During my freshman year of high school my youngest brother was born. After being in the hospital for two days surrounded by labor and delivery nurses, I decided I wanted to be one. A Labor and Delivery Nurse is an ordinary registered nurse who specializes in the labor and delivery department in a hospital or clinic.
Labor and Delivery Nurses can work in several different departments in a hospital (“Labor and Delivery Nursing: Job Duties, Career Option & Requirements”). Labor and Delivery Nurses have to be very responsible and responsive when working. I would love to be a Labor and Delivery Nurse because I love infants and I would love to be a coach to mothers bringing their newborn children into the world. I was interested in their working conditions and their common work activities that happen daily.
Being a labor and delivery nurse is my dream job and I hope to succeed and grow within this career. I plan to apply for an LPN or RN program for an associate’s degree and work with that degree for at least 2 years and then following that getting a bachelor’s degree. After completing college with an associate’s and bachelor’s degree, I wish to pursue a master’s degree. I believe that there is no need to move on and get a Doctorate’s degree if I am not going to be a doctor. Labor and Delivery Nurse, one who helps hospitalized mothers and infants during the birth process, is a career I wish to pursue due to the income, social interaction, and working conditions.
Within the career of a labor and delivery nurse there are several aspects that one has to look for. With this job, there are common work activities, physical demands, and working conditions. Common work activities involving a L&D nurse are timing contractions, monitoring the infant and mother’s vitals, aid in inducing labor, and coach new mothers in this challenging time in their life. Physical demands associating with a L&D nurse are lifting 20 pounds, moving patients, stand and walk for extended periods of time, and full range of body motion (“GHR Job Description”). Working conditions concerning a L&D nurse are variations of shifts, weekend and holiday hours, and working in a hospital or clinic (“Labor and Delivery Nurse”). One needs to be dedicated to becoming successful.
To be a labor and delivery nurse one has to have several personal qualifications. These personal qualifications include interests and values, skills and abilities, and knowledge behind this career. Interests and values that one should have for this career are cooperation, integrity, and concern for others. To enjoy life one needs to do what makes them happy and do what they enjoy. Skills and abilities of a labor and delivery nurse include active listening, public speaking, monitoring patients, decision-making, time management, science, and mathematics. One should have the background knowledge of these courses, psychology, particular sciences, computer applications, several mathematics, communications, and management. Personal qualifications are important for loving a job (“Labor and Delivery Nurse Career”).
Career preparation is important when starting a career. To start a career as a labor and delivery nurse, one has to have background knowledge of subjects involving nursing and have experience in a nursing related job. The common job prior to being a nurse is a CNA, certified nurses assistant, people take this so that they have the experience when they want to start their career.
Having past experience in high school, one can use what they remember from high school to help them with the nursing classes. Helpful high school courses are psychology, anatomy and physiology, chemistry, biology, and college algebra. In high school one can use these classes as college credit and it can be a tremendous advantage for one’s education. Taking college credit in high school can put one at a higher advantage of college being easier.
Furthermore, to obtain a job as a labor and delivery nurse one has to have complete high school and earned a diploma, associates or bachelor’s degree, and have licensing and certification (“Preparation”). To be able to start working in a hospital one has to complete clinicals. Clinicals are basically internships but for nursing. One has to have had completed the credit hour and clinical hour limit to graduate. “Labor and Delivery nurses require certification in Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)” “Experienced nurses need at least 1 year of bedside nursing experience and are often required to work as a Postpartum Nurse prior to transitioning into the L&D role” (“Labor and Delivery Nurse”).
In most cases one will receive training for at least 6 months before one is ready to work on their own (“Registered Nurses”). Usually one has to continue their education as they are pursuing their career. Some hospitals will pay for tuition of those they sponsor to continue a career in nursing. Many hospitals will require one to continue growing in a career. One has to have “earned a degree and state license. Optional certification is available in this field and continuing education may be required” (“Labor and Delivery Nurse Salary and Career Opportunities”).
Income is one of the most important aspects of choosing a career. Income is what commonly makes or breaks a career. Average income for a labor and delivery nurse is around $50,000 but can range up over $100,000 depending on where one is located (“Labor and Delivery Nurse”). Depending on how distinguished or how basic one is in their career, they can make more or less than the average income. Registered Nurses get paid by the hour because of overtime and holiday and weekend hours. The average hourly wage is around $25-40 a hour. An RN could get paid “as much as $60.57 an hour for overtime” (“Labor and Delivery Nurse Salary and Career Opportunities”).
The outlook for a career in nursing is very bright. Nursing is one of the jobs that machines are unlikely to take over. “The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts the field to grow at a rate of 16 percent through 2024, which is much faster than the average for all occupations”.
