Labor and Delivery Nurses Face Demands of Planet Birth


 
2.3k
Shares
 

SAUSALITO, CA (ASRN.ORG) – For many nurses who specialize in labor and delivery, a fascination with birth is what ultimately draws them to the work.

Take Judi Martini, nurse manager of labor and delivery of the neonatal intensive care unit at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, who's been a practicing registered nurse for 30 years.

"I've wanted to be a nurse for as long as I can remember," she says. "I can vividly remember being hugged by my second grade teacher who must have been around eight months pregnant and feeling the baby move. I instantly became enthralled with the idea of pregnancy and eventually childbirth."

With employment of registered nurses expected to grow across all specialties, labor and delivery is just one of many options for aspiring nurses to consider.

What it takes

Martini touches on one of the critical aspects to consider when becoming a nurse: an appreciation for the process of childbirth. Unlike perinatal nurses, who work with women during their pregnancy and after childbirth, labor and delivery nurses are present specifically during labor. As a result, the job comes with a lot of excitement as well as hard work.

"I think it's more physically demanding than people think," says Michele Davidson, associate professor of nursing at George Mason University's College of Health and Human Services in Manassas, Va. "There's the fatigue factor when you work a lot of 12-hour shifts in a row."

Of course, says Davidson, who's also a midwife, it's all worth it for the "privilege" of being present for the birth. Helping patients and their families is the most rewarding part of the job, and Davidson notes that appreciation for the fact that you're guiding women through such a memorable moment in their lives is something an aspiring nurse doesn't learn in school.

"You can teach people skills, but you can't teach them how to care for other people," she says, adding that integrity and honesty are important too.

Passion for caregiving is likely what keeps so many labor and delivery nurses in the field for the long haul. Chris Besler, a labor and delivery nurse in the Loyola University Health System, has been a registered nurse for almost 30 years and in labor and delivery for 27 of those – when she first started her career, she waited two years for a position to open up on the labor and delivery floor.

"We just had a patient that just had her fifth baby, and I was there for all of the deliveries," Besler says. "I'm into the point where people who were born here are having babies here."

She echoes that wanting to deal with people is a big factor when you're considering whether to pursue the profession.

"The medical field has really turned into a consumer field, because patients can choose where they want to go," she says.

Playing the numbers

Although nursing jobs are expected to increase considerably in the coming years, Besler says trying to go out right now and find a job might be difficult.

"I was in the last large graduating class of nurses," she says, referring to the cyclical nature of employment decline and growth. "I was very fortunate to find a job, and then the shortage started."

Projections for employment in all areas of healthcare are stellar, but it's important to be a competitive candidate for a job. Besler says nurses also need a degree of technical aptitude, as many hospitals and practices are now paperless, and they also need some mathematical proficiency and to stay abreast of pharmaceutical developments.

Davidson, of George Mason University, recommends volunteering during school and pursuing summer internships as a means of making connections. Employers are more likely to select someone who's already in the system, Davidson says. She also notes that membership in the American Nurses' Association is free for students and that she has a lot of students with related job experience, who have been EMTs or first aid instructors.

She also recommends that for people who are weighing the possibility of a labor and development specialty, doing some personal research, like attending community labor and delivery classes, can be helpful.

Many nurses also pursue higher degrees or continuing education to stay fresh in their fields. Davidson is also certified as a midwife and earned her Ph.D.





Copyright 2012- American Society of Registered Nurses (ASRN.ORG)-All Rights Reserved


 



 
2.3k
Shares
 

Articles in this issue:

Masthead

  • Masthead

    Editor-in Chief:
    Kirsten Nicole

    Editorial Staff:
    Kirsten Nicole
    Stan Kenyon
    Robyn Bowman
    Kimberly McNabb
    Lisa Gordon
    Stephanie Robinson
     

    Contributors:
    Kirsten Nicole
    Stan Kenyon
    Liz Di Bernardo
    Cris Lobato
    Elisa Howard
    Susan Cramer

Leave a Comment

Please keep in mind that all comments are moderated. Please do not use a spam keyword or a domain as your name, or else it will be deleted. Let's have a personal and meaningful conversation instead. Thanks for your comments!

*This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.