This is just one of those curiosity questions meant for general discussion.....
When I go through the posts for the day, I can always count on at least one mention, if not several, of OB/L&D. "How do I get a job there?" "What classes should I take?" "I'm 16 and I've wanted to work in OB since I was 4. What's the best way to get there?" I just wonder what it is about that particular specialty that is so attractive?
In the end I'm glad that most people are drawn to certain specialties--its on of the things that makes nursing really great! :)
Personally, I'll take the little old ladies and gentlemen over young people (birth through 65) any day of the week! 80+ is my preference - they are the best! Way cuter than babies, if you ask me, and WAY more interesting to talk to =). Also, they generally have the Tigers games on in their rooms in the evenings so I can keep up with the games...
I kind of think that those interested in L&D are maybe just more vocal about it?
After reading this thread I just want to say, isn't it wonderful that we all want different things? I love the fact that nursing is such a wide-ranging field and that it can accommodate just about any personality type and personal preference.
This is great up front when you're looking to find your niche. But it's also great down the road when you want to try something different.
I worked psych for years and loved it. But there came a time when I started struggling with the relentless nature of some psych issues. Especially with the kids. I got tired of watching our team stabilize kids and get them functioning better, only to have to send them back into the chaos that brought them to us in the first place. There were many wonderful families who came in for counseling with their children and were willing to learn new parenting skills. But there were tons who had lots of problems of their own or who simply had no interest and used us as respite care/babysitters.
I needed to find a more hopeful place, one that allowed me to encourage moms to take good care of themselves and ask for help when they need it before things start breaking down.
Postpartum was--and still is--that place. It's amazing to me how much influence we nurses have in those early days. We can plant small seeds of confidence in a teen mom. We can teach a mother how to calm her fussy child by resting that baby on her chest and rubbing his back while she rocks him in a gentle rhythm. We can tell them to call us if they feel like they're at the end of their rope.
I like to think that maybe some of these seeds took root and prevented some chaos down the road. I like to think that maybe our collective efforts to model nurturing and emotional strength have helped a few families work things out and give their kids a healthy home.
That's why I prefer postpartum over L&D. I work nights when we usually have some quiet teaching time. L&D is too intense for me.
I've had five babies, appreciate what good l and d nurses do, but I have never had any desire whatsoever to work l and d. :) In fact I've had nightmares about being sent to l and d and having things go wrong and having absolutely no idea what to do. I love babies. I just can't stand the situations where stuff goes wrong with them (or the mother).
The only rotation I even liked when I went through nursing school was L&D and it was because I loved babies and the "happy" area. Once I graduated and ended up in L&D it was the most stressful experience of my life but also the most exciting. I loved it but couldn't handle all the stress. We were short-staffed to the point of dangerous, constantly being forced to work over, and worse the fact that moms and babies can go downhill in a heartbeat. It's not all happy times with stillbirths for no evident reason, crack-addicted babies,cases of incest, moms on welfare with 6 other kids and couldn't care less about another one, moms trying for years and having miscarriages, etc. The nice families with healthy babies were wonderful to work with but sadly that's no longer the norm.
My theory - many women had great experiences in their deliveries that they were inspired to be an OB RN.
Not in my case. Horrible experience there prompted me to be interested in Women's Health (as it's called in my hospital). I really wanted Gynie but wound up in PostPartum.
Too many hormonal women. Give me surgical patients any day.
Do-over, ASN, RN
1,085 Posts
Personally, I'll take the little old ladies and gentlemen over young people (birth through 65) any day of the week! 80+ is my preference - they are the best! Way cuter than babies, if you ask me, and WAY more interesting to talk to =). Also, they generally have the Tigers games on in their rooms in the evenings so I can keep up with the games...
I kind of think that those interested in L&D are maybe just more vocal about it?