did you start in L&D 1st???

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I was wondering if anyone started out in another department of nursing before going to L&D or did anyone just go straight to L&D? I'm not exactly sure where to start but I had people say to start out in med surg first.

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I have a friend who started in L&D and wouldnt have it any other way. She loves the population she works with and doesnt have any plans to switch specialties. If you are unsure if L&D is right for you and are considering trying other specialties, then med-surg might be the way to go to get some experience. Otherwise if you start L&D and then want to cross over, you may have a hard time getting a job because you havent been cultivating the skills you learned in nursing school. Good luck with whatever you choose!

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I'm just starting out and went straight to L&D. It annoys me beyond belief when I hear people say you need to start out in Med Surg first to "get experience":yawn:. You'll be getting basic nursing experience no matter where you start out. Don't torture yourself in Med Surg if you know OB is what you want. And, even if you're not sure what you want to do, after reading some of the other recent threads about Med Surg nurses having problems getting into OB nursing, I honestly don't know if I would recommend starting out there anyway. GL!

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

I did not want to do L/D in nsg school but I did want to do mother/baby/nursery. But....I bought the line about doing med/surg first. I did it for 9 months fulltime and HATED it. Not because the patients were so terrible, but I just knew it wasn't for me.

I got a job working in a community health center (:up:) for about 3 years while still doing PRN med/surg. Community health is still, as a nurse, my first love. Specifically migrant health. However, for various reasons I had to leave that job....for a job in mother/baby/nursery. And I LOVE it. It is home for me right now and it is awesome. So my small word of advice to you is to follow your heart.

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What do you do in mother baby

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

Mother/baby in our unit consists of caring for moms and babies in the postpartum period. The same nurse cares for the mothers and the babies. We assist with teaching mom how to take care of herself and teaching the family how to care for their new babies - all aspects. Feeding, diapers, bathing, comfort, and a whole host of other things. We manage complications with both mom and baby as well. That's it in a nutshell, though there are others that can probably describe things much better than I.

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Graduated in May 2007 and went straight into OB. I work in L&D/mother/baby/nursery. If L&D is what you really want, go for it. I have no regrets.

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Specializes in L&D, PP, Nursery.
Graduated in May 2007 and went straight into OB. I work in L&D/mother/baby/nursery. If L&D is what you really want, go for it. I have no regrets.

Same here. Only graduated in 1996. Nothing but OB/L&D/nursery since.

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Specializes in Obstetrics & Gynecology,Medical/Surgical.

I've noticed in my area that many hospital L&D jobs require at least one year of Med/Surg or L&D experience in order to apply. That pretty much rules out a new grad going straight into the unit with zero experience.

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Thanks for all your info. I really appreciate it.

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