Is this a safe job?

[slippersocks]

I found the job of my dreams...a job offer from L&D. I've always loved mother-baby/nursery/L&D, so it was a perfect fit.

I left a med-surg job for this job at my six month mark (I had been with the company for a year and a half total).

I've been doing L&D for over six months now. I love my patients and what I do, but there are times and things I've observed that I don't feel safe with.

Most of our patients go to 40 of Pit. That's common where I work. We're chronically understaffed and the morale is incredibly low with people constantly wanting to leave due to staffing. Which leaves many new, inexperienced nurses because the experienced ones are leaving.

At nights, it's even worse. Our unit is a revolving door for triage. ER sees a pregnant person and sends them up. Most of the time, they aren't in labor and get sent home. But it's a constant in and out of patients, in addition to our already assigned patients.

Management wants us to start taking charge RN before our one year mark. Many times, people are thrown into the charge role without training. There's so much more and there's more that I can't say. Our unit has told management about these problems and I've spoken up multiple times for patient safety, but our problems just get swept under the rug.

I'm desperately trying to make it to at least a year because I don't want to be viewed as a job hopper, but I don't want to jeopardize my license. It's not the specialty I despise, it's the way my unit is being run.

I love labor. Really, I do. I love the bond that you get with your patient when you see them from beginning to after delivery. But I don't know how long I can stay in a unit where I feel unsafe and concerns aren't being addressed. Other labor nurses, please let me know what you think!

[queenanneslace, ADN, MSN, APRN, CNM]

Ooooh, sounds terrible.

Are you asking if this job is safe for patients, or safe for you? Or just safe in general?

Does your hospital have policies regarding oxytocin titration in labor? Does your hospital provide policies for labor management that promote safety for the patient? Does the charge nurse and/or nursing managers support the nursing staff when they practice per safety protocols?

Look for another job. Just apply every day that you come home from work. Who cares about job hopping. You have some experience now in L&D. The staff at other local hospitals will understand why you're leaving.

[slippersocks]

We do have policies that are designed to promote safety and I follow them. I've had several situations where I just didn't feel safe. I advocate for my patients and their safety. But our staffing situation hasn't changed. We are always hiring new people because people keep leaving, but they still won't staff us appropriately at nights (Charge RNs and management staff at bare minimum).

I really don't want to job hop, but I'm thinking of going back to my former company. I left on good terms and I still want to do L&D, just not where I am now. I just wanted to see if this sounded like an unsafe job and not like "the grass is greener on the other side" type of deal.

[SoldierNurse22, BSN, RN]

You and I might work in the same place. I am struggling with the same thoughts about what I enjoy vs. what's safe and prudent in terms of my license.

Honestly, I think most of the healthcare field struggles with that dynamic. Though some places are certainly better than others.