kaela_v

I am not sure how all nurses practice, but I think everyone is in the habit of NOT getting the bodily fluids of their patients on them. Not only will a newborn have vernix, but also amniotic fluid, blood, bacteria from the birth canal, bacteria from the perineum, possibly pee or poop from mom, and any STDs or infections mom may have. Yes, brand new life is sacred...that is why I am a L&D nurse! I get to help mom's bring their children earth side every single day and its amazing. Buuuuut I do not want their v-a-g-I-n-a all over my un-gloved hands!

I agree with the overall consensus. Sharing religion in the classroom is inappropriate! But personally, I do look toward my religion and pray when circumstances at work are looking bleak.

I am a new a new grad working in L&D and I am constantly asking our CNAs for help! They have worked there for many years and they know their stuff!! It warms my heart to see so many nurses supporting each other despite their title differences

I live in NM and we are not currently experiencing this issue of saturation like other parts of the country. I understand that most new nursing grads are finding it hard to get any experience at all! Unfortunately, most places wont hire you as for a position that is under your degree for fear that you will leave asap. Perhaps home health might be a good option, I'm not familiar with them. Also, have you tried Doctor's offices, clinics. schools, etc? I know for a fact that the Air Force is recruiting new grads in New Mexico and Arizona. I have spoken with several recruiters based out of AZ as recently as this past January. The benefits and pay are fantastic and they train you themselves so experience is not an issue. As a medical professional in the Air Force, you'd be trained and then stationed according to their needs (not according to your preferences). I am not sure of their policy/preference on new grads of 18mo+ with no experience.

I work on L&D and have COMPLETE respect for y'all on med/surg/tele floors! I never have more than 3 labor patients OR maybe 5 couplets (5 moms and their newborns) at a time and none of them are actually sick, let alone demented! I can relate to the staffing issues though, a mom in labor should be a 1:1 but we rarely have the staffing at night to allow that! Good luck, though!

I think the locket is a wonderful idea. 'elprup' is right, Etsy has FANTASTIC hand made jewelry! Also, you don't have to literally have a picture of her mother to remind her...it can be a phrase engraved or a simple heart. I only bring this up because I personally do not take my jewelry off to shower/sleep/etc.so I don't like to wear jewelry like a locket that might get ruined in the shower. Congratulations and good luck on boards!

CONGRATULATIONS! What an accomplishment, not only to pass but to start from scratch as well! I can relate to the feeling you described as you exited the testing center! I finished in 75 questions and felt that I MUST have failed, there was no way I passed in the minimum number of questions. I quickly walked to my car with tears in my eyes, called my best friend, and had a nervous break-down....i found later that I had PASSED!

I was taking interviews right around the time that I graduated with my BSN and had painted my nails for my graduation...I actually had purple polish on when I interviewed for my current job!! My interviewer (now boss) asked my if I would still want the job if I couldn't keep my purple polish! I said of course, turns out the no polish/no artificial nail policy is a deal breaker for some. Anyway, I do not recommend purple nail polish. But a nice pink color looks professional! :)

I work in L&D and my patient aren't normally 'sick' (unless you consider pregnancy and illness). Most of the time, the louder and more demanding they are, the closer they are to delivery and the more they need my help. I do however get many, many moms who come in being loud and groaning and aren't actually in labor lol!

I graduated with my BSN in Dec 2012, got my RN license Jan '13, and started working March '13. First of all, each nursing program puts different material in different semesters. Also, there will be slightly different material in general. For example, my A&P was a prerequisite and Patho and Pharm were in my first semester. Also, i had ONE class that squeezed conception, mother/baby, NICU, and Peds all into one semester. I know other programs are different. Second, nursing school is generally 'so difficult' because you must be and A+ student to get in but once you are in, you are held to comepletely new and much higher standards. Many students struggle because they have to study twice and hard to make half the grade. A saying I've heard in regards to nursing school is "C's get degrees." Its is 100% completely possible to maintain a 4.0 throughout nursing school, but is most likely impossible if you have children, a job, or pretty much any other responsibilities. Third, the hardest part of nursing school for me was studying. I rarely had to study more than a couple hours the night before an exam in any of my pre-nursing classes. Well, I had to learn very quickly that I needed to step up my game if I was going to pass ANYTHING lol. Also there is a heavy course load with even heavier work load for each. There are many, many times when you have 3 or 4 important exams, paper, etc all due the same day. Its hard to accomplish everything in a timely manner when its all so new. Fourth, something that no one really talks about: Nursing school is chaotic. There will be MANY changes to the course schedules, assignment schedules, clinicals, etc. You have to learn to 'go with the flow' a bit. Most people that get into nursing school are kinda OCD, organized, like schedules, etc. Its hard to adjust to the fluidity that is nursing school. Some tips: STAY ORGANIZED!! You should know your assignment schedule about 3 weeks in advance to stay on task. Also, embrace that chaos and fluidity that is nursing school...it will get you ready for the chaos and fluidity of the nursing profession.

