New OB Nurses, Grads and Students, Please Feel Free to post your questions here:

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

Mugwump had a great idea offering services to new grads as a mentor (thank you for that!)

So, I thought having a "sticky" for new grads, OB nurses, students, and others with questions who want to post these can do so here. We also seem to see many of the same questions over and over, so perhaps this would help serve as an ongoing discussion of common issues/questions we all seem to have on our minds. This could serve not just for those asking directly, but others who may be "lurking" and looking for information or considering a career in OB, newborn, GYN nursing, or midwifery, doula services, childbirth education, lactation consulting, or other related work.

So if any mod thinks this is a good idea, mind stickying this?

Let's give this a go and see how it works out. We have many potential "mentors" here among us who, I am sure, would LOVE to help a new nurse/midwife/doula or student on his or her way to a rewarding career. I know I would love to help out!

Thanks for the opportunity to as questions about L&D. I will be graduating May 2008, I have a interveiw with a the L&D mangers in the hospital that I want to work with. Do you have any idea of what types of questions are mostly asked during the interveiw process? I am very excited about possibly becoming a L&D nurse. Any advise would be greatly appreciated.. Thanks in advance:heartbeat

Usually, they ask what are your weakness and strength. What are you personal qualities.Why you choose nursing and probably L&D.What are you work skills? Why did you choose that company? Give some example of a difficult situation that you had in a previous job and how did you handle it. Then , they will ask if you have some questions.

I am sure that you can find more info at careers webs.

Carol

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Specializes in Med/Surg, ER, ICU, OB, Same-Day Surgery.

Hello!

I have been a Med/Surg float nurse for two years, with quite a bit of experience floating to our Family Birth Center for postpartum care. I am excited because I was recently hired to begin work as an LDRP trainee, and I will start next week. I work in a small rural hospital with a small LDRP unit with about 380 births per year. I've opened up my maternity nursing textbook and read a few books given to me by one of the OB RNs, trying to refresh the information I learned in school.

My main question is, I am 24 years old and have never had children, so do you think I can be a good OB nurse even though I've never given birth? I almost feel as though I lack credibility and my patients would have more trust in me if I were older and had children and experience of my own.

Also, any tips or suggestions on how I can ease my transition into this specialty?

Thanks!

Meagan

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

There are lots and lots of nurses in L/D who don't have kids of their own, and they do fine. There is something to be said for knowing what it feels like when you have to push, etc., but just because you don't doesn't mean you can't support your laboring moms. If you care and it shows, that goes a very very long way. :)

Review EFM strips, and you might join AWHONN as well. They have a fabulous # of resources for people with all levels of OB experience. Review normal and abnormal labs, conditions, findings for pregnant and postpartum women. Signs of fetal & newborn distress. Volunteer to see as much unusual stuff as you can. This would be a great start. Also there's a sticky of recommended books for reading in this forum that you might want to check out.

Oh, and welcome to allnurses.com!

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Hello!

I have been a Med/Surg float nurse for two years, with quite a bit of experience floating to our Family Birth Center for postpartum care. I am excited because I was recently hired to begin work as an LDRP trainee, and I will start next week. I work in a small rural hospital with a small LDRP unit with about 380 births per year. I've opened up my maternity nursing textbook and read a few books given to me by one of the OB RNs, trying to refresh the information I learned in school.

My main question is, I am 24 years old and have never had children, so do you think I can be a good OB nurse even though I've never given birth? I almost feel as though I lack credibility and my patients would have more trust in me if I were older and had children and experience of my own.

Also, any tips or suggestions on how I can ease my transition into this specialty?

Thanks!

Meagan

Meagan-

HI :) I just graduated on Saturday...woo hoo~ Just FYI, I am 22, married and no children (but definitely want them!) and I will be working Postpartum at first then can train high risk and LD. Anyhow, I think as nurses we are skilled professionals and they know that we are EDUCATED versus just have experience with our own lives. The fact that you have RN behind your name says enough about you to your patients...and I am always amazed at how much trust they put in me at such a young age! :) I do think though, that vice versa working OB before kids will just make you all the better mommy when you do have a kiddo!

:yeah:

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Hi everyone! I just graduated a BSN program this weekend and am so super excited to be a nurse! Now onto studying for the boards some more and then testing! I have an OB job lined up in PP which I am so excited for. Its a beautiful facility, close to home, and Im really excited to be working OB right off the bat. Quick question though, I will be starting on nights and am totally not a night person. I don't have any kids and have been married 1 year so I will probably sleep during the day. How is working nights? Any advice on how to stay healthy and fit and not go bonkers being nocturnal????? What is done on a PP unit at night (Breastfeeding, meds, teaching, vitals, charting, etc??)

THanks for any input. I love this place :)

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Specializes in neuro,L&D,med/surg.

