pp beneficial??

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

I'm a brand new Canadian grad nurse who has a huge interest in mat/child health. I loved my clinical rotations in pp & community health with brand new moms/babies. lots of people tell me pp is boring & you don't use lots of skills but i'm wondering if it's a good place to start, get some experience & then move into other areas such as antepartum & l&d?? any suggestions or comments would be helpful!! Help I feel lost!! (p.s. I hugely don't care for med/surg nursing & feel stressed abt everybody telling me to get some of that expereince even tho i hate it!!)-:confused:

There is a LOT to learn in PP. Breastfeeding alone will keep you busy for a while. You should also remember that a lot of moms and babes are sick, so on pp you'll see a lot of things. We usually start new OB nurses on PP, which also has antepartum patients, then train them in L&D. It gives a good base for OB.

Specializes in Maternal - Child Health.

Anyone who finds PP boring and unchallenging is probably a lousy nurse. To begin with, you will need to develop good assessment skills for both adult and newborn patients, learn to prioritize, care for patients with a wide range of medical problems, learn the care of post-op patients, and probably also care for high-risk antepartum moms. You will be expected to recognize and handle emergencies such as PP hemorrhage and early-onset sepsis in the newborn. You will spend a great deal of time on patient teaching, especially breastfeeding, which is crucial for getting the new family off to a good start. You will be part nurse, part teacher, part social-worker.

If this is your area of interest, go for it. Leave med/surg to those who have an interest in it. Those patients deserve nurses who are enthusiastic about their care, too!

Originally posted by Jolie

You will be part nurse, part teacher, part social-worker.

Amen!

Heather

Specializes in cardiac, diabetes, OB/GYN.

I have NEVER found any area of maternity to be boring..Last week we had a c/s pt lose the feeling in her right hand. Then, her right side. She was 20 years old. Finally they did a neurological consult. She had a stroke. She is the second pt we have had to airlift out for that. The first one was 17...JUST post partum? Not on your life. Last night in fact, someone fainted in the shower. She fainted because she was hemmorrhaging...Med surg/pp/ ANY place people are patients and at risk is NOT boring. If it ever is, you don't belong there.....

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