For the benefit of new nurses and future/prospective OB/GYN nurses and doulas, midwives, others, thought I would try a sticky that discusses various duties/skills sets and other characteristics that make a "good", well-rounded OB nurse, doula, midwife or other professional dealing with Women's Health Issues. This question seems to come up now and again, so let's help em out.
I will start. Here are skills sets for OB nurses that I found apply in most areas. Again feel free to add to this; I want to learn as well!
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OBSTETRICAL ASSESSMENT SKILLS
Inbound facility tranfer unit
Outbound transfer to other facility
Identify fetal position (Leopold maneuvers)
Fetal heart tones
Severity of contractions
lady partsl exam, dilitation & effacement
lady partsl exam, station & presentation
lady partsl exam, culture collection
CLINICAL SKILLS
Set up tocotransducer
Intrauterine pressure catheter
Auscultate fetal heart tones
Intact/nonintact membranes
Nitrazine test
Internal fetal monitor
Interpreting normal/abnormal fetal heart patterns
Baseline interpretation
Early decelerations
Beat to beat variability
Late decelerations
Prolonged decelerations
Set up OB pack
Set up baby pack
Cord blood collection
Artificial rupture of membranes
COMPLICATIONS/FURTHER DUTIES
Pregnancy Induced Hypertension
Antihypertensives
Clonus
Diabetes
Abruptio placenta
Placenta previa
Prolapsed cord
Preeclampsia
Eclampsia
Malpresentation
Premature rupture of the membranes
Premature labor
Magnesium sulfate
Drug dependent
RH incompatibility
Herpes
HIV
HBV
Hemorrhage
Blood transfusion
Forceps delivery
Vacuum extraction
Precipitous delivery
Gestational Diabetes/Diabetes and its sequalae
Starting IV's
Cesarean section-circulate
Cesarean section-scrub
Central line placement, set up & assist
Epidural, set up & assist
Spinal, set up & assist
Local, set up & assist
Foley catheter placement
Pain control, narcotic
Intrathecal medication delivery
Episiotomy, set up & assist
Uterine massage
Lochia assessment
DVT
Induction of labor
Cytotec
Prostaglandin supp
Oxytocin infusion
PATIENT TEACHING
Relaxation/breathing techniques
Premature labor prevention
Phone triage
Also:
Labor coaching/support for birthing mother/family
Neonatal assessment/resuscitation as needed
Breastfeeding initiation/support/ongoing teaching
Self-care and baby care once you go home
Care of any surgical wounds/therapies
After-care telephone triage (answering questions once a new family has gone home)
Specializes in L&D, Postpartum/nursery, high risk antep.
How about the ever fun Mag Sulfate infusion...
OR, even more enjoyable, management of Malignant Hyperthermia, or even more adrenaline producing... Amniotic Fluid Embolism... not that we manage any of these alone, or often, but we do need well honed skills to deal with all of them...
Ours is a very busy teriary care unit with 450+ births/month. You can add the skills of sterile speculum exams, amniotic fluid & fFN collection. Under coplications/other duties add incompetent cervix & cerclage placement.
Under education you can add mentoring ANIIs, GNs, new RNs, paramedics, residents & medical school students as well as immunization education prior to Hep B, Tdap & Influenza being offered to protect our vunerable newborns. WOW do we ever work hard!
In the US most babies are delivered by Obstetricians. A small percent of women use Certified nurse midwives and a few percent use homebirth or out of hospital midwives. and a few family practice doctors that still do obstetrics but they are rare.
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
One more duty, if you will:
Respect to the maximum safety and policy will allow, all your patient's wishes, and special requests. If you get a birth plan, instead of laughing at it or deriding, try imagining yourself on the other side of that bedrail and wanting some control over what is one of We all know as nurses, all wishes can't always be honored, for many reasons, however, if this is the case, again imagine that is your mom, sister, friend, daughter, laying in that bed, and be kind enough to explain why; and do so respectfully, when something can't be done to her expectations/desires.
sweetiehrt7985
24 Posts
Wow you guys do a lot. I am fixing to go into nursing school and this area has interested me.