[ShantelLPfizenmaier]

Hello! I am currently in nursing school, and will graduate in 2008 with my BSN. I am not sure as to what to do after school. I know I will obviously work at a hospital. But is there anyone that has any sugestions on whether to go straight into what I want to do(OB), or try different areas and see what I like best?? If anyone has been thru this and has and comments for me, that would be great!! Thank you

[cassioo]

If you know you want OB then go for it. Some places won't hire new grads in speciality areas some will just depends on the need. A good general background doesn't hurt going into a speciality area even OB because pregnant patients can have the same health problems as any other woman of childbearing age along with complications of pregnancy so you need to have good basic assessment skills along with the OB skills, OR, PACU and Nursery

[stillearning]

When I graduated (100 years ago) I found a hospital in our city (we lived in Dallas back then) which selected 5 new grads for maternal/child health. Over the first year we were employed there, we were rotated to L&D, Post-Partum, Newborn Nursery, NICU (level 2) and our high-risk antepartum unit -- we spent about 5 weeks in each area. In other words, we simply followed each other -- one of us per area each 5 week period.

This was absolutely the VERY best opportunity I could ever have hoped for because it gave me a solid foundation in just about everything but pediatrics, and it gave me confidence in a host of clinical skills from interviewing patients to managing IVs and monitors. It also helped me figure out what I liked most -- for me, that was post-partum (rather than delivery, these were the days before LDRP suites).

I would tell you to spend your first year in a setting where you'll find
1) enough diversity to keep you stimulated,
2) enough mentoring to keep you learning,
3) enough continuity of staff so that you'll learn "best practices" from people who like to practice there and
4) enough opportunity so that you don't have to stay in one role (OB nurse) unless & until you're confident that's what you want!

Good luck with your search. Don't settle for what's advertised. A GREAT hospital will figure out a way to put you where you need to be in order to recrute and retain a great staff nurse! When you go out intervieiwing -- YOU interview them -- 'til you find what you want!

--p