syrupy. Use thoughtful questions and answers show that you know what you're about. It's irritating to have someone tell me, "I just love L&D" when the answers they are spouting show me they don't *know* anything about L&D, they "love" an idea that doesn't exist in real life.

5. Remember that even mediocre days in the Women's center are better than the best days some other places, but nothing comes close to a sucky day in OB. If you are asked about that, don't be caught without something insightful to say.

Good luck!! Hope to hear good news from you.