Summer job mother/baby or med/surg?

Fiona59 · May 11, 2005

My first thought was why can't you do both? 32 hours a month on call back notice sounds like casual to me, so do you have to submit an availability sheet? That way you could just be unavailable on the evenings you worked mum/baby.

I worked maternity and loved it. Our unit was LPN/RN staffed. We all taught, assessed and medicated.

Maybe you should find out exactly what you'd be allowed to do as a technician. We just don't have them in my area.

BabyNurse513 · May 11, 2005

When I was in college I worked as an extern in L&D for a summer. I was actually supposed to be on a peds floor and my first day of work I was told L&D needed me more so that's where I was sent. It was the greatest experience. In nursing school, our maternal/child health rotation was short, only half the semester. I didn't even see one delivery during the rotation! Before I did that externship I was sure I wanted to be a Peds nurse when i graduated. When I finally go to my peds rotation in school, I ended up not liking it at all. I was so glad that I worked in L&D becuase it really sparked my interest in Maternal/Child health much more then my brief clinical did. I now work in the NICU and absolutley love it.

If med-surg/critical care is something you plan on doing after graduation, then I would take the med-surg job. Otherwise I would go for mother baby. You will get to see and learn so much more then you will during school. Good Luck!

rach_nc_03 · May 11, 2005

Hi Joy,

Do you have an interest in L&D? Or are you interested in a different specialty, or perhaps looking to gain more general experience and exposure? Those are the questions I'd consider first. Also, I'd try to find out what the exact job duties would be in each of the positions...if possible, see if you can shadow a tech in each area for part of a shift.

If you're really interested in L&D, that would be a fantastic experience, and you're right- tech/CNA jobs in those areas are hard to come by. And if you choose to go that route after graduation, it'll be a great plus. However, if you're planning to do med/surg, or some other (non-OB) specialty, you might not get exposed the kinds of things that could help you in the long run....and if you're looking for general experience to help you make your decision, the med-surg would definitely be the way to go.

I took a tech position during school in an adult ICU, because I knew I wanted to work in ER or ICU. I ended up taking an RN position in peds ICU, and I felt like my work experience was instrumental in helping me make the decision to go that route. If I were planning to work on a med/surg floor, the ICU tech work probably wouldn't have exposed me to enough of the day-to-day realities of med-surg. One of my classmates worked as a tech in the ER for 2 years during school, and he was hired on as an RN as a new grad; his tech experience was the reason he got that position, which normally doesn't go to new grads.

Either way, I think it's a great idea to work as a tech or cna during school (yes, I'm biased!) if you can handle the time commitment. good luck in your decision!

SmilingBluEyes · May 11, 2005

I think it's simple. If you are interested in L/D, go there. If you are interested in Med-Surg, go there. Really, that is what I would do.

If both intrigue you, like Rachel before me said, maybe you can swing both and get a true flavor of each area. Good luck to you.

lady_jezebel · May 11, 2005

You can learn basic nursing skills doing either, so why not choose the one that appeals to you the most??

**RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN** · May 11, 2005

Congratulations on your offers. Both of them sound interesting. I think that if you feel you have the time, try to do both. If not, simply whatever interests you the best.

Good luck :)

Jessica