Please Hellllllllllp!!!!!!!!

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Hi I'm new around here. I am currently a senior in High School. I'll be graduating in June. I want to be nurse very badly. But coming up in school there has never been any helpful information available to me about the field :crying2: It has always been my passion and I can't see myself doing anything else. More specifically, I want to be a baby nurse. Sometime down the line I'd like to work in an NICU but once I graduate from college I want to be a well baby nurse. I am not exactly sure what the title for the nurse I want to be is. Maybe one of you can help me out. I want to be the nurse that takes care of both the mother & well baby after the baby is born and teaches the new mom about her baby, etc. Exactly what type of nurse is this?

Also reading on here I came across a few terms that caught my attention. If you can, could you please explain some of these. I appreciate it so much. Thanks in advance to anyone who answer. You're making the BIGGEST difference in my live and I am forever greatful. :) :) :) :)

LDPR

L&D Nurse

Mother/Baby nurse, Mother-Baby Ward

Postpartum Nurse

Ob/Gyn Nurse, Ob-Gyn Ward

LPN vs ADN vs RN (Whats the difference?)

ADN vs BSN ("...Difference?)

Scrub tech

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Welcome to the world of nursing! Here are some answers to your questions. LDRP=labor,delivery,recovery,postpartum. In a LDRP room the mom comes in and labors, delivers and stays in the same room until she goes home. L&D nurse= someone who works in a labor and delivery floor in a hospital. MOTHER/BABY= taking care of the mom and baby after delivery but not during labor. I work in a place that has LDRP rooms but we have a couple of nurses who don't do labor but they do take care of postpartum moms. POSTPARTUM= after the baby is here. OB/GYN= Usually surgical stuff like hysterectomies. Big hospitals may have a unit that is just for this or else they may be mixed in with postpartum at a small hospital if the unit is not busy. ADN=2 year degree BSN=4 year degree Both =RN. They both take the same test at the end of school to get an RN.

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wow. thanks so much.

so i guess what i want to be is a Mother/Baby nurse. Is there a possibility that I can do both LDRP and Mother/Baby?

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Specializes in med/surg.

Hi Tahirah and welcome!

You're off to a good start - doing some research, and asking questions. I can't give you specifics about the specialty titles you selected, but can tell you about the degrees/licenses. Also, keep looking on this and other web sites for information. Don't forget to check with the NJ state nursing association, and student nurses association. You can select from allnurse.com home page to see and go to lists of nursing organizations, by state and specialty. Try http://www.nursesource.org

Have you selcted some colleges to apply to? The colleges you pick will have information about their program and a visit with someone (admissions advisor) from the nursing dept. will also give you some more information. Don't forget to visit college websites - most will give you information about the program requirements, courses etc. Try to select an program that's approved by the NLN (National League for Nursing).

LPN = licensed practical nurse. LPN programs are probably 18mos-2yrs in length and you take a licensing exam, which allows you to use the title LPN after you pass. Do more research in your area about what job opportunities are available. LPNs are allowed to provide care under the direction of and RN or MD, but are not supposed to assess patients and may have restrictions related to certain medication administration. One of the hospitals I worked at only use LPNs as advanced patient care associates, (to me a waste of a licensed professional).

RN = Registered Nurse, there are many ways to become one, and plenty of opportunities once you do as far as job opportunities, both in and out of the hospital. There is plenty of info on this site extolling the merits of the different degrees.

ADN = Associate Degree in Nursing, aka AAS = Associate degree in Applied Science

This is usually conferred by a community college, technically it should be a 2year degree, but with changes and maybe waiting lists in the good programs expect it to take longer. Getting the general courses, and pre-requisites done ahead of starting the nursing classes is usually a good idea. An ADN can sit for the RN boards - the exam that you will have to take and pass to be allowed to use the title RN.

Diploma - some hospitals provide their own progrram of nursing education, usually with a local community college. Graduates of these programs also can take the RN boards and become RNs. I've no idea how available these programs still are.

BSN = Bachelor of Science in Nursing This is usually provided by a college or university and is 4-5yrs in length. Once completed, you take the same RN board exam as the ADN and Diploma graduates.

MSN = Master of Science in Nursing the higher you go with your education, the more opportunities open up to you.

NP = Nurse Practitioner requires MSN and NP license on top of your RN license. You get to prescribe medications and provide primary care. Imagine if you will, your own practice, hanging out a shingle and setting your own hours.

PhD or ND = Doctorate degrees - you could someday be writing the textbooks and teaching the nursing students to come.

Try to decide where you want to be for college, and when you start working, what you (and your family) can afford for school (remember it is time and money), and which college program can help you get there. Another thing that might help is volunteering at a local hospital and inquiring about shadowing a nurse (following for a day or more).

Good luck and best wishes!

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no new info to add but applaud your decision. Maternal-child nursing is a wonderful field and you will never be bored, for sure.

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I have worked in a postpartum unit for 8 years. I really, really love it. We take care of moms and newborns 1-2 hours after delivery. We do A LOT of teaching, we assess the moms and babies on a regular basis to make sure they are recovering as anticipated. I assist with breast feeding when applicable. There's a lot to do in a short amount of time. Most of our lady partsl deliveries leave 24 hours after delivery, very quick. We also take care of gyn. patients, meaning women who have had hysterectomies, ectopic pregnancies, cysts removed, any kind of surgery like that. We also care for antepartum patients, that means women who are still pregnant but have had some complication with their pregnancy. Like, high blood pressure that requires IV medications, women who are basically in labor too early, and we need to monitor them and thier baby, there are many reasons for women to have problems with their pregnancies which require hospitalization. It is a very rewarding unit to work on. After 8 years I can honestly say that I look forward to going to work every time I am scheduled. You really learn to appreciate how a newborn is such a miracle. And to be able to help a family learn about their little miracle is just a wonderful thing. I've only ever worked in postpartum so I can not speak for L&D, or any other unit, but I'm sure you will find your "nitch" and hopefully it will be postpartum, you will love it. Good luck, and good for you for choosing nursing as a career!

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wow. thanks so much.

so i guess what i want to be is a Mother/Baby nurse. Is there a possibility that I can do both LDRP and Mother/Baby?

Yes you can do both. At my hospital we have 5 LDRP rooms and 5 regular rooms. The regular rooms are used mainly for c-section moms. It's a small hospital and there are only 2 nurses on at a time so we both do everything. We take turns being the labor nurse and we take care of the postpartum moms and the babies. I'm glad I work in a small hospital so I get to do everything. I LOVE labor but I like to care for the babies too. It's the best of both worlds.

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