I want to be a L&D nurse

amother

Mauve

Tue, Jan 02 2018, 10:09 am

My lifelong dream was always to be a L&D nurse. I BH have a house full at home and as you can imagine never had the opportunity to even consider schooling. I am thinking now would be a good time to attempt schooling, however I have no idea how to go about it! I have so many questions I hope you can help...

I have a high school diploma and that's all. How long would schooling take on average with just a diploma? I may have some credits from HS way back in the day, but I would have to find out.
Is it possible to complete schooling for BSN online?
I vaguely remember (though know nothing about) hearing the names Raizel Reit and Bulka.. Would these be good options?
Scholarship opportunities? (I really cannot afford tuition... on average about how much would it be a semester?)
Do get to choose which dept you are assigned to? I really only have a desire to work in L&D (personal reasons.)
Am I crazy? I'm still afraid to take the plunge. I know it's a ridiculous amount of work, but I really love L&D and would enjoy surrounding myself in that atmosphere..

watergirl

Tue, Jan 02 2018, 10:29 am

The info you are looking for is the kind of thing that googling is good for. You’ll need to become very comfortable doing internet research if youre about to embark on college.

As far as the advice/input you ask for about starting college - go for it! You can do it if its a dream of yours. But it takes a ton of work and late nights. I went back to college at 33 and finished at 35. Its hard. Its worth it!

As far as nursing goes - be prepared to work night shifts. You have a full house as you mentioned so its best to make sure dh is supportive before starting. Hatzlacha!

Teomima

Tue, Jan 02 2018, 10:50 am

watergirl wrote:

Completely agree with everything watergirl says, especially the bolded. My dh is a RN and you really will need to make sure your family and dh especially is totally on board.

mommyhood

Tue, Jan 02 2018, 10:54 am

A BSN takes at least 3 years if you haven't started anything yet and it's an intense program that may not offer part time options. You may be able to take some courses online but a lot of classes and clinicals need to be in person.

Getting a hospital job is very difficult in the NY area. I have friends that looked for a long time and they had good degrees from well known schools. The ones who work in L&D were only able to transfer there after working in a different department in the hospital for a year or more. Unless you have a lot of pull don't assume you'll get that job.

amother

Aqua

Tue, Jan 02 2018, 12:02 pm

Fastest way to go about it with no prior college is bulka. It will take three years opposed to the standard four. I got my bsn through bulka and though it was mostly younger girls straight from sem, there were a few who were older with bigger kids who successfully completed the program.

It is HARD WORK!! it has BAD HOURS!! it can be costly. Also realize u r absolutely not Guarenteed a job in l and d... After graduating most ppl either took hospital night shift med surge jobs or nursing home/home care jobs bc better hours. If u live in NY getting any job (even a bad job) as a new graduate is extremely difficult.

If you are interested in only labor and delivery and don't want the expense or time commitment maybe consider becoming a doula...

amother

Mauve

Tue, Jan 02 2018, 4:07 pm

Thank you everyone for your replies.

I really enjoy the atmosphere of the maternity ward, I'd like to find something to pursue in that area.
Can you guide me to explore possible options?

What about an OB technician? Is that considered a lowly job? Would it be easier to get a job there first and maybe in the future work on becoming an actual RN?
Are there hospitals that have Doulas in premises on a set schedule?
Are there any other job opportunities that are available in the maternity ward? Maybe some kind of social work specifically for new moms?

You guys are awesome, thank you for your help!

amother

Amethyst

Tue, Jan 02 2018, 6:59 pm

I too always dreamed of working in labor and delivery. I too have a large family . When my children were younger I trained as a doula and was a volunteer Doula with NSHEI CARES in which I took 4 hour shifts 2 times a month in maimonides. That was very doable and scratched my itch for wanting to work in labor and delivery. When my children got older and my youngest was 5 years old I finally went to school. I did Reb bulkas program through aDelphi University. It was a three-year program and earned my BSN this past May at the age of 48. As others have said the program is a lot of work though I loved every minut. I did get a scholarship thru siyata dishmaya and really good grades so the program did not cost me a penny, tho it is a costly program. As others have said it is hard to get a job and forget about choosing labor and delivery. Your first job will be whatever you get and you're lucky to get it. Out of my whole class only five of us have jobs so far. You could hope to eventually get that coveted labor and delivery job, bit usually not right way unless u have major pull. Btw, an RN hospital job is HARD. 3-4 12.5 hour shifts per week. It is very fast paced... non stop working. I am exhilarated to finally be working at the job that I have dreamed about for so long but just to be honest it is harder than I ever imagined it would be. I hope my information has helped you . Let me know if you want me to contact you pruvately so that you can pick my brain for some more information. I live in Brooklyn and I'm posting anonymously because my information is very specific to my particular story. Wishing you much hatzlacha

smileyfaces

Tue, Jan 02 2018, 9:17 pm

amother wrote:

Can you PM me? Not op but I have a question for you.

honeygold

Wed, Jan 03 2018, 6:51 pm

I have wanted to be an L&D nurse for a while but getting into that specialty is hard. I have been a nurse now for 4 1/2 years and I am still not where I want to be. I did my associate through Touro which is a two year full time program and is mixed, men, women Jewish, non Jewish. Then I got my license. Then I worked in a long term care facility in a vent and teach unit while I was in school at City Tech, a CUNY school in downtown Brooklyn, for my bachelor's. CUNY schools are cheap and I was able to have my bachelor's fully covered by financial aid. Touro on the other hand us very expensive and I had to take out loans for it. After I graduated with my bachelor's I got a job at a hospital working on their progressive care unit, which is telemetry and step down ICU. I worked there a year in a half and then had to leave because I moved away from Brooklyn and after traveling for a year to Brooklyn I had enough. Now I am working in a hospital close yo where I live, on their medical step down unit. I am still on orientation there. Maybe once I work there for a year I can ask to be transfered to l&d. So basically after you get a job in a hospital you usually have to wait a year to transfer to another unit and there has to be an opening there. I work nights, which actually works well for me because I get to see my kids every evening. I sleep while they are in school and then wake up and make supper, do homework and get them ready for bed before I leave.
I hope this helps Feel free to Pm me with any questions.

rivpom

Thu, Mar 01 2018, 9:50 pm

You could start working on prerequisites for nursing school online now and then apply to an accelerated program afterwards. You definitely need to do clinical rotations in all the different nursing areas while in school, no matter which specialty you are interested in pursuing. This is usually helpful because many people have one idea in mind and then find that they really love a different area of nursing that they never would have expected to enjoy. Also, to become a lactation consultant, you do need some science courses, so if you are also considering that option, you could see which classes are needed for both and take those first. I am a registered nurse with a BSN and a lactation consultant, so feel free to PM me.

amother

Pumpkin

Fri, Mar 02 2018, 12:41 am

amother wrote:

Op can you always be extra nice, caring, sweet? If not please don't go into l&d.

Sadly Im posting this after a terrible experience with a jewish nurse while in labor!

Nobody can ALWAYS be anything. We still need l and d nurses, even if they mess up some times.

I'm sorry for your rough experience.