OB... L&D.... what's the difference???

krystina885 · Jul 27, 2011

ummmmm, OB means obstetrical, lady partsl issues, ect, labor and delivery is exactly that, birthing and so forth, as well as office experience for an OB/GYN physician. In OB you can be dealing with for example, lady partsl cancers, cervical cancer, cervical polyps, lady partsl diseases, ect. Labor and delivery is pregnancies and the delivery of infants. Both are closely related, dont think you should be applying for a job if you dont know the basics of what they are requiring!

Sl1011 · Jul 27, 2011

ummmmm, OB means obstetrical, lady partsl issues, ect, labor and delivery is exactly that, birthing and so forth, as well as office experience for an OB/GYN physician. In OB you can be dealing with for example, lady partsl cancers, cervical cancer, cervical polyps, lady partsl diseases, ect. Labor and delivery is pregnancies and the delivery of infants. Both are closely related, dont think you should be applying for a job if you dont know the basics of what they are requiring!

As far as I know, obstetrics deals with all aspects of childbirth/pregnancy. What you mentioned above is gynecology, at least that's what I thought. That's why I'm asking the question. Some places also just say one or the other, OB position, or L&D.. Postpartum , etc. I'm wondering if ob includes L&D when it's posted like that.

MadpeysRN · Jul 27, 2011

ummmmm, OB means obstetrical, lady partsl issues, ect, labor and delivery is exactly that, birthing and so forth, as well as office experience for an OB/GYN physician. In OB you can be dealing with for example, lady partsl cancers, cervical cancer, cervical polyps, lady partsl diseases, ect. Labor and delivery is pregnancies and the delivery of infants. Both are closely related, dont think you should be applying for a job if you dont know the basics of what they are requiring!

Ouch! Not nice :eek:

IowaLPN · Jul 27, 2011

ummmmm, OB means obstetrical, lady partsl issues, ect, labor and delivery is exactly that, birthing and so forth, as well as office experience for an OB/GYN physician. In OB you can be dealing with for example, lady partsl cancers, cervical cancer, cervical polyps, lady partsl diseases, ect. Labor and delivery is pregnancies and the delivery of infants. Both are closely related, dont think you should be applying for a job if you dont know the basics of what they are requiring!

Not nice, indeed. I'll admit it, I've wondered the same thing.

kenyacka · Jul 27, 2011

ummmmm, OB means obstetrical, lady partsl issues, ect, labor and delivery is exactly that, birthing and so forth, as well as office experience for an OB/GYN physician. In OB you can be dealing with for example, lady partsl cancers, cervical cancer, cervical polyps, lady partsl diseases, ect. Labor and delivery is pregnancies and the delivery of infants. Both are closely related, dont think you should be applying for a job if you dont know the basics of what they are requiring!

That's gyno, not ob.

Hawkens · Jul 27, 2011

1)obstetric

Of or relating to the profession of obstetrics or the care of women during and after pregnancy.

2)gynecology

the branch of medicine concerned with diseases in women, esp those of the genitourinary tract

Now everyone play nice.

Trauma Columnist · Jul 27, 2011

Moved to OB/GYN forum.

klone, MSN, RN · Jul 27, 2011

OB generally encompasses all areas - L&D, postpartum and well baby (which are often lumped into mother/baby or couplet), as well as antepartum.

ktliz · Jul 27, 2011

I get the impression that L&D is the most sought-after OB position. There might not be as many applicants for antepartum, postpartum, etc., and therefore they are willing to consider those without experience. Just a guess.

OldNurseEducator · Jul 27, 2011

I'm not sure what the difference is. I figured OB would be L&D... maybe it's including everything (postpartum, antepartum, etc??) It didn't say in the job description. I was just curious and wondered if anyone else might know :)

Yesra ago, a person could apply to nurse in one of the three OB areas, either PP, L and D or Nursery. Most nurses liked L and D and Nursery but did not like Post Partum (it's a lot like M/S). Now I think hospitals want to have worked all three areas and have expertise in all areas. It's easier to float you from area to area as needed. You become a much more valuable employee to them if you can interchange with the three areas as needed. Ante-partum would also be included in OB I think.

At least, that's the way it is in major hospitals in NE Ohio. :twocents:

klone, MSN, RN · Jul 27, 2011

I've appreciated working postpartum at my current hospital. As someone who specialized right out of nursing school, I didn't get any M/S foundation. Where I work now, we take gyn, gyn-onc, post-surgical uro-gyn, and even other stuff. If it's a female and there isn't room on the M/S floor, we get her. Once they even tried to give us a post-surgical male, but our charge nurse put her foot down. We don't take any memberes that are longer than an inch in our unit!