L&D nights just as busy as days?

peds4now, RN · Jul 19, 2006

#1 as any old wife will tell you, babies come at night, in the wee hours of the morning

#2 As you physiology book will tell you, the exact mechanism of active labor initiation is not clearly understood, but it for sure involves oxytocin. And studies in monkeys has shown that there is a rise in the oxytocin concentration of the mother's plasma during the night, but not during the day.

#3 On the other hand, if mom is sleeping, things maybe have to get pretty active to really start up

So go figure. I'd bet nights are busy.

Suebee6 · Jul 20, 2006

Numbers wise as far as deliveries, we are slower at night because we are very scheduled during the day. However, when it gets cranked up during the night....it can get very hairy ...seems to be feast or famine! Same as our weekends. Reason being staffing is less, docs arent as accessible etc. They are more likey to sit on the pts and wait till daylight, but not always possible.

HappyNurse2005, RN · Jul 20, 2006

This is at a large teaching hospital with many residents/interns and is the high risk OB facility for this area of the state. I don't know exact numbers of deliveries a month, as I dont work there yet, but I'm sure its quite a bit. (also home to the areas only nicu for this part of the state)

I suppose that makes a difference, too. more patients=more deliveries.

fergus51 · Jul 20, 2006

Sounds like you'll have plenty to do. You'll have less scheduled inductions and sections, but those were always my least favorite anyways.

RainDreamer, BSN, RN · Jul 20, 2006

I don't work L&D, but I previously worked in the well-baby nursery and I now work in NICU. So we work closely with L&D, we always keep a close watch on their board, etc. It can be really busy at night. Yeah you don't have the scheduled c-sections or inductions, but there's some nights that our high risk nurses are going to c-section after c-section .... all night long. Most of them are failed-to-progress sections. I think since they do the inductions in the mornings .... the ones that don't progress are still there are night, and they end up sectioning.

I love working night shift ... and there is never a shortage of activity, especially on those full moon nights!

I hope you get the job! Let us know how it goes. Good luck :)

HappyNurse2005, RN · Jul 22, 2006

anyone else wiht any words of wisdom here?

thank you!

htrn · Jul 22, 2006

Nocs can be just as busy, if not busier, than days. There are more scheduled types of procedures on day shift, but we get to do plenty of them on nocs as well. The difference is the number of people you have to help you when the you know what hits the fan at 0200.

We are a smaller hospital and don't have in house surgery crew and anesthesiology 24/7. If we need a doc, we have to call one in from home. I have had night shifts that have started out with no patients in the department and left 10-12 hours later with 4-5 new babies, maybe a set of twins, one or two sections, a couple of pre-eclamptics that I have to start on MgSO4, maybe have to ride in an ambulance with a pretermer to a bigger facility - any combination of the above.

You will get to see just about all the same things on nocs as you would on days, it just might take you a little longer to see a couple of the rarer procedures.

BTW - good luck at the job interview.

RNnL&D · Jul 23, 2006

is the night shift on L&D as busy as day shifts?
thanks!

Yep, it can be. And if days was really busy, it usually carries over into night shift. I love working nights. For a couple reasons, more autonomy on nights as the docs aren't "right there", and a more laid back relaxed atmosphere. Days has to deal with more docs, supervisors and managment. It seems new nurses at our facility, who start on days, quickly feel overwhelmed, while those starting on nights, usually love it.

JMO. I've been working nights for 3 years and would never switch.

asher315 · Jul 23, 2006

I've worked nights for most of my career, mainly maternity,

I've dealt with it all. Nights are great because of less "bosses"

and noise but we usually are less staffed. The procedures are scheduled to start early (0500) and usually deliver on days but I see that as a real obstacle for our new L&D nurses. The

day shift deals mainly in procedures and standard orders. You follow the set orders. IV's and monitoring, start pit, AROM, maybe internals, IV pain meds until progressing then epidural and viola, delivery. All nice and step by step. But on nights, you get women coming in for all kinds of reasons. Some in labor, some in trouble, some just had a fight with boyfriend and just wanted to get some attention. Of course, you can get this any time but nights seems to attract alot of the really crazy ones. Basically, learn and experience all that you can because there is always something else around the corner that will be new and a bit different. Did I answer your question? Yes and no, just like everything else in life, when you least expect it, it hits the fan.

SmilingBluEyes · Jul 23, 2006

Each shift has its challenges. Make no assumptions.

Dayshift is much busier workload wise, often, but also better-staffed. The trick about nights is less staffing and no help coming when the "labor bus" pulls up at 3 or 4 a.m. Much harder to get help at night than on days. No one has it "easy". Nights has challenges unique to it, that dayshift does not necessarily have. Like immediate access to physicians, etc. I have caught many more precipitously-delivered babies at night than I ever did on dayshift. It's much harder to get a dr in fast enough than when they are down the hall,as during dayshift and office hours. Plus, ancillary services are less provided, even non-existant. Where I am, we have no pharmicists after 11p, no kitchen staff, , no Ultrasound or xray personnel (have to page them in), very few lab personnel (we do a lot more of our own draws for this reason) and no volunteers to run this or that down (like lab specimens, etc).

Dayshift has it rough in that they deal with the lion's share of clinical issues, NSTs, and office send-overs, versions, etc. They also always have inductions of labor and planned/elective csections to do.

Neither shift has it "easy" like I said. Some nights, you will be so busy, you won't know what hit you; others are more sedate. But expect on the quiet nights, you will be asked to do the cleaning, stocking and building chart packs, etc. Also you will likely have to draw all the PKUs, do hearing screenings, jaundice checks, etc, as dayshift is busier and has less time for these things. At least, this is how it is where I work. You will be busy, I guess, is what I am trying to say. Just a different kind of busy than dayshift is.

frazkw · Jul 24, 2006

I've worked L&D nights at a busy teaching facility and let me tell you it is just as busy 1. less staff, 2. less resources, 3. no one available to come in an help out, 4. transfers from other hospitals and 5. inductions are done at night also. Yes sometimes it is nice and quiet, but in the matter of minutes you can have 5 pregnant woman at your door b/c there aren't any doctors office open at 0200. Good Luck!!