Labor and Delivery Nurse
Cassidy Howell Mrs. Savage Medical Anatomy 3 10 April 2013 Labor and Delivery Nurse It was said best by an unknown author, “If love can’t cure it, nurses can. ” Nursing is a broad and dependable career option. There are many different fields of nursing; particularly there is “Labor and Delivery. ” The duties of a labor and delivery nurses consist of assisting women during their pregnancy, labor, and post-birth. Labor and delivery nurses must contain qualities of professionalism, good analytical skills, and the ability to make quick decisions.
Not only do these nurses assist patients, they also counsel families and collaborate with doctors (Labor and Delivery Nurse). All fields of nursing have a few things in common, one of them being the required training. The first step to becoming a labor and delivery nurse is to be accepted into a college institution where you can major in nursing. While attending a such college, a labor and delivery nurse must earn her Registered Nurse degree, these degrees can be obtained in two or four years.
The only way to obtain a degree is to first get accepted into nursing school, and complete all undergraduate requirements. During nursing school students take classes in the liberal arts, hard sciences, microbiology, organic chemistry, pathophysiology, psychology, and a semester of clinical education. In these classes nurse receives hands-on training at a hospital ( Herlihy, S. ). There are many available colleges that offer a nursing degree. In the state of Alabama, there are 41 colleges alone that offer an education in nursing.
Both the infamous rival schools, Auburn University and University of Alabama, offer a major in nursing, so do their sub schools, Auburn University at Montgomery and University of Alabama in Huntsville. Not only do the National Champions offer nursing degrees, but many other colleges across the state including but not limited to Troy University, University of Alabama at Birmingham, University of South Alabama, Jacksonville State University, and Jefferson State Community College (Hack College).
Getting a degree alone is not enough; a license is required to become an official nurse. The state of Alabama requires all future nurses to take an exam called the NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination) that certifies them to be licensed to practice nursing in Alabama. After taking the exam, to become completely board certified in the specific field of labor and delivery nursing, experience as a staff nurse and clinical experience in labor and delivery is needed (Nursing Schools).
After successfully getting a degree in nursing, licensed, and found a job, an income ranging between $45,000-$95,000 is to be expected. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for a registered nurse is approximately $65,000. It’s to be expected to start lower, and have promotions along the way as more experience is gained. Other factors also affect the salary, such as level of education and/or type of degree earned, cost of living in the area, and nursing specialty.
Salary especially fluctuates for a labor and delivery nurse. For example, a manager can earn high salaries that exceed $83,000 annually. Also, a women’s health nurse practitioners (WHNPs) working in labor and delivery make more than $74,000 a year (Salary Information). There are many different options for a labor and delivery nurse, along with different settings within the labor and delivery unit. Options include direct care to patients in labor with uncomplicated deliveries to those with pregnancies that are experiencing complications.
Labor and delivery nurses also circulate the hospital floor to help manage patients in the operating room during deliveries and work as a surgical assistant during complicated procedures. Labor and delivery nurses can also work in the nursery, where they help monitor and care for newborn babies (About Labor and Delivery Nurses). Every medical career has many personal awards, achieving a degree in a medical field is a big accomplishment alone. All medical fields combine science with care, however labor and delivery touches a special
