RaziRN

Thank you! I'm not even going to try to speculate as to how it went because I'm apparently a terrible judge of that. I did get to see my old preceptor and she remembered me! Everyone was so nice and welcoming. The NM remembered me from my preceptorship as well. Unfortunately, it will be two weeks before I hear anything as she still has people left to interview. Something that's been bugging me though is that I overheard her with the interviewee before me and she had that interviewee sign a release for a background check but didn't have me do the same thing. Is this because I used to work at the institution and they already have a background check on me or is it because she has no intention of hiring me?

Thank you for the advice and understanding ladies. Interview is tomorrow, let's do this! (Trying to be positive here.) :)

I worked with several filipino nurses and two of them precepted me. They were great! And I loved trying all the filipino food they brought in! :)

Um, I don't understand how it is I seem so desperate. I can't stop doing something if I don't know what I'm doing wrong in the first place. I have no personal experience in OB. I have no children. This is the unit where I did my 120 hr preceptorship in nursing school. This lady already knows me and refused to hire me right out of nursing school. Though they did hire another new grad who didn't even end up graduating. I have o idea what I'm doing wrong. Maybe I'm too restrained during interviews. I'm a very shy person but have no problem interacting with patients. I just don't know...

So, I have another OB interview on Friday at my old hospital and I've been brainstorming my strengths, weaknesses, etc. and was wondering if some of you could look them over and tell me which ones should be my top 3? This is my last shot guys, if I don't get this job I'm leaving nursing. Strengths: -I am detail-oriented which allows me to catch possible problems during my assessments which others may miss and allows me to chart thoroughly and concisely. -I am very eager to learn about all things OB. -I enjoy the pt. teaching aspect of OB nursing, especially teaching new families about newborn care. -I am able to remain calm and collected during emergent situations in order to get my patients the care they need. -I possess good communication skills and am usually able to connect with my patients on their level. -I genuinely care for my patients. -I am able to work well as a member of a team. - I am willing to ask questions when unsure about something. - I am very passionate about OB nursing and it fascinates me. Weaknesses: -I have no prior OB experience except a 120 hour preceptorship completed during nursing school but I'm enthusiastic about OB nursing and eager to learn and willing to ask questions. -Being detail-oriented slows me down at times, usually in my charting. -I am still working on my time management skills but have made improvements. Why OB Nursing? -OB nursing fasinates me, I enjoy learning about all aspects of pregnancy, childbirth, neonates and the postpartum period. It is my passion. Questions to ask Interviewer: -What is your C-section rate? -" " breastfeeding rate? -" " nurse to pt. ratio? -" " orientation timetable? -" " nurse turnover rate? -What do your nurses like and dislike about their jobs? -What is your timetable for getting required certifications such as ACLS and NRP? Does this stuff sound "weak" to you guys? If any of you are nurse managers I would especially appreciate your insight. Thanks in advance for any pointers or advice. :)

I just got the dreaded rejection email...

*Sigh* Things aren't looking too bright right now. I e-mailed the NM some questions I thought of over the weekend like she asked me to if I thought of any, and I haven't received a reply. I figure if she was gonna hire me she would be willing to answer my questions and if she wasn't going to hire me she might just ignore them. This really makes me feel like a giant failure seeing as how there were 3-4 positions open. I must of really bombed things somehow.

So, I had my interview today. The only question the NM asked me was why OB? And I told her it was my passion and how I've always had a fascination with all things OB. She then went on to explain scheduling, staffing and orientation in depth. From what she told me, she seems like a great manager to work for and seems to have an easy-going personality. I asked what staff turn-over was. She said it's been high lately but mostly because of people relocating with their spouses or having kids and wanting to stay at home. She told me that since I've worked as a nurse that my orientation will be 4 weeks in PP and 4 weeks in nursery with one day spent with the lactation consultant. She gave me a detailed tour of the unit. There are 16 PP beds, 14 well baby nursery beds, 6 L&D beds, two obs rooms and like 4 or 6 triage rooms. The NICU is level 3A and has 16 beds. The lady in HR said they would be checking my references and that they would probably call me back in 2-3 days. Wish me luck! In other related news, my NM from my old job called and said that they have 3 positions opening up in OB and that if it doesn't work out at this new hospital that I'm always welcome to come back there and try for an OB position. At least I have some options whereas this time last week it didn't seem like I had any.

So, what are the differences between the levels? This hospital has a NICU so I'm assuming the support is definitely there if something goes wrong. I respect OB, I've seen first hand things that go terribly wrong. In my final semester of nursing school I did a preceptorship in OB and we had a 23 weeker born in a hospital not at all equipped to deal with that baby. The baby should have been shipped to one of the areas larger hospitals but there was a lot of hemming and hawing on both sides and the baby was born before any action was taken. It was a very stressful day for the whole unit. There was also a lady there to birth her stillborn baby so it was definitely just a bad day all around for everyone.

You guys that are saying that OB is super stressful are scaring me. I've never been in an OB unit that seemed to be near the amount of stress in med/surg. There seems to actually be down time on these units. Now, the L&D nurses seem stressed but I'll be starting out postpartum, nursery, antepartum. But hey, I don't know what it's *really* like I'm sure. Also, If I'm not experienced in OB how am I supposed to know what to do in different OB situations? If a pt. were hemmorhaging I know I need to get in touch with MD and that they need pit. Monitor V/S, especially BP and HR? Am I on the right track at all? Now I can tell you exactly what to do if a pt. is having chest pain or an actual MI... I bought a nice blouse and black slacks today with some dress ankle boots and I have a business jacket that I'm going to wear. What have I gotten myself into?

I plan to tell them that I quit to follow my passion in nursing which is OB. It's the truth as well as is the whole stress thing. I'm hoping I can deal with the stress in OB because I actually like OB. Thanks for the advice!

Hi, I just recently (this week) quit my med/surg job because it was causing me ridiculous amounts of stress and I was depressed to the point of suicidal ideation. I have 14 months med/surg experience. Very fortunately, I got a call today to interview for a position in OB (my dream position and the entire reason I went into nursing in the first place.) I have not interviewed in a long time and I never felt interviewing was my strong point. I'm hoping that my passion for OB nursing will shine through. Does anyone have any tips/suggestions for an OB interview? I would really appreciate any advice you may have because I'm feeling pretty clueless at this point. Thanks in advance!

I just don't understand this association that people with tats or piercings are automatically unclean and unkempt. I have one unusual piercing and I make no effort to either show it off or hide it. I go to work in full make up etc. and work nights too. I work hard and maintain a professional demeanor. Most people don't notice my piercing and I've never gotten a negative comment on it. Baby lady, my point was that you said lawyers, politicians etc. don't have these things. Well, they do but anyone in that position would of course have the brains to know to keep them non-visible. The lawyer is a she BTW and I'm also from the south. I just don't understand this judgemental attitude.

Really? ^^^^^ I know a lawyer who is very heavily tattooed and pierced including microdermals which are implanted into the skin. They just don't happen to be visible piercings or tattoos.

13 months and counting in med-surg/tele/stepdown type unit. I really want OB.