Do techs deliver babies in L and D???

Alikatz · Mar 11, 2013

Our techs on Labor and Delivery never deliver babies and actually don't do patient care. They stock rooms and help clean (important none the less, but no delivering)! Techs on Postpartum help patients get to the bathroom, take vitals, and ambulated. Out scrub tech never delivers babies!

Graduation2016 · Mar 13, 2013

I'm an OB Scrub Tech and nursing student myself. I have close friends who I have attended their babies deliveries and they would post pictures later on FB and say "'with my BFF nurse" or something like that, I always laugh but make it clear "not a nurse yet". Im my case when I say I help deliver babies I mean that I help in the whole process, setting the room up, getting the warmer ready, then even prepping the area with betadine, and holding mom's leg while she pushes, I count with them too if I have to. Then once baby is out, I do baby vitals, weight, footprints and hand off to mom. During a c-section I'm too busy assisting the physician and once the dr hands the baby to neo I am passing suture, holding retractors and all that. Maybe your friend is doing this kind of things and not really referring to deliver a baby as in catching it.

klone, MSN, RN · Mar 13, 2013

What if the tech scrubs in the or ???

Then they hand instruments to the OB. They still don't do anything with the baby, delivery wise.

RNinLDRP620 · Mar 13, 2013

I work in a 15 bed LDRP unit and we are pretty much an all RN unit. We have just a few nurse aides or "techs" and no LPNs. Our aides have minimal responsibilities, really they are only there for stocking, mommy vitals and babysitting babies at night. They do not even attend deliveries, lady partsl or section. In the OR the OB doc is the one with their hands in the body cavity pulling the baby out, and bay is handed right to an OB nurse. If a "tech" could scrub, their job would simply be to assist with instruments and possibly hold the bladder blade down/irrigate. Even if there was not an RNFA or second doc assisting then an OB nurse would scrub in to assist, not an aide. I cannot imagine a scenario where an aide/tech would be involved in actually delivering the baby

Barkow · Mar 14, 2013

I work with a new tech who says similar things. She's just out of high school, and compared to going to college or the typical jobs that her friends are doing, she perceives that she is doing something different and important. So while I've heard her use the phrase, "I help deliver babies," in reality she is actually putting together charts, stocking, doing baby baths, etc. But she thinks she is a part of the process, and that's why she says stuff like that.

Graduation2016 · Mar 14, 2013

"she perceives that she is doing something different and important"

What we do as OB Scrub Techs is different and it is important. We are usually also CNA's because we must maintain our CNA license, but we are also Surgical Technology graduates, so we have had to go to school for this for at least 1 year. A plain CNA could not be an OB Scrub a tech because they have to have a surg tech diploma. Even most nurses could not scrub a section because they're barely familiarized with sterile technique and with instruments. If one of us scrub techs is out sick, an RN would not be able to do what we do as far as the OR, they can in a lady partsl delivery.

Alikatz · Mar 14, 2013

Must depend on the facility. We have one scrub tech on days only (who sets up and hands doc the instruments and will help the nurse clean the patient up before going to recovery), so nurses on evenings and nights (the ones that are trained to scrub, which is the majority...majority of nurses on days can scrub in too) scrub in if a section is needed then. If we have a full patient load and all nurses are tied up (so that none can scrub in for a circulating nurse) then we will call for an upstairs OR scrub tech to help out (haven't had to do that often, but they're available for emergencies in case a nurse can't scrub in, etc). We have a distinction on my unit between the Scrub Tech and the regular Techs (or "aides")...like just explained. The regular floor techs only do stocking on floors and cleaning rooms after a delivery or if a triage patient goes home for L&D and some are cross trained as secretaries to help with phones and paper work of course (we are a mostly RN run unit). They do some patient care on PP though - vitals, ambulating patients, babysitting, etc. Our floor techs never attend deliveries. We have two nurses for each delivery (the patients regular nurse and a baby nurse, who of course assesses the baby directly after delivery, does foot prints, puts bands on, takes quick set of vitals, and then hands baby to mom...or sometimes not even that before leaving the rest up to the patients primary nurse).

RNinLDRP620 · Mar 17, 2013

"If one of us scrub techs is out sick, an RN would not be able to do what we do as far as the OR, they can in a lady partsl delivery.

Of course scrub techs are important, but not all facilities use them. Mine for instance does not. We are all RNs with just a few aides who are not involved in deliveries at all, whether they are certified or not. We as the RN scrub all of the cases. So RNs can certainly scrub and do it very well, it is not a job reserved only for techs.

Graduation2016 · Mar 17, 2013

Maybe I should've specified. From what I have read many places have the RN's scrub but I went with what I know from my hospital. Maybe 1 or 2 nurses couldn't they had to but they don't. The experience I'm getting now as an OB Scrub Tech will be priceless once I start nursing school in the fall. Can't wait!

OBSTech · Mar 27, 2013

Agree with both, however a majority of the Hospitals today utilize OB Surgical Techs in that role. They train for assisting in Caesarian sections with the doctors or Nurse Practitioners, as well as other duties associated with labor rooms and the OR. Nurses by definition do not unless they are trained as a OB Surgical Nurse.

itsnowornever, BSN, RN · Apr 6, 2013

"she perceives that she is doing something different and important"
What we do as OB Scrub Techs is different and it is important. We are usually also CNA's because we must maintain our CNA license, but we are also Surgical Technology graduates, so we have had to go to school for this for at least 1 year. A plain CNA could not be an OB Scrub a tech because they have to have a surg tech diploma. Even most nurses could not scrub a section because they're barely familiarized with sterile technique and with instruments. If one of us scrub techs is out sick, an RN would not be able to do what we do as far as the OR, they can in a lady partsl delivery.

I'm an RN and I can too do what a scrub tech does. Been there done that. LMAO.

Posting from my phone, ease forgive my fat thumbs! :)

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Apr 8, 2013

Thank you for advice, closed per OP request.