I graduated with my BSN here in New Mexico in Dec '12 and have been working as an L&D nurse since March '13. In my hospital, we use Certified Nurse Midwives who have a Masters in Science. Each hospital/practice and each states will have different laws and requirements for midwifery practice. You can get a Masters in Science (MS), a Masters of Science in Nursing (MSN) and/or a Doctorate in Nursing Practice (DPN) depending on the Midwifery program you attend. Most programs require a BSN upon entry and some ever require a RN license. After completion of and an accredited Midwifery program, you take your board exam and become licensed! I hope this helps!

I have never dealt with ostomy bags or deep suction or the like, but I imagine those are incredibly gross! I am an L&D nurse so I see blood, poop, vomit, placentas, vernix, etc every day. I have found that nothing (that I work with) gets me queasy routinely.... HOWEVER, having to catch a baby with NO GLOVES is not fun!! If you walk into your patient's room and she's already pushing that babies head out, YOU CATCH IT (gloves or no gloves)! Sometimes, you just cant wash your hands enough...

@SeattleRS24 I graduated from a BSN program in Dec 2012, received my license in Jan 2013, and began working in March 2013. I was hired at a local hospital working in Perinatal Services. I went through 16 weeks of orientation for not only Labor and Delivery, but also Postpartum, NICU, and Peds. At my hospital, "Perinatal Services" is what we call a 'pod.' That means that any nurse working in any one of the 4 units is trained to float to the other units and should be able to take care of low acuity patients there (obviously we are not going to give a Peds nurse a woman in active labor, but perhaps a pregnant woman who is in the hospital for another reason). I wanted to make a few points i regard to your feed here: 1. In many hospitals L&D, Postpartum, and NICU are not completely separate units and often work together. I am primarily a L&D nurse but very often work postpartum and NICU. Also, I work with Postpartum and NICU nurses to take care of my L&D patient. 2. EVERY patient is a PSYCH PATIENT!! That is a phrase I heard over and over in my program! You will be able to not only provide hollistic care, but specifically some mental health care to every single patient and their family. As nurses, it is our job to care for the entire patient and that includes their mental health. I am always assessing the mental health, financial stability, social support and more of ALL of my patients. 3. The fact that you are concerned with your skill level and your ability to care for your patients shows an accurate assessment of our skills and thats a good thing. Being concerned with your ability to care for patients shows that you are truly concerned with their welfare. If you felt as though you were ready and already possessed the need skills as a new grad, you'd be narcissistic and probably an unsafe nurse, LOL. As a new grad, you will have less than half the knowledge and skills you will need! Unfortunately, thats true for all new grads. You will NEVER be alone while you are working, you will always have the help and the guidance of your more experienced peers. And as nurses, we see something new and learn something new constantly, regardless of the amount of experience we possess. 4. When I was starting nursing school, I have several people (some nurses) tell me that I would not be a good NICU nurse and that they did not think that I would enjoy it. So, I went the L&D route. Now that I am working on my own and have taken care of my own NICU patient, I LOVE the NICU. Do not let others tell you what you will like, what you will or wont be good at, etc. Only you can look into your heart and find your passion Good Luck, I hope this has helped you!

Thank you all for your input!!

I am nursing student in southern New Mexico and will graduate on December 15, 2012. I am looking for an entry level position in L&D and am starting to apply to the local hospitals. Most of the hospitals in the area have online applications but I plan sending/handing in a personalized cover letter and my resume directly to who-ever is responsible for hiring the nursing staff. I was told to contact the 'Director of Nursing' in my desired unit. Is that correct? Is the Director of Nursing of each unit in charge of hiring new nursing staff? Also, how do I find out who the director is? They are not listed on the website and I am apprehensive about calling the hospital switchboards (When you call the switchboard and ask for L&D, they transfer you to the reception desk). Please, help! I would like to seem like I have some idea of what I am doing when I contact my prospective employer. Thank you in advance your input!!