The Passion on Nursing

For my job choice on where I would like to work after graduation, would be at Virginia Hospital Center, labor and delivery. I chose this particular field, because of my love and passion for children and the whole experience of watching women become mothers and witnessing the creation of a family. I know that not all moments in labor and delivery are not always happy, so to be able to give comfort and strength to grieving parents becomes a very important part of this career.

Company History

In 1933, Virginia Hospital Center was formed by five women’s club, which came together in a meeting to start a community service project. At the initial gathering they collected $5 donations form 20 local organizations. This helped funded the start of the Arlington Hospital Association in 1934. By 1944, Arlington Hospital was a full operational 100-bed.Throughout the years, the hospital and had many changes and continues to grow. Once a 100-bed facility, now has 394 beds. In 2017, their Labor and Delivery unit delivered 4,915 babies, including 72 sets of twins. In 2016, they earned the Distinguished Hospital Clinical Excellence Award and the outstanding Patient Experience Award for Healthgrades. I have been a patient in this facility many times. In fact, I gave birth to my son in this very hospital. I was overwhelmed by the love and compassion that was shown by the team of doctors, nurses and staff. This was an inspiring experience and I wanted to be a part of it.

Technical/Hard Skills and Education

Lately, recent trends have moved nursing and healthcare out of the hospital, but Labor and Delivery remain predominantly in the hospital setting. L&D nurses generally need the same skill as a registered nurse but also will need additional specific skills for obstetric specialty. The hard skills needed to become an L&D nurse are inducing labor, monitoring the mother and baby’s vital signs, administering medications and starting IV lines, measuring contractions, being able to identify and assist with childbirth complications, providing postpartum support and educating n new mother’s on postnatal care. Like with most jobs, having the educational background to become an L&D nurse is key.

According the Nurses for a Healthier Tomorrow, to be an L&D nurse, I would have to first obtain an associate's/bachelor’s degree in nursing, or a nursing diploma from an accredited nursing school. Labor and Delivery nurses may also be required to be educated in neonatal resuscitation and fetal monitoring. Taking specialty certifications through the National Certification Corporation would help set me apart from other candidates and make me more qualified for the position as an L&D nurse. By attending the License Practical Nursing Program at ECPI, I will have the credentials along with effective communications skills, critical thinking, clinical reasoning and teamwork collaboration skills to make me an efficient more valuable asset to the healthcare team.

Soft Skills

In the healthcare field, soft skills are just as important as hard skills and education. Soft skills such as flexibility, adaptability, and patience, which are all important, employers also would want communication, empathy and compassion for patients, effective listening, a strong work ethic and critical thinking. Soon to be mothers in Labor and Delivery not only rely on nurses for medical attention, but also for advice and consolation. We have to be skilled in prioritizing patient needs and handle a fast-paced, sometimes stressful environment. Working in the medical field for 8 years, I have developed into a well-rounded healthcare professional. Being a mother myself, I know how scary it can be for first-time mother’s to go through the delivery process.

If I can re-make the experience for one mother that was shown to me, I have done my job. I have a passion for nursing and all that it does for our community. My natural compassion and empathy for people has helped uncover my love for this profession. I have worked in different healthcare specialties and have adapted to the culture of each one. I hope that going through the LPN program, I will enhance the skills I already portray and to expand my education so that I may be more valuable to my patients and healthcare team.

References

1. (n.d.). Retrieved December 02, 2018, from https://study.com/articles/How_to_Become_a_Labor_and_Delivery_Nurse.html
2. At a Glance. (n.d.). Retrieved December 02, 2018, from https://www.virginiahospitalcenter.com/aboutus/vhc/default.aspx
3. Essential Soft Skills for Nurses. (2017, December 07). Retrieved December 02, 2018, from https://nursingonline.nsuok.edu/articles/rnbsn/essential-soft-skills-for-nurses.aspx
4. Lopaze, K. (2017, November 10). How to become a labor and delivery nurse. Retrieved from https://www.thejobnetwork.com/how-to-become-a-labor-and-delivery-nurse/
5. Practical Nursing. (n.d.). Retrieved December 02, 2018, from https://www.ecpi.edu/programs/practical-nursing-diploma

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