How to Become a Labor & Delivery Nurse: Advice From Someone Who’s Been There
As a nursing student, keep an open mind and heart during each rotation because they are all so different. Nursing school is a time to explore, to see what pulls at you, what interests you most, and what you naturally want more of. If you can, follow that instinct. Especially if you have the chance to do a leadership rotation in a field that speaks to you, like OB, NICU, ICU, Med-Surg, or Pediatrics. The beautiful thing about nursing is that there are countless ways to use your skills, follow your passions, and find a job you truly love. And when you love your job, it doesn’t feel like work, even on the hardest days.
That said, there is no such thing as a perfect job, especially in nursing. One day can be incredible and the next can be exhausting, making you wonder why you chose this path. Those two extremes are what Labor and Delivery is all about. The best moments and the worst moments can happen in the same shift, the same hour, even with the same patient. This is the reality of the L&D nurse career path. It is as good as it gets and as bad as it gets, often within minutes of each other.
The first step in learning how to become a Labor & Delivery nurse is to find a position that fits you. When you are searching for a job, it helps to ask yourself a few important questions. How far are you willing to commute? How busy do you want to be? What is your goal for births per shift, per month, or per year? Do you want to care for high-risk patients such as those with preterm labor, premature rupture of membranes, preeclampsia or diabetes, or do you prefer a mostly healthy, low-risk patient population? Do you want to do your own C-sections, or would you rather send patients to the operating room with a different team? The answers to these questions often depend on the type and size of the hospital, whether it is a small rural hospital or a large city center. There are also freestanding or alternative birth centers that are not attached to a hospital and are typically managed by midwives, which offer a different environment entirely.
Another important reality of the Labor & Delivery nurse career path is the schedule. Most new nurses start on the night shift and move to days based on seniority. There are few institutions that start new nurses on the day shift. There are no banker’s hours in L&D, and the job typically involves weekend shifts, holiday rotations, and 12-hour shifts with mandatory on-call hours are common. This is not a job you can do half-heartedly, but for those who love it, it becomes part of your rhythm.
Once you have completed orientation, dive in and challenge yourself. In the unit where I worked, nurses chose their patients at the beginning of each shift, first come, first served. It could be a patient in labor, a high-risk patient, or a scheduled C-section. During my orientation, one of my preceptors said something that has stayed with me ever since. She told me that if I walked up to the whiteboard and there was a patient I didn’t want to take care of because I was scared or unsure, that was precisely the patient I should choose. She encouraged me to find a mentor, ask for help, and get the experience. Learning to know what you don’t know is of utmost importance because there is nothing scarier than working alongside a new nurse who thinks she knows it all. If you only ever take care of routine, normal labor, you won’t know how to handle an emergency when it happens.
That advice changed the course of my career. It is the reason I learned to thrive in a crisis. I loved the energy and the thrill, even in the most intense moments.
The mindset needed to succeed as a labor and delivery nurse is one of patience, curiosity, and calm. Be patient, ask questions, and do your own research. Seek out a wide variety of experiences and don’t run away from a crisis. Don’t panic, don’t raise your voice, and don’t “freak out.” Stay calm, take deep breaths, and remember how much your patient is relying on you. If you panic, she likely will too. She may be scared anyway, but you are the one who can be a steady presence for her.
If you want to learn more about what Labor & Delivery nursing is really like, or you just want to connect with someone who has been there, feel free to visit my website. www.stephflood.com
I’d love to hear your story and answer any questions you have.