Which do you see as a better entry to maternal/child nursing?

Fyreflie · Jun 9, 2012

I would go for the full 12 weeks. It makes you an attractive candidate to be cross trained and almost all LD jobs I've seen posted through travel recruiters in the US have OR skills needed. I think that would give you a real edge. Even if you only do LD and the OR, understanding the roles of NICU and post partum will also be a great asset not just for job opportunities but to establish relationships with those areas at work. Plus, two of the three LD jobs I've worked have been combined LD and post partum and I e really enjoyed them more than straight LD :)

nurse4newlife · Jun 10, 2012

I work L&D and some cross training would have been very useful, new nurse or not. Being able to scrub in for c-sections is intimidating but ESSENTIAL. Especially if you work nights, there may not always be a scrub tech available and even if there is, what happens when you have multiple pts going back for emergencies at once? You will be glad you learned!

Guest321574 · Jun 11, 2012

Thanks for the replies, I just wonder if the 12 weeks is not enough to learn all three areas, and throwing scrubbing/circulating in the mix is even more overwhelming. Don't get me wrong, I would prefer to learn it all, would love it in fact. I just don't want to bite off more than I can chew.

This is all hypothetical however, because I have not been offered either position yet, but I do have a good shot at the 12-week orientation position, since I'm going in for the second interview there.

Guest321574 · Jun 12, 2012

Well, it turns out the L&D "only" position is 6 months, not 6 weeks! Which changes things considerably! With that said, would the longer orientation be preferable over the opportunity to learn the other areas? Is 12 weeks really enough, considering I wouldn't need to learn nursing basics, like a new grad?

Fyreflie · Jun 12, 2012

My L&D course the hospital ran when I was hired was 16 weeks including post partum and OR. I was a new grad and I felt fairly good by the end of it!

rn4babies63 · Jul 18, 2012

Once you are oriented to L&D and scrub/circulate and comfortable with that, you can always orient to post/partum nursery. You should only need a week or two in PP and maybe longer in nursery. 6 months in L&D is a long time for orientation. We only give 8 weeks so you should be pretty comfortable at the end of your orientation and ready to learn a new area. If you feel that at the end of 12 weeks you are ready, you may want to discuss that with your director to let her know you're "ready". Remember, however the skills required for L&D/OB are much differant. Your assessment skills, foleys, and IV's are will be helpful but there is so much more to learn. A situation you may not encounter, you may have in the 4th or 5th month of your orientation (i.e. PP hemorrhage, demise, critical tracing......) You will be glad that you have encountered these things with a preceptor present. Scrub/circulate will take a little time as well. I think you are fortunate to be allowed such a long orientation. I know our nurses wish they had a longer one (we do too).

Good luck!