About to start Maternal-Child Nursing...Advice?

NurseB_, BSN, RN · Jun 28, 2011

I'm currently in Maternal-Child nursing and I LOVE IT!! Maybe it's just because I want to become a labor and deliver nurse when I graduate. I know with my course it's ob and peds mixed together and peds is definitely alot harder than learning OB. There is nothing I could really say to brush up on because the class is so unique but I can say that some of the illnesses that you learned in Med-Surg will come up again in this class and it will be good if you had a good foundation on how to treat them, meds, etc. Many nursing students in our program really enjoy the class and say it's the best one out of all the nursing classes, but I guess it just depends on what your interests are. I hope this helps and if you have any other questions just let me know. :)

Servingshots · Jun 28, 2011

I'm currently in Maternal-Child nursing and I LOVE IT!! Maybe it's just because I want to become a labor and deliver nurse when I graduate. I know with my course it's ob and peds mixed together and peds is definitely alot harder than learning OB. There is nothing I could really say to brush up on because the class is so unique but I can say that some of the illnesses that you learned in Med-Surg will come up again in this class and it will be good if you had a good foundation on how to treat them, meds, etc. Many nursing students in our program really enjoy the class and say it's the best one out of all the nursing classes, but I guess it just depends on what your interests are. I hope this helps and if you have any other questions just let me know. :)

Do you recommend any supplemental books that may help? Were using the Maternal-Child Nursing book by Mckinney and am told we wil be coverning all of it in a 14 week time frame.

so are there specific things that may be a good idea to go ahead and start reading?

maxcat · Jun 28, 2011

I took this last spring (just the lecture, no clinical till next year). Can't remember the book author, but it was OB/Peds combined (OB in the beginning, Peds was the last half of the book). I'd recommend studying up on OB-the anatomy involved, pelvic shapes/diameters, fetal circulation...those things. Peds-memorize Erikson's stages of growth and development! We really focused on those topics.

KristeyK · Jun 28, 2011

Go back and reread all your childhood development information...Erikson et al...Learn (or re-learn) how pregnancy affects the body, what happens and why it happens...and the same for postpartum. That's what most of the info is based on...for instance, if you know about the placenta, you can easily figure out the potential problems for mom and baby... and why it is you might be able to make a joke about getting stitches with a 14 year old, but not a 9 year old...

maxcat · Jun 28, 2011

yes, Peds all relates back to growth & development...how does xyz disease/surgery/hospitalization affect G&D for a kid of a certain age?

kimmeyd · Jun 28, 2011

I am about to start as a L&D RN in two weeks at a level 3 NICU facility (so we get the high-risk patients) and I also did my whole last semester at this facility in L&D. You're going to focus on a lot on basic med/surg patho and how it can effects a pregnant pt and a pediatric pt. (It can effect them differently.) All the things that can happen to a regular med/surg patient can happen to an L&D pt and a pediatric pt! So if you know your basic med/surg patho you should be fine. If there are things that you are weak on, focus on those beforehand. Also, there are a lot of cardiac issues/abnormalities with a peds pt so focus on cardiac if that is your weakness. If you don't know physiology heart you can't figure out how it is dysfunctioning etc... The instructors should go over the rest in greater detail for you. As far as books, I never bought any, but I love peds and L&D so I never had any need. I'd wait until you figure out where your weaknesses lie first and then spend the money on supplemental books. Best of luck!

NurseB_, BSN, RN · Jun 28, 2011

Do you recommend any supplemental books that may help? Were using the Maternal-Child Nursing book by Mckinney and am told we wil be coverning all of it in a 14 week time frame.
so are there specific things that may be a good idea to go ahead and start reading?

That's the book we have too and it's a very good read. I'm taking the class over the summer and it amounts to about the same time or it might even be a little less, but I'm getting through it. I agree with the other posts about brushing up on any disease states that you might have been weak in when you took Med-Surg esp diabtetes, hypertension, STD's etc. They will all come back in this class, but focusing on pregnant women and children. Yes, the peds cardiac chapter has been one of the hardest for me so I would recommend you brush up on the basic anatomy of the heart. I wouldn't really buy any supplemental books because you don't know exactly how the class will go. Just read ahead once you get your syllabus so you can be ready for the lectures in class. I think that really helps. Other than that you should be fine.

Servingshots · Jun 29, 2011

Thanks everyone! I bought Maternal-newborn reviews and rationale by Mary Ann hogan (Love this series of books!) and I'm going to start reading up on some of the things you mentioned. If you have anything else to add, feel free! :)

Despareux · Jun 29, 2011

I used the Straight A's series for both peds and OB. OB was very different than any other class I have taken thus far. Peds, on the other hand, is more comparable to med/surg for little people.

33762FL · Jun 29, 2011

I used "Maternal and Newborn Success", it's a purple paperback book with practice questions and a companion CD. I found OB to be the hardest of all the nursing school topics, so this book was extremely helpful. It's less than $30, very worthwhile!

Servingshots · Jun 29, 2011

I used "Maternal and Newborn Success", it's a purple paperback book with practice questions and a companion CD. I found OB to be the hardest of all the nursing school topics, so this book was extremely helpful. It's less than $30, very worthwhile!

I bought the success book for fundamentals and found the questions to be very basic and even easy. Is this the same for the maternal & newborn success?