Is your unit just L&D/MB/Nursery or do you do women's health too?

lutheranchickRN · Jan 26, 2008

Hi, I worked once on a unit that was solely postpartum. We converted to a women's center and I loved it. The hysterectomy/female urology patients kept census up (less floating). Of course, we did not have L&D patients. I don't know how you would manage that with the needs of the gyn/urology population. Some of the ladies are quite old and need assistance with ADL's. I don't know how to meet their needs and the needs of a laboring/delivering mother simultaneously. Good luck. Carol

Chloe'sinNYNow · Jan 26, 2008

Hi all, I'm new to this forum as I have just been accepted to a Birthing Unit and am in the process of relocating. I'm so excited!!!

Just wanted to add that I agree, the variety of overflow gyno med surg is interesting, and keeps your nursing skills active and upgraded, but it's true that Med-Surg pts require a lot more attention.

Perhaps the answer here is to solicit more CNA's/PCT's? They are incredibly helpful with ADL's and invaluable to any medsurg population. And if Maternity units are requiring MedSurg gyno pts to come on the unit to up their census, they sure shouldn't be taking the nurses away from their current load of patient care. IMHO.

But then again, I did say I'm new at this. :doh:

I did however have a recent shadowing experience that proved this to be the case.

Just another :twocents: added!

Chloe

:nurse:

RN-BSN, BA

jenrninmi, MSN, RN · Jan 26, 2008

Well, where I work, if I had a Labor patient, I she is my only patient. I don't do M/B at the same time. I'm assuming it will be the same when we get women's health patients. I don't know if they will combine m/b with w'shealth with one nurse. The most we get per nurse is 4 m/b's. My employer is great about limiting our patient load.

DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN · Jan 26, 2008

Ours is combined and we also have a locked door but it's never been a problem that I know of. There's a window and a buzzer/speaker.

jhhrn68 · Jan 28, 2008

Our L&D unit is for labor, delivery and recovery. Then the Moms go out to the postpartum floor. We also take some GYN pts., mostly hysterectomies. Our previous director wanted us to do M/B couplets but it doesn't work well with our physical setup. So, we either work L&D or postpartum or nursery. But I also work at another hospital that has LDRP rooms. The babies mostly stay with their mothers and I guess a nurse mught have a m/b couplet as well as a pt. in labor. I haven't been there long and the unit will be closing soon so I think business is dropping off as word gets around.

babydoll99_99 · Feb 2, 2008

I work on a M/B unit that also takes women's health. If you are in any way invovled in the decision just make sure you lay out exactly which patients that will be taken on your floor. We joke on our floor that if they have a lady parts they come to us. But joking aside we take some kinda dangerous pt to have with newborns on the floor, like MRSA C/S or GYN wound infections. They tried to even put gyn onc on our floor but NM and DON finally drew the line with radiation and newborns. The GYN surgeries are a little difficult to take care of with ADLs and such, but I find if the are spread out among everyone, having just one really isn't that big of a deal, in fact it is a nice change of pace sometimes.

JMHO

tntrn, ASN, RN · Feb 2, 2008

I work on a M/B unit that also takes women's health. If you are in any way invovled in the decision just make sure you lay out exactly which patients that will be taken on your floor. We joke on our floor that if they have a lady parts they come to us. But joking aside we take some kinda dangerous pt to have with newborns on the floor, like MRSA C/S or GYN wound infections. They tried to even put gyn onc on our floor but NM and DON finally drew the line with radiation and newborns. The GYN surgeries are a little difficult to take care of with ADLs and such, but I find if the are spread out among everyone, having just one really isn't that big of a deal, in fact it is a nice change of pace sometimes.
JMHO

I would second that emotion: some of the "women's health patients" should not be a country mile from newborns, NICU babes or recovering moms. But administrations will try anything and everything. I find it weird to answer the phone Family Birth Center when we have those little old ladies on our census. But it does help with floating, although our unit is now being call the "FBC float pool" as they are pulling our nurses every which way without even asking if they can be spared. We'll be having an informational meeting soon about what the contract says and what it doesn't.

crysobrn · Feb 3, 2008

We only do OB patients... there are few exceptions... But on a personal or customer service level I can't imagine having a hysterectomy and then being on a floor listening to babies cry, or ambulating in the halls with the number of visitors we get.

We are a small unit and many times it's all or nothing... we'll have no patients for a few days and then have 8 deliveries in two shifts... you never really know what you're going to get... We'd be sending patients back to the floor all the time to open up a room for a true OB patient.

nurserynurse55 · Feb 3, 2008

Women's health and med/surg is not with any OB patients. The idea is to keep sick people away from the babies and pregnant moms. Of course some moms are sick or have other medical issues, so nothing is perfect. I agree that seeing new babies might make some of the gyno patients very sad is they are child bearing age.