What is so special about working in postpartum???

workingharder · Feb 21, 2013

I'm looking for that nursing job where I can hang out with the fathers, play cards, smoke cigars, and talk cars. Now THAT, is a difficult position to get.

BSNbeauty, BSN, RN · Feb 21, 2013

I worked at a facility that was just as you described, minus the smoking. I think the nuns caught on, and decided not to staff that unit anymore with nurses.

PediatricRNTX · Feb 21, 2013

...Because I cannot get a job in this specialty to save my life! I rarely see any job postings for PP in my area and when I do they want experience ofcourse. I've spoken to a few PP nurses and they all have been working in PP for years. There must be something special about it that nurses never leave this specialty.
I'm over the babies are cute stuff. I just know that PP is my niche.I love to teach, I would love making parents feel confident to take care of their new born. I want to be able to catch that PP hemorrage or infection. I want to be able to pick up on subtle changes in newborns and intervene right away.
I've had to share days in PP and really enjoyed seeing the day in life of the PP nurses. It wasn't all peaches and rainbows but I still see myself working there.
Okay, vent over....

Postpartum was a nice, fairly calm unit to work on. Some days are crazy and not everyone is stable...BUT for the most part its a happy unit. Pass out pain meds prn,..and ur pretty good to go. Its about the same thing over and over, unlike other units where everyone comes w different illnesses and needs. I would call it the easiest unit if been on..most days.

Also most pp nurses are nursery, or l&d nurses that just float. From what ive seen.

RNewbie · Feb 21, 2013

Im a med surg nurse who floats to post partum sometimes. I only care for the moms but this is the most laid back unit I've ever been on. Barely any meds. Assessments on moms are quick. Not sure about babies. Moms and babies are typically healthy. Babies get baths and labwork drawn by the nurse. It isn't very time consuming or hard work. A lot of older nurses work on the unit. I have actually been bored on that unit trying to stay awake. Too much downtime at night, but I'm in Ca and there are only 4 couplets: nurse ratio. I can imagine in other states if the ratios are higher that you would stay busy all shift but even then the work is not hard in my opinion.

klone, MSN, RN · Feb 22, 2013

Postpartum bored me to tears (one of the reasons I left the bedside, because where I worked, you couldn't JUST do L&D). I felt like a well-paid waitress. The hardest part of my job was charting on 6-8 patients.

BSNbeauty, BSN, RN · Feb 22, 2013

It nice to everyone's perspective!

kirsnikity · Feb 22, 2013

There's nothing special to me about postpartum, except maybe that it's less intense and (generally) lower acuity than other floors. At my hospital I end up having to float to maternity several times a year. I hate it! Boring, tedious, and like Klone mentioned I feel like a waitress. Having said all that, many nurses love these things about postpartum, which is why there's such low turnover. It's also an ideal place for those who love to teach. I guess it's one of those places nurses go to die...

BSNbeauty, BSN, RN · Feb 22, 2013

I need to be bored at times. I crack under high acuity, which is why I left the Ed and ICU....

Bezoars · Feb 23, 2013

I have worked med/surg and perinatal float. I always thought Mother baby was where nurses go to retire, but now having worked there... I know differently. I'm day shift, but it was steady and hopping. We typically have at least four moms with their babies. That's truly 8 patients! The charting there is insane... worse then anywhere else. It's definitely not a piece of cake job. The teaching is extensive and lots of different things to remember about both moms and babies there. PLUS, you're admitting and discharging like a fiend. Maybe it's just because I had med/surg down to a science and this is different for me.... but it's not a day at the park, for sure. It's still work.

klone, MSN, RN · Feb 23, 2013

I'm sure a lot of the difference was I worked at night. I know during the day, things are a lot busier. I love patient teaching and discharges are something I always enjoy. But at night, all I seem to do is fetch water and Tylenol.

PinkNBlue, BSN, RN · Feb 23, 2013

It's definitely more laid back (at times) but to say it's easy or not hard work is really not fair.

Anyway, the fact that no one leaves this specialty speaks for itself I think. For the most part, it is a wonderful, happy place to work especially if you enjoy teaching. For someone who likes things pretty calm, for the most part, it is ideal. But we definitely get chaos a lot more than other floor nurses believe we do. Passion for this specialty is also a must. The patients can tell who loves being there and who is there because it is 'just a job'. It also depends on what type of hospital and the deliveries they have per month. Women are having babies later and with comorbidities. I wouldn't change it for the world, which is how I think most nurses in this specialty feel, hence very little turnover. Postpartum is a very special place to work as you get to be part of one of the most memorable days of a family's life. They will remember the nurses who helped them establish breastfeeding, the nurse who gave them tips on diaper changes or bathing their newborn. We have patients send us Christmas cards of their families every year. It is a fabulous place to work. I wouldn't change it for the world. :)