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

JaneyW · Aug 5, 2006

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!

ukstudent · Aug 5, 2006

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

Why is this disturbing to you? All any of us is trying to do is give the information asked for. If you want to get to a destination and don't know how to get there, you ask directions. We are giving the OP directions on how to get to L&D. :uhoh3:

PANurseRN1 · Aug 5, 2006

I'm confused...is the OP a student in an MA program or a nursing program? I guess the screen name just conflicts with what she's posting; I just wonder which it is. Being a nursing student isn't the same as an MA student.

As another poster said, an MA is not the same as a CNA. In my area there are no MAs working in OB. There are a few aides. The only LPNs are nurses who've been with the hospitals forever, and they do not work L&D.

troutfishinEMT · Aug 10, 2006

Why is this disturbing to you? All any of us is trying to do is give the information asked for. If you want to get to a destination and don't know how to get there, you ask directions. We are giving the OP directions on how to get to L&D.

I apologize to everyone for that negative yet totally vague comment about being disturbed - what I should have went on to say (hate to be a killjoy) is that there is a LOT of horrible stuff in OB. I actually love it - when it's good, but when it's bad, I think it's worse than just about anything in nursing. Infuriating parents, awesome parents who who are DEVASTATED that they have 6g's and 0 p's because mom keeps losing them.

Trisomy 13, anyone? I just can't do high accuity kids/infants/neonates, it upsets me too much.

I just meant it was disturbing in that no one is mentioning the bad stuff, and since it's not my specialty I didn't want to be the one to do so - but there you have it.

Please don't flame me for this - any field of health care can be the most uplifting job in the world one day, and the most devastatingly sad the next. (Heck, sometimes on the same day.)

And I just feel that this is particularly true when it comes to OB. I guess you could attenuate the bad stuff a bit by working in a hospital that has a small NICU - but I'm at a level 3 NICU (everything but ECMO) and just see a lot of sick and small kids.

Having said all that, to the OP, these folks HAVE given you some great advice on how to get into the field, and I wish you the best of luck!

Please, again no one do this to me :trout: . I've had a bad couple of days.

NJNursing, ASN, RN · Aug 10, 2006

It's true - in OB when everything is going well, it's the happiest unit in a hospital. When something goes bad it's the saddest. But that really comes working in ANY unit in a hospital from m/s to ICU to telemetry to pediatrics to oncology to ER. I guess you wouldn't see it much in orthopedics unless there were complications or someone throws a DVT/PE.

After I had my daughter, I knew maternity nursing is what I wanted to do. I love my L & D nurse. When my daughter was 1, I enrolled from the bottom up. I graduated in may and I started my maternity internship this week. I was in PP today and loved it. Granted we had 2 patients where 1 was found to have marijuana in her urine, was G4, P3 and only 20 years old or the other mom who smoked during her pregnancy and now her baby is in nicotine withdrawal and was jittery and agitated each time you put her down. It's not perfect. It's never perfect, but that's where you can sometimes make a difference by educating new moms as to how to make things right and hope they take your advice if they get pregnant again.

Everyone else has already talked about MA's not being able to do maternity unless it's in an OB office doing prenatals, NST's, GTT't, etc. Where I work we have no LPN's on our floor. Just RN's, a couple of techs, a dedicated housekeeping person and unit secretary. Well plus the doctor's and midwives.

I'm transferring for my BSN/MSN. After my MSN I'm going to go for my nurse midwife certification. I know that it's tough in maternity. malpractice insurance is sky high. I know in my state (not sure if this is just my state or nationwide) but you can be sued until that baby is 21 years old. That's a LOOOOOOONG statue of limitations.

Good luck on your future plans/decisions. I LOVE being in maternity and the fact that our department is LDRP in one place. Each pt stays in the same room from labor to PP. It's rewarding, but really hard work and you have to be on the top of your game at all times.

soingal · Sep 10, 2006

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

A good site detailing what it takes to become a doctor is below (I found it recently and thought it to be some excellent reading). It takes several years, though. http://people.howstuffworks.com/becoming-a-doctor.htm BTW, if you decide that you want to become a doctor for sure, you could bypass the other stuff and concentrate solely on that. However, whatever career path you decide to choose, I wish you the best in your endeavors! Hoosier

mitchsmom · Sep 11, 2006

We don't have any MA's on our unit, but we do use CNA's (they mainly do vitals, stock rooms, & do lots of other misc. helpful things. We only have them during the busiest hours, and then it's one, but we are a smaller unit with about 1000 deliveries/year). We have some LPN's who work with postpartum patients, and we use all RN's in L&D.

Personally, if I wanted to be a doctor I would just pursue a more direct MD track as far as schooling goes (without going into nursing). But it can be done different ways. Best wishes!

ChantelDawn · Sep 11, 2006

If you want to follow the nursing track, instead of going for your MD you might want to consider becoming a Nurse Practitioner or Physician's Assistant.

ksgb · Apr 21, 2007

i would like to say that I'm also new and hello to everyone but my question is are there any schools that offer ob tech training? I work at a hospital but they no longer have L&D but I do work in the surgical department helping in the O.R. but one day I would like to be a ob/gyn nurse.

SmilingBluEyes · Apr 22, 2007

Most schools offer training for surgical technologist, which can lead to becoming an OB tech, after you graduate and get that job. There are few places anymore that train techs on the job. You have to go to school and get certification most often.

Good luck.

tinyscrafts · Apr 22, 2007

why are you getting an AA in med assisting? around here an MA program is like 9 weeks long. ??? An AA will get you an RN.

kukukajoo, LPN · Apr 22, 2007

Here in NH most hospitals do not employ Aides or MA's in L&D. have you thought of transferring out of your program into an RN program? I saty this because my cousin is wishing she knew then what she knows now. That her degree is about useless and she could have just gone to a LNA class for a few weeks and make the same pay/responsibilities. She is now struggling to pay off student loans from her MA schooling and not making much at all. She desperately wants to be a RN but most, if not all credits won't transfer in so she is starting from scratch with student loan debt.