Working as a labor and delivery nurse is one of the most rewarding and exhilarating nursing careers you can choose — but it can also be physically and emotionally exhausting. The following tips can help you prepare for your L&D nurse travel assignment:
Get into great shape. Physical endurance is a boon for any nursing job, but it is especially necessary for a labor and delivery job. You may spend 12 straight hours on your feet or squat for long periods of time during a water birth; holding a woman’s legs for hours while she’s pushing is also exhausting. Prepare for the physical demands by strengthening your arms and legs and doing daily stretches. Back injuries are common among nurses, so practice lifting with your legs and be especially careful when weight lifting.
Learn to be cool under pressure. Labor is a stressful time, especially for first-time moms and dads, and many women can make the situation worse by panicking. Since they’ll rely on you to put their fears to rest, you’ll need to be calm and reassuring even if you’re worried. Practice deep breathing and meditation so you can quickly let go of stress and focus on helping your patients and their families be calm when they come to the hospital.
Manage grief and comfort others who are grieving. Working in labor and delivery means you get to experience new life — and unfortunately, you sometimes experience new life that ends just as quickly as it began. While you may not know what to say to parents who’ve just lost their child, you’ll need to be able to keep your own grief under control and find a way to comfort them.
Become immune to messy situations. At times, you may end up covered in blood and amniotic fluid and not be able to clean up immediately because the baby has not made his entrance yet. Women in labor often vomit as well and lose control of bowel movements. Learning to work through any situation is a valuable skill as a labor and delivery nurse, since mothers are often embarrassed about accidents that happen anyway.
Be ready for the unexpected. Even what seems like a smooth labor can become an emergency in a matter of minutes. You may not be able to leave the hospital at the end of your shift if you’re in the middle of a c-section or helping a woman to push, or a new mom may decide at the last minute that she no longer wants a natural birth and demand an epidural. Flexibility with your schedule and adaptability when situtations quickly change are an asset in this career.
Skilled, compassionate L&D nurses are needed at hospitals throughout the country. Check out our open labor and delivery travel nursing jobs now.