Nurse Midwife vs Labor and Delivery RN. Can't Decide

[Paula378]

I'm 25 years old and planning on eventually going back to school for nursing and I'm deciding between being a CNM or getting my RN and specializing in labor and delivery. A huge pro for labor and delivery is being able to attend a college in my state so that I don't have to move across the country and pay out of state tuition.

My sister in law is a labor and delivery nurse and she loves her job, and she really sold me on the idea of being a travelling nurse. She told me that she and her fellow nursing friends were able to work for 6 months, then spend the rest of their time at home not working. This definitely appealed to me since I'm single and have no children.

This was a bit rambly, but I was hoping to hear from people who work in either of these fields and just hear about your personal experiences.

Thanks

[Irish_Mist, BSN, RN]

Well, let's start with the fact that you compared new obgyns to CNMs with no prior L&D experience. That comparison in itself is laughable. If I were experiencing an obstetric emergency, I know that I'd want the prior to handle it.

The very foundation of advanced practice nursing is a RN building upon his or her clinical experience and becoming a provider. Without that solid clinical knowledge, it just isn't there. Even as a new nurse, while I had the book knowledge, I didn't have the experience to go with it. Same concept here. But you've apparently got yourself convinced so why try to convince actual registered nurses if you aren't doubtful of your decisions?