New RN Grad

At my hospital I am the only new grad working L&D. I think it helped that I had 10 months' experience as an extern in L&D at another hospital. Even still, I feel like there is sooooo much that I have to learn. I know that several other girls from my graduating class got L&D jobs at various hospitals, so it definitely is possible to get in right away without going the med-surg route first.

My hospital does not hire new grads for L&D. it's more difficult for everyone because not only does s/he have no experience as a nurse, she's also new to the hospital (forms, proceduree, policies, etc are unfamiliar), AND she is not trained to interpret the fetal monitor.

Our L&D prefers to take those with L&D experience or antepartum (high risk ob) or Post partum. if theyre really strapped for staff, they'll take one with general experience.

Oh, and congrats!

The hospital I work at does hire new grads for L & D but not often. I am a new grad and was hired as a "transition" nurse but technically part of the NICU/Nursery dept. Another classmate of mine, was hired L & D and we are the only ones at this time. Just like KellNY said, they absolutely prefer to have the nurses with experience. Most of the new grads they have coming through this hospital, go to the medical, surgical or tele floors.

at the hospital you work at, are there many new grad rn's that work l/d when they graduate?

a fellow nurse working in l/d told me lately that there were many new grad nurses on her floor but they were patients not staff.

I was hired into an LDR (perinatal) fellowship as a new grad RN. There were 10 of us in my fellowship (it was the largest they had ever had), with 8 more starting after we got off of orientation, and another fellowship starting after that. We had 16 weeks of orientation (classroom and with a preceptor) before working on our own. I am very glad I chose to work at a hospital offering LDR fellowships, as L&D is the reason I became a nurse.

I did an LDR externship at a hospital in the same hospital system the summer before graduation; it was a great way to learn what an LDR nurse does to know that I really wanted to be in the area I am in now.

Right now we have 2 new grads working in our unit. Me and another woman! We are a small community hospital, and honestly I think they were really hurting for staff LOL. However, I got the job because I worked as a nurse tech in OB during school and did my senior practicum in L&D. The other new grad got in mainly because her boyfriends mom works in our unit, but that's okay! She's doing a good job and that's all that matters.

Otherwise I dont think this place hires new grads too often, which is good because they are disorganized in their training in my opinion.

Carrie

at the hospital you work at, are there many new grad rn's that work l/d when they graduate?

no hospital near me will hire a new grad rn to work l & d. sorry. believe me, i tried - several times. lol. but now, having 1 year of med/surg experience - i'm actually able to shed light on some of the long-time l&d nurses i work with that never worked med/surg before. if we have an antepartem patient that takes a certain bp med or at this time i can't think of what else, i am able to help the other nurse with no med/surg experience. we also don't do many blood transfusions on my unit, but i did many of them in med/surg. it feels pretty good to be able to teach rns that have been nursing for 20-something years. lol.

We hire new graduates on occasion but not often. I was a new grad hired directly into OB in a rural setting. Talk about baptism by fire. GREAT place to cut my teeth in the OB area as a new nurse, but it was a hard first year, I tell ya.

I think new graduates would do well to look for places that have formal internships/residencies if they seriously want to do L/D. PP is easy to pick up by comparison, but L/D is much tougher. I would definately go for a place that mentors new graduates well and in an organized manner---that is their best chance for success as OB nurses.

Ours does, though, i think experienced nurses are preferred. I applied as a new grad, never got an interview. Applied again after 15 months experience elsewhere, and was offered the job on the spot at the interview.

It does help to have experience elsewhere, even though mine wasn't OB related exp. I knew how to be a nurse. I knew the hospital system (i transferred from my unit to L&D in same hospital), the general computer system, knew how to start iv's, do cath's, etc.

I felt like a new nurse all over again when i started L&D. its a whole new world.

Greetings!

New grads are hired into L&D at my hospital, I was a new grad in May, got hired in June, started the 6 month internship in August and am getting ready to hit the floor solo (with an assigned buddy) in Feb. We have had extensive classes on FHM, L&D, complications, emergencies, hospital P&P, and worked full time schedules following a preceptor. There were 12 of us (I think) that started this round of internships. This hospital started this about 3 years ago and have had great success. The staff is extremely supportive of us and yes....it is HARD!! But! It is do-able!!

Good luck and if you want L&D, don't settle for anything else but L&D.

Michelle