Alta Bates Summit Oakland or Berkeley L/D??

[mslema]

Does anyone work in this unit at one of these hospitals? How is it? Do nurses do scalp electrodes, IUPC, sterile speculum, etc. or do physicians/midwives do them? Some hospitals allow nurses to do more than in other facilities, so I'm just wondering. What is the starting pay for new grads and are their benefits any good? Thanks.

[Selke]

The maternity services of Summit merged with ABMC in Berkeley in 2004, so for the past 3-4 years only ABMC has L&D. The Summit staff moved to ABMC. ABMC RNs do sterile spec exams in triage. The RNs can do FSEs and I am not sure about IUPCs. There is a fair bit of independent management, depending if you are caring for the patient of a private doc. They have a training program which many go there for as it is difficult to find an L&D training program in the SFBA. They emphasize labor support and get many patients who are into unmedicated birth. Labor support training is part of the orientation. There are a few private CNMs; most of them work with East Bay Perinatal Group and there are two on the floor all the time; they work mostly like residents but also do midwifey-type things. The most amazing group of RNs I have ever worked with work at ABMC.

If you are wanting independent RN management, there is a hospital on the central coast I can refer you to ....