Brand new in POSTPARTUM

[j0yegan]

I'm new on the mother/baby floor. It's a totally different area than I'm used to. It's not just following orders once you see them on the computer. It's just things you have to already know. There are protocols and "regular postpartum orders" you should just know and follow. So as a new nurse in this area, I'm constantly writing these "regular postpartum orders / protocols". I don't understand why there aren't handouts given to new nurses with all of this written down already. I'm trying to be optimistic and confident, but sometimes I fall through the cracks and get overwhelmed. I just keep telling myself this is where I've always wanted to be and that once I get this postpartum nursing down, I will be an expert at it because we get the same kinds of patients over and over again and it will all just be very repetitive. I just feel like a brand new nurse who graduated - I don't know a damn thing.

I guess I just need some words of encouragement. How did you handle this very specialized area when you started?

[RunBabyRN]

I'm precepting in postpartum right now, and they've put together a binder called "Newbie Notes", which I've been perusing when there's downtime. It has info about breastfeeding and milk storage, the glucose protocols, Duramorph protocols, hemorrhage protocols, info about premies, etc. There's definitely a lot to learn about what do you when you see X, but it'll come. We get a lot of the high risk patients in our PP floor, as we have a level III NICU, so there are a lot of these types of protocols to follow. It might be worth asking more experienced PP nurses where you might find these protocols and photocopy them for yourself, so you have them available. Once I know a baby will need blood sugars at this time and that time, I'll make myself checkboxes on my notes with the times written next to them to make sure they happen.

I hope you find your rhythm soon!

[Road2CNO]

I am hoping to get a job on an OB floor soon so this information will be helpful. Maybe offer to make a binder yourself as you figure things out to new nurses....title it "things you need to know" I will definitely offer to do this on the floor I am interviewing for because I am a list-maker/organizing freak anyway.

[NurseNora, BSN, RN]

You shouldn't be expected to "just know" any protocols or orders. They should be written down somewhere. Review the Protocol and Procedures manual. In my department, we have the hospital wide P&P manual and we also printed out the ones that apply just to OB and put all of them together so they're easier to access. Doctors orders need to be written and you need to check them, because every once in a while there's something different to do or not to do. You are there to learn and it's your preceptor's job to identify the things you need to learn and to help you access the information so you can learn it.

[HyperSaurus, RN, BSN]

Don't they have them printed out somewhere? Or at the very least, are they accessible online for you to peruse and print? That would make the most sense.

[j0yegan]

There is a binder with procedures. It just doesn't seem so straightforward. There IS a protocol handout about what to do when a baby's blood sugar is low. I just want something with ALL protocols together that anyone can refer to. And when I ask nurses if there is something where all of this is written down, they just tell me, "You'll get it." So I'm depending on myself: asking as many questions as possible and writing every single thing down. I can make a book with all of the information I've obtained.

Thank you everyone for your replies. All of the information I've received is A LOT. I know it's normal to feel like a graduate nurse when you're in such a specialized area. It doesn't matter where else you have worked; you can't just know everything when you're in a brand new place. It's true for anything.