Cervical Exam Help!

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Hello. I am currently working as an L&D RN traveler. My background is in telemetry but last year I transitioned to L&D, which is my passion. The previous hospital that I worked for was a teaching facility with lots of residents. Needless to say, I did not obtain any experience doing cervical exams. Now as a traveler, my current facility requires the nurses to do cervical exams but I feel so clueless when performing them. What should I do? Please help!!

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I was in the same boat. I worked for 4 years in a teaching hospital where the nurses never did cervical exams. Then I started traveling to private hospitals where I had to do them completely on my own. I watched a bunch of YouTube videos and bought the pocket dilatation guide. Google it. I bought it online for about $8. I still carry it around with me today even though I don't really need it anymore.

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It's certainly an art mixed with a science. Cervical exams take lots of practice. When I was a new L&D nurse, my preceptor would often check the patient, then have me check her. Within a few months, I was pretty confident.

The Mystery That Is The Cervix – Cervix With A Smile

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Specializes in Labor & Delivery.

do you happen to know the name of the author or where to get the book?

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Specializes in Reproductive & Public Health.

Are you just assessing dilation and effacement? No chance you are in a teaching facility are you? Ours has a crazy good sim lab where you can practice that sort of thing. Most of the time (but not always!), cervical checks are relatively straightforward and I bet you will find it easier than you think. However, full dilation is not actually equal to 10 centimeters, so there is an inherent subjectivity in the exam that some people find confusing.

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