Career advice: L&D / Trauma ?

Posts: 1 · Joined: 29 Jun 2008 Posts: 1 Location: Clearwater, Fl

Hello, everyone! I'm a graduate nurse who is taking the NCLEX in a few weeks. I'm currently looking for a job, but need advice on where I should go...

My original plan was to get a job at a trauma step down unit for a yr or more, then later work on an L&D/nursery unit. I absolutely loved L&D, but I really had a lot of fun on the trauma unit and wanted to work there for a while so i can have experience in both fields (adult, then later pregnant women and babies); I eventually would like to get my masters and become a nurse midwife.
However, a nurse who works on a cardiac unit who is trying to switch to L&D has told me that i should just go straight into L&D b/c she can't switch over b/c she doesn't have the right experience and since she isn't fresh out of nursing school, doesn't know as much about L&D/babies (that's what they're telling her)

If there's any L&D/Nursery RNs here- is this true or not? Is it better to go straight into L&D or can i work in trauma first? I would really appreciate the input Very Happy

Thanks!

Posts: 2 · Joined: 06 Sep 2008 Posts: 2 Location: TX

I would advise you, as a new grad, to get some med/surg experience first before going into L&D or Trauma. Med/surg is the basis of all medicine; get comfortable with the basics first.

L&D RN

Posts: 37 · Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 5:55 am

L&D RN wrote:

I would advise you, as a new grad, to get some med/surg experience first before going into L&D or Trauma. Med/surg is the basis of all medicine; get comfortable with the basics first.

L&D RN

i would say go into L+D because as your friend stated most will not take a seasoned M/S Nurse and then have them trained into L+D, but they will train you to become L+D straight from school sounds stupid but i am trying to go into the ER and am running into the same thing (have alot of tele,pcu,icu experience but no er so no er will take me or willing to train me)