New L&D Nurse

rayshanna · Apr 14, 2011

Are you an experienced nurse? If you are one of the most important things that you can do is stress this to your new coworkers. Sometimes it is hard for some to realize that an experienced nurse is inexperienced when in a new specialty. The second thing you can do is try to do as many cervical exams as possible, Ask other nurses if you can check their patients if they have epidurals. The most important thing that you can do is to choose the hard patients if your preceptor allows you to choose your patients, if not have a conversation with your preceptor informing them of the type of patients that you would like to care for. Example: fetal demise, magnesium patient, preterm pt, multiple gestation pt., PIH pt, gestational diabetic pt, eclampsia pt., etc. I hope you enjoy L&D.

mormor · Apr 14, 2011

Thanks so much for your great advice rayshanna! I will definitely follow it. I'm a relatively new nurse. I've been working in the surgical rehab unit for less than a year, so I'm quite nervous. However, I went back to nursing school with one focus - to become an L&D nurse. So I plan to give it 110%! :)

ilatrice · Apr 14, 2011

Congrats and good luck with your knew job. I completely agree with the other nurse. Do everything you can with your preceptor so you can be as ready as possible when you are out on your own. L&D is a completely different language. You have two lives in your hands and things can go badly quickly. L&D requires you to be completely alert and present during every moment of that event. I think you have to be a bit of an adrenalin junky, fast on your feet, and a quick thinker. I think it's good that you are coming in as a nurse with some experience. I went straight to L&D right out of school and the first six months i think i went home crying everyday. Don't get me wrong i love my job. Just remember you have two lives in your hands. A strong team is key to any labor and delivery department. Welcome to the specialty. :-)

obnurse/educator · Apr 14, 2011

Congratulations on your new job. I hope you grow to love OB nursing as much as I do. Don't be afraid to ask questions. You will be making decisions regarding two lives. It never hurts to get a second opinion. And don't forget to nurse the patient, not just the monitor. Childbirth is beautiful, amazing, and sometimes SCARY. Embrace the highs, because the lows will occur. My family can usually tell when I have had a gerat delivery, because I come with the "birth high" look on my face.

jennifers · Apr 14, 2011

I've been a L&D nurse for a whole two months now..lol I think the thing that helped me the most is reading up on Fetal monitoring before I started my orientation. I read the entire AWHONN intermediate fetal monitoring book before I started. I think that really helped. I have 4 weeks left of orientation. Its a crazy time but so worth it. I really love doing labor!

If you've worked on another floor for a while that will help a lot. We had a completely different charting system that I had to learn.

caregiver1977 · Apr 14, 2011

I have had 5 children. I would like to say that you might want to really listen when a pregnant woman is admitted and she says she is in labor. No one believed me when I went to the hospital with my 3rd; I guess because I don't scream and beg for meds. I couldn't get ONE NURSE to believe I was in labor. When they finally got around to doing a lady partsl check they found that they were feeling my son's HEAD. You should have seen everyone spring into action then! They literally started opening all the packages with their teeth!

And just think, I had considered taking a relaxing bath before going to the hospital...

mormor · Apr 15, 2011

Thank you all for your great advice! I have also read an entire L&D textbook cover-to-cover as well as an intermediate FHR monitoring book. I have no disillusions that I'll go in knowing everything - I know things can get crazy and split second decisions must often be made. I'm trying not to let those thoughts dissuade me from a job I really think I'll love...I guess we'll find out pretty soon! Yikes!:)