ob/gyn nurses - do you like it?

[tracelc]

hi,

i have been seriously considering going into ob/gyn nursing for the past 2-3 years, but i'm not sure if it is everything i think it will be.

my ultimate goal is to teach childbirth/breastfeeding and early parenting education to underprivileged and teen moms/families.

the thing is, i recently found out that i can be a childbirth educator without becoming an RN. i can obtain a certificate through ICEA and teach classes.

however, i feel i would really like to actually be in the delivery room helping the moms out. in which case i could also be a doula!

so, my question is, knowing what i want to do in the field, what would you do if you had to do it over again? do you enjoy helping the moms deliver and helping them on the maternity ward too? do you love it? why?

one more question - i have a BA in Anthropology, so if i did go to school, i wouldn't need to take all of the general coursework. how long do you think it would take to become an RN in this case?

thanks for your help!

[ShandyLynnRN, BSN, RN]

Love it! Been thinking of doing something else, but just because I dont like the hours required at hospitals in my area. My only reasons not to pursue something different at this time are financial, and mainly, because I dont know if I would love any part of nursing as much as I love OB. Not that it is perfect, because every workplace/type of work I'm sure has it's quirks, but all-in-all, its great!

[fergus51]

Can you shadow a nurse? I love what I do, but I did have a lot of preconceived notions that were way off! If I could make a living at it, I would probably rather be a doula. They have less responsibility legally, don't have to worry about all the crap with nursing (like charting or dealing with hospital administrators) and are left to just focus on supportive care.

[2ndcareernurse]

When I was thinking about going back to school to get a second degree (my first BA is in Spanish) in Nursing, I decided to volunteer at a hospital. My first assignment was in the Labor & Delivery dept. I love it! I am almost through the 6-month assignment and have learned so much. I am thinking about staying in that dept. even longer as a volunteer. You really get to see what it's like and get to see how the doctors act and interact with patients and nurses. See if there's something available in your area.

Good luck!

[2banurse]

Originally posted by 2ndcareernurse

When I was thinking about going back to school to get a second degree (my first BA is in Spanish) in Nursing, I decided to volunteer at a hospital. My first assignment was in the Labor & Delivery dept. I love it! I am almost through the 6-month assignment and have learned so much. I am thinking about staying in that dept. even longer as a volunteer. You really get to see what it's like and get to see how the doctors act and interact with patients and nurses. See if there's something available in your area.

Good luck!

Were you able to request volunteering in OB or were you just fortunate to be placed there? I would very much like to do the same.

tracelc, for prereqs for the nursing program it would all depend on what school, the usually prereqs needed to get into nursing is at least A&P1 and College Algebra (per my community college). The thing is that if there are a lot of applicants, those students that have completed the most prereqs will be chosen over those who have finished only a couple.

Kris