Thoughts on transferring from couplet care to L&D?

Specialties Ob/Gyn

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So I am a couplet care nurse with 3 years experience and I am hoping to transfer to L&D. I told myself after I completed three years on couplet and finished my BSN I would make the transfer, and I've accomplished both goals so now it is time. However I am VERY nervous about the possible transfer, I am nervous about the fact that I am not successful in many nursing skills, such as starting IVs and doing blood draws. I worry that my critical thinking skills are not advanced enough. I also worry about working so closely with doctors (I work nights so majority of my interactions are brief phone conversations).

Has anyone been in a similar position? Any advice? Also, what are L&D nurse's thoughts on couplet nurses making the switch, are they usually successful?

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Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.

L&D is, generally speaking, a completely different skillset than mom/baby. The recovery period of mom and baby is something you will already be adept at, but the labor part will be a completely new area of nursing that you will learn. Are you bad at IV starts because you haven't had a lot of practice with them? If that's the case, you will get lots of opportunities to improve your skills. Nobody is good at IV starts right off the bat - it takes practice and development of muscle memory to become skilled at it. Why do you think your critical thinking skills are not good?

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On 11/4/2019 at 7:02 AM, klone said:

L&D is, generally speaking, a completely different skillset than mom/baby. The recovery period of mom and baby is something you will already be adept at, but the labor part will be a completely new area of nursing that you will learn. Are you bad at IV starts because you haven't had a lot of practice with them? If that's the case, you will get lots of opportunities to improve your skills. Nobody is good at IV starts right off the bat - it takes practice and development of muscle memory to become skilled at it. Why do you think your critical thinking skills are not good?

Yes, I have not had many chances to start IVs. I used a lot of critical thinking when I first started, but because mother/baby is so repetitive I feel like I'm not doing it as often as I originally did. I guess Im also worried that the L&D nurses will expect me to have these skills knowing that I am not a new graduate nurse.

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Specializes in Mother-Baby Pediatrics.

I would take a moment to sit down and revisit your original goal to move to L&D. Does it still resonate with you as something you want to do?

It sounds like you have thought about all the reasons why someone should not hire you.

If you want it, feed your vision. Read your labor and delivery chapters of your text book. Ask for an opportunity to shadow. Take a fetal monitoring class. Give yourself the tools you need to see yourself in that nursing role, and the confidence to write out in an Application why you are applying and what you have done to qualify yourself. That's how I got my job on post partum from Medsurg.

You have to convince yourself before you can convince the person you want to hire you.

Good luck!!!

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Specializes in Ortho/Neuro (2yrs); Mom/Baby (6yrs); LDRPN (4+yr).

Through a job change, I moved from M/B (couplet care) to an LDRP. I'm just finishing up my orientation to the L&D aspect of it in the next couple weeks. Having the familiarity with some of the aspects has helped a lot, in my opinion.

Yes, it is a very different type of nursing and your thought process will change, but like all types of nursing, it comes with experience.

So far I'm pretty darned happy with my change. Of course, making the move in a busier hospital, like a dedicated L&D unit, my feelings might be different. The slower pace of the LDRP has allowed me to really absorb the experiences, ask questions, etc.

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