L&D nursing career advice needed
Hi all!
I am currently a senior majoring in health sciences. I have been considering a few healthcare career paths, among them PA and nursing, and I am especially interested in OB/GYN or L&D.
I am specifically interested in those areas because I love the idea of guiding women through such a life changing event like giving birth. Not just witnessing new life in this world, but also because to me it feels like the healthcare system fails women before, during, and after pregnancy, especially minority groups. I am not sure if in L&D there is much involvement with patients, and what kind, or if nurses get the chance to educate and support women the way I want to. Besides pregnancy, there are other areas in women's health where education is lacking and because of this many women go untreated and suffer for years.
I am not really comparing or looking for the highest salary either, of course it is something I check, but it's not my main or even second priority when it comes to choosing a career. What I really do care about is work-life balance, I plan to have children and I really do want to spend time with them as they grow as much as I can. I mention this because I know that sometimes nurses are on call or work long hours for many days. But this is why I coming to you all for advice!
So, bottom line is, I wanted to know what is it like to work as an L&D or OB/GYN nurse, both in hospital or clinic settings, or in any other settings I should consider. Also I do welcome any advice in regards to nursing as a whole. I had always planned to become a PA but very recently I started thinking about other options, so I am not very familiar yet with the nursing world and things I should know before making a decision.
Sorry for the very long post, but thank you so much for your time! 😄