New Grad L&D Nurse! Any others out there?

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Hello out there! I'm a new grad RN excited to start in L&D this week. Any other new grads in L&D out there? Love to talk with you!

Hello out there! I'm a new grad RN excited to start in L&D this week. Any other new grads in L&D out there? Love to talk with you!

Hi there, yup, I'm one. I started on July 18. It's more than a little overwhelming, but I really love it. Good luck on your first day. :)

Hello out there! I'm a new grad RN excited to start in L&D this week. Any other new grads in L&D out there? Love to talk with you!

Welcome to a wonderful field. Take it slow and don't be afraid to ask. It takes at least a year to even begin to feel comfortable in L&D. No one should push you. As the OP said, it is overwhelming and will be for a long time. But that's okay. Best of luck and never stop learning!

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

Welcome to L/D. Please feel free to ask questions anytime. You have YEARS of experience represented here in this forum. Also, be sure to check the "sticky" threads at the top to see what books we recommend reading, as well as common questions new OB nurses ask.

Again, welcome and feel free to ask anything. Always glad to have new nurses aboard.

I was a new grad on L&D. I just finished my first year, this past June. It certainly is a new learning experience every day! Don't be afraid to ask questions. I still ask my senior nurses questions. Congratulations on your new position. Take one a day at a time and have fun!

Specializes in PeriOp, ICU, PICU, NICU.

welcome to the family of allnurses. good luck to you. :wink2:

Specializes in Women's Health.

Welcome! I sincerely hope to a be a new grad in L & D come May 2006! I'm very interested to hear about your experiences!

Specializes in telemetry, med surg, LTAC.

I am so happy for you! I hope that one day I will be in the same position as you! Congrats!

:o I finally made it to L&D. Have been orienting for the past 2 weeks and have had a rough time. The positive side...I have had some emergency situations that I would rather have before I am on my own. On the down side...those same situations have been very emotionally and physically draining. I don't know how I am going to do this on my own. I am grateful to be where I am, however, I am scared as hell. I feel so utterly incompetent. I am trying to be kind to myself but it is so hard. Please send some good vibes my way. I need whatever I can get. Thanks for reading!
:o I finally made it to L&D. Have been orienting for the past 2 weeks and have had a rough time. The positive side...I have had some emergency situations that I would rather have before I am on my own. On the down side...those same situations have been very emotionally and physically draining. I don't know how I am going to do this on my own. I am grateful to be where I am, however, I am scared as hell. I feel so utterly incompetent. I am trying to be kind to myself but it is so hard. Please send some good vibes my way. I need whatever I can get. Thanks for reading!

You should not be on your own at all for at LEAST 4 months. As I said before, even at that, you will only be scratching the surface, but that's okay. t's going to take you at least a year to even begin to feel comfortable and that's to be expected.

Always rememeber that you have just entered a critical care area of nursing. Take it one day at a time. Best of luck to you.

LILYBUG!!!!!!

It sounds like we started about the same time. It does seem somewhat overwhelming at times. This thought comforted me the other day, though: I still have 10 weeks of orientation left yet. That is a lot of time to get the hang of things. At least you have had some emergency situations - all I have had so far is inductions (very safe, very predictable) and laboring pts (one non-emergent c/s today for failure to progress.) I have a feeling that a black cloud may descend on me when I am on my own. Remember, though: they don't expect you to know everything. Nor will they just throw you onto the floor after you get out of orientation. Remember you have (probably) many experienced nurses to consult with, and also your charge nurse as a resource when you're on your own.

I read a quote the other day: "When I have not become emotionally involved with my pts, it's time for me to switch professions." We work in an area with a lot of highs, and unfortunately, we have to hit some lows as well. Not to say that it won't effect you after a while, but you will gain the tools and experiences to better handle those high stress, high emotion situations.

I would love to have another new grad to share experiences/draw encouragement from. Feel free to email/PM me! Remember, you can do it! Take it one day, one pt at a time, and be patient with yourself!

Rachel

Hi,

I'm thinking about going to school to become a nurse but I only want to work with new born babies. Can you tell me the education or training I will need and how long would I have to go to nursing school? This is very foreign to me because I never saw myself as a nurse. I am in the creative field (author writer and I have my own business), but I want something that will keep food on the table and becoming a nurse seems to be the only logical thing to do. If you have any advice at all please feel free to share. Thanks

Welcome to L/D. Please feel free to ask questions anytime. You have YEARS of experience represented here in this forum. Also, be sure to check the "sticky" threads at the top to see what books we recommend reading, as well as common questions new OB nurses ask.

Again, welcome and feel free to ask anything. Always glad to have new nurses aboard.

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