Nursing student with questions about ob/gyn clinic?

[jead1]

I'm a senior in nursing school (yay) and I am really interested in working in an ob/gyn clinic once I graduate. This summer I am getting the AWESOME opportunity to shadow a WHNP and she is amazing. Every time I watch her with a patient, I feel so warm inside. I also have a passion for community/public health. So what better way to combine both of my passions than to work in an ob/gyn clinic?? This way I am working in the community all the while serving a specific population. Amazing, right??? However, I have some questions.

Is it a good idea to start in a clinic straight out of nursing school? Everyone I've talked to has told me to get some experience first on a med surg floor so I will be a "better" nurse. They say I will be well rounded if I start on a floor first and develop skills.

While we're on that topic, Is it a good idea for it to be an OB/GYN clinic? Will I be limiting myself if I specialize too soon? Like get out of school and jump straight into a specialty? Will I get tired of seeing a particular type of patient? I.e, pregnant, young teens, women? I only say this because a nurse with 30 years experience told me that since I'm so young I might get "bored" soon. :-/

Lastly, will I even get hired? Would the nurse manager prefer someone with labor and delivery experience? Should I work on a L&D floor first? Advice? Insight? Thoughts? Thank you guys!!! 😁

[klone, MSN, RN]

As someone who went from L&D to an OB/Gyn clinic, I would really recommend starting in inpatient OB as a new grad. There are a lot of fundamentals that can only be learned as a bedside nurse.

[xxdiscoxxheaven]

I work in an OB/GYN office as a student nurse lab tech. I passed the NCLEX RN so I will be leaving soon. I could see how you might get bored since it is pretty routine. I could see myself doing it full time but only after I get a year of experience in the hospital. It would be better for your future job potential. I don't believe you would have to work in an OB/GYN floor to work in an office though

[TeeKay12]

The prevailing thought throughout most places is to get the year to two in Med/Surg experience first, before you do anything else. I'm actually actively pursuing a position in OB (hospital) after 3 years in Med/Surg. The experience I've gotten is highly valued by the managers I've interviewed with. I think there is nothing like the M/S experience to help you in every other position. HOWEVER: it's not a must-have. If you know for sure that what you want is OB clinic, then what that clinic will be looking for is NOT hospital experience. I've interviewed with a couple of clinics who are not impressed with my hospital experience. They want someone with office/clinic experience.

I'd say that after graduation, you should pursue either a hospital position in L&D, mother-baby, or GYN or a clinic experience. The best clinic experience, save the OB office, would be to find a family practitioner.

[Oedgar]

If you know you will never be interested in working in the hospital, then why not go into clinic nursing? But, if you go straight to clinic you will not keep the skills you worked so hard in school to develop. In my OB clinic job, the skills mainly used are injections and phone triage. We occasionally cath somebody, but the docs do that where I work.. I could see in another place the nurses being asked to do that. Depending on what all your docs do, you might need some minor OR skills, if the office does in office ablations or hysteroscopy. We insert IUDs and Nexplanons, do LEEPs, biopsies of cerivx, vulva, and skin tags. There is a limited set of instruments you will need to learn.

[Jory, MSN, APRN, CNM]

I agree. You can easily get a job in an inpatient OB right out of school and this will help you tremendously in clinic.

However, clinics pay a lot less than a hospital.

[USA987, MSN, RN, NP]

I guess it depends on what your role would be in the clinic. Phone triage definitely requires a good skill set.

[nurseactivist]

Some of us come out of school loving a specific specialty and then our lives change and our interests change. I loved peds until I had a child and then I could no longer handle pedi onc. I believe med-surg or inpatient OB is the best place to start. For example, you will see diabetics and can transfer that knowledge to women's health in the clinic or inpatient OB. A solid general knowledge base is a great and can serve you well in the future.