To OB or not to OB

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Oct 17, 2007

Definitely TO OB!! That old nurses' tale about needing a year of med-surg is bunk. It is helpful to have some practice with organization and prioritization before taking on a critical care area, and OB can certainly be that, but there are also enough low-risk deliveries that you should be able to get a solid grounding in nursing basics before you have to join the fray of hectic crashing moms and babes. Go with your heart. I haven't looked after an adult since nursing school and I'm perfectly happy with that. Neither did I do any peds med-surg before landing in PICU, but I don't feel at all deprived! :uhoh3:

ohmeowzer RN, RN · Oct 17, 2007

ooh please go to OB... i wish i did.. it's not as stressful on you. i work med/surg and it is so stressful and hard.

Jolie, BSN · Oct 17, 2007

UGH! Please give me 5 minutes with the well-meaning, but ill-informed instructors who continue to dish out this "advice" to students.

Nursing is hard work. It is hard work even if you are passionate about your chosen area of care. It is pure drudgery if you are forced to care for patients whose conditions and problems don't fascinate you. There is nothing "magical" about med/surg in terms of learning organization, prioritization, problem solving skills, assessment and care of patients, pharmacology, team work, or hospital politics. All of these essential skills can be (and are) learned in any care of care.

Go to OB. Go directly to OB. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Enjoy!

SarasotaRN2b · Oct 17, 2007

Hey, you have to go where you are happy and if it has always been your goal to go into OB, then that is where you should go. Yes, med surg may offer some benefits, but it is up to you and no one else.

Kris

dansmom6 · Oct 17, 2007

I know exactly where you are coming from!

However, I'll have to be the odd person out with my opinion. I always wanted to be an OB nurse, too. However, I did work 2 years before starting in OB (1 year in LTC, one on Med/Surg). Did I enjoy it? Heck NO! However, I really feel like I gained skills--communication, assessment, critical thinking, blah blah blah...

In OB, you really need to be able to think on your feet, make quick decisions, and communicate assertively to Docs, patients and families. No 2 patients are exactly the same, and you need to be comfortable in your skin as a nurse to deal with a lot of these situations.

I feel I benifitted tremendously from my other experience, and actually, don't know if I'd have made it on OB right out of school. That being said, each person is different, and their experience and exposure at their nursing programs differ. I felt horribly unprepared for "real life", and really grew in my Med/Surg role.

We do hire new grads at times. However, most of them do not last very long. It's really a lot of info to process. The ones that do stick it out are fantastic, though.

If you do choose to go straight to OB, make sure to ask what their orientation program is like. Some facilities have fantastic, organized programs, while others fly by the seat of their pants. You would certainly need an extensive orientation. At our facility, once you are done orienting, no pains are taken to insure that seasoned nurses are working with newbies...You can (and sometimes do) have all new nurses working at once (shame shame shame on our manager)!!

Whatever you decide, best of luck to you!

JulieRN07 · Oct 18, 2007

I would definately go to OB. That is all I ever wanted to do, but It is very hard to get into without experiance where I live. I am hoping a few years of NICU will make me more appealing!

Good luck and have fun!!

RN_1913 · Oct 22, 2007

:welcome:

I have been a High Risk L&D nurse for 1yr2mo. I went into nursing school knowing I wanted to be an L&D nurse. When I got ready to graduate I had all kinds of people telling me that I needed to be a med-surg nurse. I was like, for what, to make me and everyone around me miserable. Anyway, in L&D I got my fair share of medsurg through my pregnant pts who came in with every illness from diabetes to cancer. I have had some very sick pts with some very sick babies. Long story short, I got med surg experience through L&D without having to work in Med Surg. My advice: DO WHAT YOU LOVE!!!!!! Its your life, your paycheck, your license, and if you hate your work.....your misery!!!!

MMARN, BSN, RN · Oct 22, 2007

Hey all...I'm a student in my last semester of school. I have interviewed and accepted a position as an OB nurse following graduation. Ever since I was little I have wanted to be an OB nurse. I have tried to keep an open mind during school but I know this is where I want to be. The problem is several of my teachers and nurses I have in clinical are telling me I should do at least a year in med-surg before specializing. I'm not passionate about med-surg nursing. I'm passionate about OB. I just want to know what you all think.

Thank you so much for starting this thread! I am in the exact same situation. I really, really want to go into OB nursing after graduation and every advice I get, including my mom, friends', and teachers is the same thing: do med-surg first. I really don't want to do that. *sigh* If the experience will offer me more benefits than headaches, then I'm all for it, but I don't know. Med-surg nursing is not something I really want to do.

