help-need questions to ask!!

[AmAnRN]

Hi! for those of you that know who i am, you know that i am working on a medical floor which to put it bluntly, i HATE. and you know that i REALLY want to work in O.B. well, i have an interview wednesday for an O.B. float position. (O.B./L&D/Nursery/Peds). The 4 nurse managers from each area will be doing a group interview w/me. I have already had a one-on- one interview w/3 of the 4 for openings before i actually graduated from school. So, i need help w/some more questions to ask.. i have already asked the usual.." what exactly does the job entail..".."nurse to pt.ratio"..you know, the usual. so any help would be greatly appreciated. also, i never can think of an educated answer to "Give me an example of when you have used problem solving in your nursing career." thanks for the help! Amanda

[spineCNOR]

Amanda,

You may want to ask about the orientation, how long, and will you have the opportunity to attend special classes- fetal monitoring, NALS(neonatal life support), etc.

-how about-will you be cross-trained to other areas in case you are required to float?

By the way, I can't ever think of an intelligent answer to the problem-solving question either-if you think of one please let us know!

Good luck with your interview!

[VictoriaG]

I was an L&D nurse for 8 years, crosstrained to PP and NRY but never felt adept in them, L&D was my specialty. They want you to do PEDS too? That is asking alot, PEDS is a whole other specialty. If you have a desire to try OB, go for it. It is a wonderful specialty, and very in-demand. I came to Surgery for the hours, no weekends or holidays. But I still miss the babies.

[Audreyfay]

Other questions I would ask would be re: is it a teaching hospital? Are there residents around. How many staff in a delivery. If there is a c-section, would you be going into the OR, or circulating, etc. Who recovers the post c-section moms. What is their c-section rate? (sometimes a touchy subject) How long is the postpartum patient stay. What level is the nursery. What happens with premies? Is there a resolve through sharing program in the hospital?