Student and wanting help in going forward to bcome a OB nurse

I am a Lpn so I am not sure of what to advise you of as far as schooling. I just wanted to say HELLO!!! and welcome. Also to let you know it is okay to be a allnurses addict. I feel like if I dont read all the new posts about every day then I am missing out. :welcome:

Thank you for the welcome. Yes, seems like I'm Already addicted. Can't seem to sign off and get my work done. :-)

I think as a MA you can work in an OB's office but I don't know any that work in L&D. An MA is a start in the direction you want to go, but I think in the end you will need to go to nursing school if your goal is L&D. Good luck in getting their.

I'm taking courses on preparing treatment and examination rooms, taking vital signs, possible assisting in minor surgical procedures, giving injections, venipuncture, assisting in laboratory operations, taking X-Rays, and electrocardiograms. And also patient records, billing, scheduling appointments, ordering supplies, and handling insurance claims.

Just hoping 1 or more of these would get me in the door to be with Mother and baby. When I started school they ask if I wanted front desk or in the back. I do not wish to work at the front desk. I want to work with patient's.

Was already told my last 2 months of school they would get me in the hospital I wish and area for my intern. I just don't want to be disappointed.

When they talked about being front desk or back they are talking about working in a doctors office, not a hospital. It might be possible for you to work as a Patient Care Tech/Certified Nursing assistant in a hospital. To find out the answer to your question, the best thing to do is call local hospitals and ask them what with your soon to be qualifications can you do. Don't rely on your school, call around yourself. Also find out if your classes will be accepted for a nursing degree, if your school also has a nursing degree. If not find out what you need to do to get into a nursing degree if your heart is really set on working in L&D.

First things first :welcome:

Next, if anyone wants to start a 12 step program for allnurses.com addicts, sign me up.

Now, as far as working with moms and babes, sounds like you need to get into the hospital. That would mean either CNA, LPN, or RN. Our LPNs work primarily in the nursery, but do an awful lot with helping with nursing and teaching newborn care to parents. To work labor and delivery you would probably have to be an RN. Our hospital has both ADN and BSN nurses and there is no difference in their responsibilities on the floor.

I wish you luck in what ever you decide to do. Don't give up, I graduated college on my 34th birthday, and I was not the oldest in my class.

Welcome!! You will find a lot of valuable information here. As far as your question....I also agree that you will most likely be limited to a office job. My sister has been a MA for 15 years and was never able to get into the hospital. She is now attending nursing school with me, we will graduate in two weeks!!! She did get a job as a ward clerk/unit secretary at a local hospital and her experience as a MA helped with that. Some hospitals will hire a non-licensed person as a CNA, but usually you have to be enrolled in a LVN or RN program. You would probably love working with patients in an OB office, you will just not get any experience with L&D. You actually must be a RN to work L&D in most states, LVN's can work Post Partum where I live. L&D has become a highly litigous field, so I assume that is the reason for only allowing RN's and LVN's in the hospital setting. My advice to you is to go for the Nursing degree if L&D is what you want...you will not regret it!! I too am planning on L&D when I graduate. Good luck to you!!

:welcome:

Thank you for all the help everyone. Sounds like I will start at the bottom to get to the top, and years down the road. But anyways I headed that way. And hoping to become a Doctor someday

I am heading that direction too! I'm getting my RN first and then maybe one day I will get into the Midwife program here. Either way, I want to be with the moms & babies :)

I'm an EMT going through OB in nursing school right now, and I have to say that this thread is REALLY disturbing.

I think as a MA you can work in an OB's office but I don't know any that work in L&D. An MA is a start in the direction you want to go, but I think in the end you will need to go to nursing school if your goal is L&D. Good luck in getting their.

You could get a job in L&D as a CNA. It would not be hard to do with your MA experience.

First of all, only RNs work in L&D. This is due to the high level of care involved and the need to make accurate and complete assessments quite often. Assessing patients is an RN function. (Please don't flame me--I know that LVNs assess, but here in CA the RN has to sign off on those assessments) I have never had a CNA work in L&D with me. There is no real need for them as the RN does total patient care. There are CNAs in Postpartum. A CNA is NOT an MA. They do different things in a different environment with different supervision.

I want to welcome our new member, but I want her to get accurate info. To the OP: you need to spend a few hours really researching your career goals thoroughly. I know that some nurses do go to medical school, but you need to understand that MDs and RNs are different and have different functions in health care and patient care. Do some research, ask a lot of questions, and then make decisions based on what your goals are.

Also, is your associate degree from a technical school or an academic program? This is important as units from technical schools do not always transfer to an academic setting when you continue on to do your nursing studies. Find out where the nursing schools are around you (there is a difference between LVN and RN programs--know which you are going for!) and visit their websites to know what you need to do to get accepted and if any of the schooling you are now getting will transfer.

Good luck to you--you have the energy and enthusiasm and that is huge. Now you need to get the knowledge you need to get you where you want to go. The MA will be valuable as it will provide you an income and medical experience. However, an MA is NOT a nurse and you need to be careful about what you do and how you present yourself. This is an international website and what you are told may not always apply to your situation where you live. It is best to get your info from local sources and your own state's board of nursing. Go for it!