Traveling Nurse

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

Ok - I would like some advice. I am in a slump in my full-time Monday-Friday job. I work for a school learning center doing health education and hate it. I also work part-time (every other weekend) at a small hospital in L&D. I have quite a few years experience in ob/gyn and have recently been thinking of doing this "traveling nursing" thing. I live within 1 hour of two metropolitan cities in the midsouth. There is an agency that a friend of mine has recently contracted with and she has been assigned to work in ICU or ER in one of those cities. Her contract is to work 3, 12 hour shifts per week and she also gets a living allowance. My dilemma is - I am actually "scared" to go to a "bigger" hospital and do OB. I am not questioning my skills; it is just that in the smaller hospitals I have worked in, we only deal with 1 or 2 Doctors. Please tell me it is not that much different.

Any advice is welcomed.

Respectfully,

ARKYRN

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Specializes in MS Home Health.

I have never done L&D/OB or traveling in the hospital only home health and loved it. Of course I dealt with many clients and many docs. I hope someone can help you. Zoe where are you?

renerian

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Specializes in OB, Telephone Triage, Chart Review/Code.

If you are contacting companies about travel nursing, let them know that you are interested in the rural areas.

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I am on a travel nurse assignment right now and I to came from a small hospital where you knew all the physician's and their likes and desires. I am now at a facility where they do over 4000 deliveries a year compared to the 400 per year at my old hospital. I am really enjoying it. The staff here is all very nice and the phyicisian's and midwives seem to like to teach. If you have any questions feel free to PM me or e-mail, I would be happy to talk with you. Good luck.

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Try going to http://www.delphiforums.com

They have lots of travelers that use this forum, and they could give you advice about different hospitals....I SAY GO FOR IT, if you're confident with your skills then you should have no problem, tho it will be an adjustment! You can discuss your concerns and specifiic questions about working with different doctors in your interview with the facility. Dont hesitate to tell them your concerns. Good luck! Shelley

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Small may be good and bad..Good-usually low key, not to busy, may work with with 1 or 2 dr's, usually country setting, slowww paced if in the south. Bad-So slow your bored to death, and if new not much experience is gained, when bored fellow rn's find other things to keep them occupied, like politics to the max, good ole boy attitude in small town settings also. Watch what you say and who you talk too, it probaly is someones cousin or even husband!!!Good luck..

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I was in a similar situation as you.... lots of OB experience but only in smaller hospitals. I had never worked at a teaching hospital. BUT... I took a deep breath and went for it, and I wound up accepting a permanent position at the hospital I took the travel contract to. It really felt good to conquer my fear that I wouldn't "measure up", and everyone was very nice and helpful. It turned out that, at my hospital anyway, they have so many young/new nurses in our unit that they made me feel quite valued as an "experienced" nurse. Before I took this travel assignment I had worked with quite a few travel nurses at my other jobs, and from the staff's perspective we were always so glad to have the help that we didn't mind helping them settle in and get used to our way of doing things.

Hope this helps.

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