Would you recommend OB Nursing as a New Grad?

shay · Jun 2, 2002

First off, CONGRATS!!

Second, would I recommend OB nursing to a new grad? Hmmmmmm....................well, if that's what the new grad wants to do, that being you, SURE!

A lot of us here in the OB 'gang' started on OB as new grads and did just fine.

I don't think being a new grad necessarily has much to do with whether or not OB is a good fit. Personality, who precepts you, and where you work has much more to do with how you'll do in OB than how much nursing experience you have.

If it's what you want, GO FOR IT.

Whoops! forgot your other questions...

All kinds of nurses 'eat their young.' OB nurses are neither more nor less inclined to do so. Just check out the unit carefully before you accept a position.

As to whether I'd prefer an experienced RN or a new grad, well, that depends. If we're short staffed as hell and hurting for staff, I'm naturally going to want an experienced OB nurse as opposed to a new grad because the experienced one will be faster to orient. However, just because someone has experience doesn't make them good. New grads have enthusiasm and are eager to learn and can be a welcome breath of fresh air to the unit. We have an experienced RN and a new grad starting on my unit soon, and I look forward to them BOTH.

fergus51 · Jun 2, 2002

I agree with shay, if your personality is right for OB then go for it! I haven't found that nurses with med-surg time do any better when they start on OB than new grads. That's just my observation.

I find OB nurses to be a good group overall, and I haven't had a lot of young eaters who stuck around too long. I also think it depends on what area of OB you plan on going into. We tend to start new nurses in postpartum, then move them to labor and delivery, then get them trained for c-sections in the OR. It takes a little less than a year to become basically competent in these areas in our hospital.

finallyRN · Jun 3, 2002

I just started in OB 2 years ago. Previously I did 10 months of Med-Surg as a new grad. The Med-surg was not my first choice, peds was but stuck in Medsurg. now I love OB but was very thankful for my experience in Med Surg. We have had several new grads in OB and they have done just as well as those with some nursing or even OB experience.

L&D.RN · Jun 3, 2002

I went into L&D as a new grad with a 5 month new grad training program...I loved it! I was warned by the director when I was hired that the L&D nurses like to eat their young, and that they would be tough on me until I "proved myself" which turned out to be totally false. At all times I felt very supported. They took me under their wing until I could fly on my own, and ever since then, I make sure that the nursing students from the local college and the new grads are treated the same way as I wanted to be treated when I was learning. That ol' eating your young thing needs to be done with like yesterday's laundry. The only way we're going to get past being so short on nurses is to be supportive of our new ones!

Welcome to OB nursing if that's where your heart lies!

obtnt · Jun 6, 2002

I welcome Heather333 into the sisterhood!! We need all the help we can get!! I too, started, from day one, in the labor and delivery unit where I graduated. I was one of only TWO new grads allowed to start in L&D that year (it was not allowed previous to that year). I must add that it was devine intervention that we were hired to begin with but since I had scored 99 on my NLN I knew I wanted to LIVE in the L&D unit!! I encourage nurses to try OB no matter what their background. It was my experience (16 years ago) the "gang" tried to eat the young ones but we toughed it out--and we remain!! I think it had something to do with the reality we would need thick skin to get by in this "REAL" world but it's just a guess. I certainly would not treat any nurse the way I was treated no matter what. Hopefully, like someone else wrote, we will realize we need each other and try to help our coworkers out and work together in these difficult days. God Bless!!!!:)