Definitely TO OB!! That old nurses' tale about needing a year of med-surg is bunk. It is helpful to have some practice with organization and prioritization before taking on a critical care area, and OB can certainly be that, but there are also enough low-risk deliveries that you should be able to get a solid grounding in nursing basics before you have to join the fray of hectic crashing moms and babes. Go with your heart. I haven't looked after an adult since nursing school and I'm perfectly happy with that. Neither did I do any peds med-surg before landing in PICU, but I don't feel at all deprived!

I loooove you for saying this! It's not everyday I hear this kind of advice. I think all nursing students are being told the same thing. :lol:

I know exactly where you are coming from!
However, I'll have to be the odd person out with my opinion. I always wanted to be an OB nurse, too. However, I did work 2 years before starting in OB (1 year in LTC, one on Med/Surg). Did I enjoy it? Heck NO! However, I really feel like I gained skills--communication, assessment, critical thinking, blah blah blah...
In OB, you really need to be able to think on your feet, make quick decisions, and communicate assertively to Docs, patients and families. No 2 patients are exactly the same, and you need to be comfortable in your skin as a nurse to deal with a lot of these situations.
I feel I benifitted tremendously from my other experience, and actually, don't know if I'd have made it on OB right out of school. That being said, each person is different, and their experience and exposure at their nursing programs differ. I felt horribly unprepared for "real life", and really grew in my Med/Surg role.
We do hire new grads at times. However, most of them do not last very long. It's really a lot of info to process. The ones that do stick it out are fantastic, though.
If you do choose to go straight to OB, make sure to ask what their orientation program is like. Some facilities have fantastic, organized programs, while others fly by the seat of their pants. You would certainly need an extensive orientation. At our facility, once you are done orienting, no pains are taken to insure that seasoned nurses are working with newbies...You can (and sometimes do) have all new nurses working at once (shame shame shame on our manager)!!
Whatever you decide, best of luck to you!

You have a point. Hmmm. It's dificult to decide. *sigh* I want to get some experience, but I don't want to be miserable while doing it. Your post, though, really makes me think. So, thanks. :)

PRESLA · Oct 22, 2007

] :idea: I worked on a 52 bed unit and we did hire fresh grads but only to do mother-baby thank God. I feel some med-surg is a good idea because you don't have the basic skills and you do need, and you need them in OB because you are a nurse and you a going to use them even in OB. I came in one night and it was told that a PP nurse had to call a med-surg unit to come over to our nice big clean happy unit and put down a NG tube because no one on the floor had never done it. Oh my God you are a nurse and it is a NG tube not that hard!!!! Also the PP nurses did not start many IV's and they would always call us L&D's to do this because they were not able to do this. Pt load was also another subject. PP would pitch a fit if they had more than 3 pts at one time. Go to a med-surg unit and you assignment might be 7-9 pts a shift. Some OB nurses live in a dream world.

Yes, I feel you need at least 1 yr of med-surg experience just for skills and to know that OB is a wonderful area to work.

:rolleyes: Lisa

Sabby_NC · Oct 22, 2007

Hey all...I'm a student in my last semester of school. I have interviewed and accepted a position as an OB nurse following graduation. Ever since I was little I have wanted to be an OB nurse. I have tried to keep an open mind during school but I know this is where I want to be. The problem is several of my teachers and nurses I have in clinical are telling me I should do at least a year in med-surg before specializing. I'm not passionate about med-surg nursing. I'm passionate about OB. I just want to know what you all think.

Hey hon listen to your own heart. If OB is your passion then put ya skates on and take the position. Sounds like you are well set in your future already. Onya! :)

rosemadder · Oct 23, 2007

I just started in L&D but have two years med surg and two years in Hospice on an acute unit. Although I hated Med-Surg the experience was invaluable to me in gaining skills and assessment techniques that will last a lifetime. A lady was recently hired to my L&D unit who was a New Grad...she lasted about a month...it was too overwhelming and she went to Med-Surg. In this critical area, I think having some clinical experience under your belt would make you more comfortable if nothing else.

One question you can ask yourself is would the benefit of working Med-Surg hinder or help your position as a L&D nurse. I can only think that learning to start IVs, put down NG tubes, become competent in basic skills, as well as manage diabetic patients among other diseases, care for post op patients, etc would only aid in giving you the skills and confidence needed to jump into L&D.

That being said...if you jump into L&D and feel overwhelmed you can always go to Med-Surg...might be worth a shot!