Hi, I'm new to my job in OB. I've been orienting for 8 weeks now, been 6 weeks on the floor. I've always wanted to do OB and I thought my 2 years of med/surg would make things easier. But I feel like a new grad...everything is so different! I don't have the same preceptor every shift - it changes from day to day - and depending on who I am working with seems to determine if things go well or not. I am also doing a lot of reading/studying/education as part of my orientation. I want to learn to do this well. But every shift, not only does my preceptor change, but my patient asignments as well. Some days I have so many different "experiences" that nothing makes sense! It would be nice to follow a patient from start to finish to better understand the process. I feel fairly comfortable with postpartum. Yesterday however, I started out with 2 PP couplets. Then I was given a walk in admit (hadn't done before) then within an hour I was told to be the baby nurse for an imminent delivery with meconium. That went OK then I was immediately sent to another delivery. After the two deliveries I was busy charting, doing checks etc. and before I knew it, 2 hours had passed and I hadn't checked in on my PP couplets. The walk- in was to be sent home and one of my PP couplets also wanted to leave. My preceptor (who had not left my side while I was helping with the two deliveries - so she knew I was working non-stop) starts rattling off "did you do the PKU for room 2? what about DC papers for the OP..."etc. I told her I had been in the two deliveries and hadn't had a single moment to check on the other patients. She got upset with me and I'm really not sure how I could do anymore than I was doing....I did not even have a single minute to leave the babies, I hadn't had lunch or even been able to use the bathroom. It was 10 hours into my 12 hr shift. I'd been feeling more and more sick to my stomach and my head was pounding. I thought I was going to vomit! I won't even go into all the details, but I don't understand how they can expect one (NEW) person to do everything at once: 2 couplets, 2 deliveries and an outpatient? What was really bad is that it was a SLOW day - we were overstaffed, but I was given all those patients? I understand they are trying to give me lots of experiences, but I don't feel that I'm doing any of it well - or even able to learn since it's all so scattered! I cried all the way home. I called in sick today with headache and horrible nausea. I don't know if I got so stressed because I was sick, or if I got sick because I was so stressed. Will I ever learn this? I feel so stupid!