Trying to switch from Med/Surg to L&D or Mother/Baby

[jansenrenee22, BSN, RN]

Hey everyone,

So I'm 23 years old and graduated nursing school back in May 2020. The whole reason I became a nurse was to work in L&D/Postpartum. I realized in nursing school during that OB rotation that was my passion and that's the place I wanted to start my career. Unfortunately, there were very limited to no jobs in women's services after graduation so I took a med/surg position. I've been working in med/surg the past 8 months or so and absolutely hate it. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for the experience, but the thought of me working on a floor like this for the rest of my life is super depressing.

Despite disliking my job, I don't let it affect my work. I'm known as someone that is always very helpful, I put a smile on my face. I really do my job well, always going above and beyond for my patients even when they don't want my help. However, I know I'm not really happy here. 

I'm not sure if there's a set cut off to when I should leave, but I've applied at many L&D/postpartum jobs around my area some even an hour away from me. I either never hear back/don't get it or get told they want someone with L&D/Mother/Baby experience. I just don't understand how I'm supposed to gain any experience in those specialties if no one will give me a chance and hire me like I have to start somewhere, right?

I know I haven't even been a nurse for a year and I'm probably being super dramatic. I'm just so unhappy and discouraged that I'm going to be stuck on a med/surg floor for the rest of my life. 

My point being: If ANYONE has been in the same situation as me or has any advice as to how I can get hired on a L&D floor/Postpartum floor with no women's services experience/as a new nurse, PLEASE let me know. Whether there's certifications I should get, something I should be putting on my resume, literally any advice is appreciated!

[ohwatermelon]

Have you reached out to your manager and let them know that you are interested in transitioning into L&D or mother baby? 

[Emrod]

I had the same situation happen to me! In nursing school I really enjoyed my OB class & clinical rotation but I didn’t apply when I graduated since most places require experience. I worked on a neuro/tele floor for 2.5 years and it was not always a good place to be but I got great experience! I told my manager that I wanted to do L&D and she said they weren’t hiring at the time but would give me the L&D manager’s email so I could request to shadow their floor. I ended up shadowing and then a position became available and I applied right away. They really liked my experience I had on the floor and I had charge nurse experience too.  I just started in February and it’s been great so far! Good luck! 

[IOU]

I also graduated in May 2020 and I was hired as a new grad into a High-Risk OB unit. I will say what helped me secure 3 L&D interviews was the fact that I was a postpartum Doula even though I had just become one in June right after I graduated nursing school. Just having something women health-related allowed me to get my foot in the door

[taylormjay, BSN, RN]

Hey there! I was definitely in the same exact boat as you! I knew in nursing school that I wanted to be a mother/baby nurse but it's a super competitive specialty to get into, especially right after graduation. The new grad residency spots filled up so quickly everywhere, so I figured I get some med/surg experience. I graduated in May 2020, and then I got my 1st position as a med/surg nurse in Nov 2020. I was miserable and actually switched to another med/surg floor at another hospital in April 2021. I think it helped that the floors I worked on were post-op floors and I used that to my advantage in the interview that I had with mother/baby!

It took me 10+ applications until I secured my first interview (last week), and luckily I got the job! I used a really cute resume template from etsy which may have helped me get chosen for a call back, the managers kept complimenting my application and saying how much it stood out to them LOL. I also emphasized the med/surg experience that I have and the wide variety of patients I see in the clinical setting. I explained how much of an asset this can be given that more and more mothers have other health problems in addition to them giving birth these days. I also emphasized my ability to teach patients about post-op care since mother/baby is all about teaching new parents! Lastly, I think what really helped me secure this job was the fact that I chose a hospital further from the city. I kept applying for city hospitals and would not even hear anything back. All of the metro hospitals are oversaturated with applications from a ton of different people (who probably already have the experience), so maybe that lowers your chances of hearing something back?

Basically, I don't think you're jumping the gun at all. You should keep applying! I was able to get hired on the mother/baby unit with only 10 months of med/surg experience! I signed up for job alerts and always had my application on standby whenever a job posting appeared! I hope this was somewhat of a help! I hope all goes well for you! Good luck!

[Renee Hubbard]

Hello! I’m a labor and delivery nurse and got hired in women’s services right out of nursing school. I did know someone who put in a good word for me though because for whatever reason it seemed hard to get picked up in women’s service everywhere I looked.  I would suggest applying at an inner city or university (teaching) hospital to try and get your foot in the door! 

[Rotenbu]

Quick question about the AWHONN perinatal course called POEPS. Has anyone on this forum done that course? I have a quick question about one of the modules. 

[OBNurse MSN RN]

I don’t know what hospital system you work for, but I got into L&D after working CVIMU, ICU, and PACU by doing a residency program for experienced nurses that my hospital system offers. It’s kind of like the new grad program but for nurses who want to switch specialties. For reference I work for HCA in Houston TX.