After researching numerous websites, definition of labor and delivery nursing is a profession where registered nurses specialize in the labor and delivery process caring for both mother and baby, collaborating with the doctor to create an effective plan of care. I knew that these nurses played many different roles during the labor and delivery process, but I did not realize just how much responsibility it is to be a labor and delivery nurse. Not only does the nurse care for the mother during labor (intrapartum) and after labor (postpartum), but the nurse cares for the baby, can work as the circulating nurse in the operating room if a C-section is necessary, can work as scrub nurse also in the operating room, and coordinates patient care along with the doctor during labor. The labor and delivery nurse must be comfortable making critical decisions quickly and effectively. The doctor relies heavily on the skill of the labor and delivery nurse. The nurse must also tend to the psychological needs of the woman in labor.
Another fact I found that did not really change my definition of nursing but made me feel confident about the decision to be a labor and delivery nurse is that while healthcare is making a move to the home and community, labor and delivery is growing in the hospital setting making it a growing profession.
Works Cited
"Labor and Delivery Nursing." Discover Nursing. Johnson and
"Occupational Outlook Handbook." Registered Nurses. Bureau of
Labor Statistics, 17 Dec. 2009. Web. 25 Sept. 2011.
<http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos083.htm>
