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!

congrats on your choice of l/d. i don't know much about florida, but in texas, there are a few hospitals that will let you do your internship in l/d right away, others will make you work in antepartum or postpartum for a year first. depends on the hospital.

Specializes in Med-Surg so far.
Hi! i have a question, i am goin gto the university of central florida this fall with a pre-nursing major to get my BSN in nursing. I want to work in labor/delivery, but dont mistake me, i dont want to be a midwife, but how long does it takeonce you get your BSN to get into that program and working in the hospitals working in L&D? is there a program i have to go thru after the i get my BSN?? thanks so much, i just want to know what my path is for me and what i should plan for, im so excited!

Are you asking how long it takes to work in L&D after you become an RN? I just passed the NCLEX last month and am able to apply to jobs in L&D. Some take new grads and some do not. I am in South Florida.

Hello everyone! I am writing because I have just recently passed the NCLEX and am looking for a good new grad training program. I am interested in moving to Los angeles so have started to explore options there. My first choice is NICU, then post partum/well baby nursery, then L&D.

I found a L&D program at Cedar Sinai, but have gotten feedback that it is not a very supportive learning environment for new grads. In terms of my background I am have been working as a doula for 3 years and trained for some time under a licensed midwife. I am debating pursuing a career as licensed midwife or a CNM. I would like to work as a RN to sharpen my clinical skills in the hospital, make a decent salary, and get clarity on what type of midwifery I will practice.

Does anyone have any suggestions on good new grad training programs?

Hi, I am just finishing up my pre-reqs at FCCJ. I am going into nursing. I already know that I want to be an OB Nurse. My question is when will I be able to do strictly OB nursing? Will I be able to do my 90 hours in a hospital on the L/D floor or what?:confused:

Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.
Hi, I am just finishing up my pre-reqs at FCCJ. I am going into nursing. I already know that I want to be an OB Nurse. My question is when will I be able to do strictly OB nursing? Will I be able to do my 90 hours in a hospital on the L/D floor or what?:confused:

When you go through nursing school, you'll have to do clinicals in all assigned areas - med/surg, peds, OB, psych, and so on. You don't get to pick just one and do all your hours there. Once you graduate & pass nursing boards, then you can do whatever you want. You might find in clincals that you like something better than OB or it might cement your desire for OB. Anyway, you have to do the clinicals in all the areas assigned to you. You may want to check out the nursing and pre-nursing student forums here too. Good luck! :)

Specializes in Operating Room.

Hello. I am an ADN student, graduating in December! I am in my OB clinicals right now and I LOVE IT!!! It feels like it's perfect for me and just what I want. I feel a PULL towards it! And I totally "get it"... things just make sense. I plan on doing my preceptorship there in the fall. Anyway, I was talking to a couple people and one person told me that I should go right into Mother/Baby if I want and another person told me to start off on Med/Surg to "get the experience." I don't want to go into OB feeling like I'm in over my head and I also don't want to go into Med/Surg because I know I'll hate it (i work as a PCT on a busy med/surg floor and I see what the RNs go through). Can anybody give me any advice on this? :no:

Specializes in Geriatrics, orthopedics.
Hello. I am an ADN student, graduating in December! I am in my OB clinicals right now and I LOVE IT!!! It feels like it's perfect for me and just what I want. I feel a PULL towards it! And I totally "get it"... things just make sense. I plan on doing my preceptorship there in the fall. Anyway, I was talking to a couple people and one person told me that I should go right into Mother/Baby if I want and another person told me to start off on Med/Surg to "get the experience." I don't want to go into OB feeling like I'm in over my head and I also don't want to go into Med/Surg because I know I'll hate it (i work as a PCT on a busy med/surg floor and I see what the RNs go through). Can anybody give me any advice on this? :no:

If you know it's what you want to do, then I say go for it! I just graduated in May and am currently working mother/baby and I have NO regrets and I am loving every minute of it! I am getting trained as if I knew absolutely nothing about mother/baby coming into it, so that has been really helpful! I too hated med/surg in school so the decision was easily made for me. The wonderful thing about nursing is that you can always change if you try something and it doesn't feel right to you. You are never stuck in just one area. Best wishes to you in your final months of school and good luck making your decision! :D :heartbeat

Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

I bought the line about medsurg too and started out on a gen surg floor - I hated it. Not because the patients were so awful, they weren't, I just knew it wasn't where I was supposed to be. So if you know your heart is somewhere else, then I say go for it if you can.

Looking back, I'm grateful for the experience I had in med/surg (all 9mo full-time and 2yrs PRN) but would not go back for any amount of money. Whatever decision you make, you won't go wrong. My best to you. :)

Specializes in Operating Room.
If you know it's what you want to do, then I say go for it! I just graduated in May and am currently working mother/baby and I have NO regrets and I am loving every minute of it! I am getting trained as if I knew absolutely nothing about mother/baby coming into it, so that has been really helpful! I too hated med/surg in school so the decision was easily made for me. The wonderful thing about nursing is that you can always change if you try something and it doesn't feel right to you. You are never stuck in just one area. Best wishes to you in your final months of school and good luck making your decision! :D :heartbeat

THANK YOU for your quick response and encouragement! I am so jealous of you! I want to work in Mother/Baby sooo bad!! I really want to go with my heart and passion... I will try my hardest to get a Mother/Baby job in December. Best of luck to you in the rest of your career! You seem happy and content where you are working and isn't that the best? :redpinkhe

Specializes in Operating Room.
I bought the line about medsurg too and started out on a gen surg floor - I hated it. Not because the patients were so awful, they weren't, I just knew it wasn't where I was supposed to be. So if you know your heart is somewhere else, then I say go for it if you can.

Looking back, I'm grateful for the experience I had in med/surg (all 9mo full-time and 2yrs PRN) but would not go back for any amount of money. Whatever decision you make, you won't go wrong. My best to you. :)

Thank you, Elvish! I heard from my psych teacher (one of my faves in the program.. so relatable and easy to talk to) that the med/surg "experience" is bull****. it's just a ploy to fill those positions. she told us that if we know what we want to get into, go for it!!! she has been a psych nurse from the day she graduated until today. she really inspired me. BUT then my OB teacher told me to go into med/surg first for the experience and that it doesn't sound appealing but i should do it. it kind of bummed me out for a minute because since I started OB clinicals, a light went off in my head and I thought, "I WANT TO BE DOING THIS!!" so i think I will follow my heart and apply for OB positions and hope for the best!

Specializes in pediatrics, oncology.
Thank you, Elvish! I heard from my psych teacher (one of my faves in the program.. so relatable and easy to talk to) that the med/surg "experience" is bull****. it's just a ploy to fill those positions. she told us that if we know what we want to get into, go for it!!! she has been a psych nurse from the day she graduated until today. she really inspired me. BUT then my OB teacher told me to go into med/surg first for the experience and that it doesn't sound appealing but i should do it. it kind of bummed me out for a minute because since I started OB clinicals, a light went off in my head and I thought, "I WANT TO BE DOING THIS!!" so i think I will follow my heart and apply for OB positions and hope for the best!

My psych instructor said the same thing. I have no desire to do med-surg so why put myself through that??? Not happening! Go where your passion lies!

Hi all

I am a RN (doing my bachelors). I will be volunteering in a local clinic for our less advantaged in the community. One of the areas they really need help is with OB patient checks.

I am so happy to help but it has been a long time since my OB days and I do not want to miss anything ( however I was amazed how much I remembered when I was pregnant 5 years ago).

Does anyone have some good references/sources for assessment and what happens at each prenatal visit, client teaching?

Thanks all!

Diana

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