Any tips on how to get into a labor and delivery unit as a fresh new grad nurse with no other healthcare experiences in NJ? I’am trying to het my Fetal heart monitoring certification to make me stand out.

I was a Labor and Delivery nurse for 41 years. When I started it was required to work one year on the medical/surgery unit. Although it is no longer required, most of the nurses we hired were transfers from other units or experienced labor/delivery nurses. We did occasionally hire new grads that did a preceptorship on our unit. Labor and delivery can be extremely stressful with a lot of emergencies (kind of like an ER). I personally don’t think it’s ideal to start as a new grad, maybe start on mother baby if that is an option?

Being an experienced Labor and Delivery RN for 32+ years I can tell you that most L&D units require new grads to have a least a year medical/ surgical experience which you will definitely need to succeed. You have to be prepared for whatever comes through the door from the easy straightforward pregnant patients to the critically ill pts. If this is your passion than definitely pursue it, but get the experience under your belt first.