I want to become a Labor and delivery nurse.

I want to be a labor and delivery nurse..?

• Im still in high school but i know this is what i want to do. Ill be graduating in 2013, so I really don't have that much time to decide what college i want to go to. I already have a couple in mind but there are different types of nurses and different courses to take for them, what type of nursing should i look into if i want to be a labor and delivery nurse? ( do i have to go into the field of a B.S.nurse, A.A.S nurse day/evening , P.n, nurse....) Please help!! thank you!! Oh and what does a labor and delivery nurse exactly do? i already know somethings they do, but extra info wont hurt!!!

• Answer:

  Getting your BS in nursing is probably the best way to go unless you plan on working beside a doctor directly under him as a nurse practitioner (The length of time you will be in college for that is about as long as an actual doctor). Getting your associates is a start, but many health care fields now would prefer to hire someone with a bachelors. If you ever intend on moving outside of a hospital or nursing home and moving into a more office type setting (like a health dept) you would need to have a bachelors anyway, so getting it now gives you more options later on down the line. Labor and Delivery is what MANY nurses want to get into, and many hospitals will not hire directly into that position, they will promote from within...so I wouldn't get your hopes up of initially being a labor and delivery nurse from the get go - it may take some time. Labor and delivery nurses assist the doctor with the delivery process, tend to the medical welfare of both mother and child (medications, etc). Also, labor and delivery nurses are there for educational purposes for the mother. They will show her how to nurse, change diapers, etc. (if the parents do not already know these things). It's a lot of fun and can definitely be hard work and sad at times because complications do happen, but I know quite a few nurses who are friends that work in labor and delivery and they love their jobs.