I was wondering if there is anyone out there who recently graduated, went to a sudo med-surg floor because it was "best for them to start there" and now is going to try to get into labor and delivery. I am coming up on my year 8/08 and owe my unit one year. I am so nervous about making yet another transition but know I don't want to be where I am right now. This has been a very difficult year starting out. My unit was supposed to be a stroke, tele floor and can tell you I've seen many things other than stroke. I wear way too many hats, which I wasn't expecting and don't feel that I can perfect or even come close to understanding them all. Not even a year in and I am miserable. I don't have much in L&D only that I love the one on one and can say I went through it 3 times and would do it many more if I wasn't getting so old:(

Anyway if there is anyone out there you made the switch please let me know how you faired and if you still with it. Thanks in advance

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Hi "tfiore"!

Congrats on coming up on your first year!! I haven't even started my first job yet (it will be in postpartum) so I don't have an exact answer to your question but one thing I would say while trying to transfer would be maybe try to do it "in house" versus another hospital...make sure you get a good review from your current mgr, and make it clear that you were doing med-surg out of what you thought was the 'obligation' as a new grad...but that your true passion is L&D! You may have to start in postpartum and work your way up bc there is more training involved in L&D (you probably know all of this) but just show that you are totally passionate about that area and now 1 year more well rounded and easier to train! I would say nothing negative about your current position even though you think it :) Okay...those are just my thoughts...!! Let me know how it goes!

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Hi, I am looking for information on becoming an ob tech and I can't seem to find it anywhere.

I am curious in what exactly an ob tech does?

what the difference is between an ob tech and an ob nurse and an gyn nurse?

What type of degree is required for this career?

If getting a CNA licence would be recomended for this job?

What type of school would be better to attend to establish this career?

What is the average salary?

And any other information that might be useful to me!

Thanks in advance.

-Chantal

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Hi, I am looking for information on becoming an ob tech and I can't seem to find it anywhere.

I am curious in what exactly an ob tech does?

what the difference is between an ob tech and an ob nurse and an gyn nurse?

What type of degree is required for this career?

If getting a CNA licence would be recomended for this job?

What type of school would be better to attend to establish this career?

What is the average salary?

And any other information that might be useful to me!

Thanks in advance.

-Chantal

Chantal,

I think the best way to get information is contacting your Nursing Board or maybe do some researches online.

Carol

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Specializes in Rural Health.
hi, i am looking for information on becoming an ob tech and i can't seem to find it anywhere.

i am curious in what exactly an ob tech does? our ob techs do vs, help the pt with ambulation, a couple are surgical techs so they scrub during a section. because we have no us, they are also our unit clerk as well. they help a lot with activities of daily living.

what the difference is between an ob tech and an ob nurse and an gyn nurse? our ob techs have no license or certification where an rn and lpn have a license.

what type of degree is required for this career? ours require no degree other than an hs diploma

if getting a cna licence would be recomended for this job? a few of ours are cna's but our facility does not require it

what type of school would be better to attend to establish this career? again, ours does not require any schooling, a couple are surgical techs as well, so they went to school to be a surgical tech, which where i live is a 1 year program

what is the average salary? you'll have to refer to the hr department for that info

and any other information that might be useful to me! call the hr department at the facility you are interested in, they can provide you with ample amount of information. and check around because i work in one of the only facilities in my area that uses ob techs.

thanks in advance.

-chantal

good luck!!!!

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Specializes in critical care, telemetry, ER.

Hi, I'm new to the site. I have almost 1 year of experience as an RN on a very busy critical care telemetry floor. I take care of up to 6 critical patients at once. The more seasoned nurses on our floor say that if you can make it on our floor you can work anywhere. My hospital is in a poor part of town and loses money every month because most of our patients have no insurance, so we are usually short staffed. I am ACLS certified and part of our hospital code team, and have taken charge nurse and preceptor courses.

Anyway, my husband is more than likely going to accept a job in Atlanta, so we'll be moving and I will be looking for a new job. I really want to get into L&D, it's what I'm passionate about. I think I would eventually go on to be a midwife. However, most jobs I have found want only nurses with L&D experience. How do I get my foot in the door of that illusive L&D job?? I have applied for a part time position that doesn't list required experience. Hopefully if I got that job I would be able to pick up some extra time.

I thought about trying to get into a mother/baby unit and after getting some experience trying to move over to L&D, but the mother/baby units want nurses with experience in that also.

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Hi I have been a nurse for 9 months and have job interview for L&D and feel like I know nothing!!!! have you found they teach new grads well in L&D?

I havent put an IV in in over 4 months and only have 5 months med surg exp and 4 months psych not exactly bringing much exp with me! I was told I would get a 12 week orientation being crossed trained in mother baby. does that sound correct do any of the exp nurses have suggestions?? i would really like to get the job but will i be a safe nurse??? will i be able to learn enough in that time? anyone have suggestions??? Anyone start out in L&D as a new grad??

I had origanly applied for special care nursery but was called back and aksed if I would interview for L&D which means I would be able to train for NICU after a year too! I am not even sure how I feel becuse I had given up on this hospital because its been a month and 1/2 since I applied! When I answered the phone today I was thinking it was somewhere else I had applied for med surg (just for exp)that was supposed to call back today and it was them!!!!:heartbeat

Any interview tips or self study I can do at home for OB???

Thanks:nurse:

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