New OB Nurses, Grads and Students, Please Feel Free to post your questions here:

[SmilingBluEyes]

Mugwump had a great idea offering services to new grads as a mentor (thank you for that!)

So, I thought having a "sticky" for new grads, OB nurses, students, and others with questions who want to post these can do so here. We also seem to see many of the same questions over and over, so perhaps this would help serve as an ongoing discussion of common issues/questions we all seem to have on our minds. This could serve not just for those asking directly, but others who may be "lurking" and looking for information or considering a career in OB, newborn, GYN nursing, or midwifery, doula services, childbirth education, lactation consulting, or other related work.

So if any mod thinks this is a good idea, mind stickying this?

Let's give this a go and see how it works out. We have many potential "mentors" here among us who, I am sure, would LOVE to help a new nurse/midwife/doula or student on his or her way to a rewarding career. I know I would love to help out!

[KELLYGIRL]

First of all L&D and nursery are two distinctly DIFFERENT specialties and depending on where you work, the training will differ.

My advice to you would be to steer clear of this place with no director for now. Your gut feeling about a poor orientation would probably become a reality. L&D is a highly litigious specialty. Don't risk your license.

Go elsewhere and do Mother/baby first. That gives you a great base on which to build L&D skills at a later time.

My best to you!

Thank you, BETSRN!!! This particular facility will float RNs to Nursery when needed, though, will not float you to other units. I really wanted this, but I think I do need to go with my gut feeling.

Also, this facility may only have about 30 births/month. Would it still be an option in the future if it is my first experience in L&D, or should I try to work in a larger facility to observe more births during orientation?

I can't believe I have worked LTC all this time and not in L&D like I have always wanted.

Is a large hospital where I should try to be? Like 30-45 min. drive from home?

[BETSRN]

Thank you, BETSRN!!! This particular facility will float RNs to Nursery when needed, though, will not float you to other units. I really wanted this, but I think I do need to go with my gut feeling.

Also, this facility may only have about 30 births/month. Would it still be an option in the future if it is my first experience in L&D, or should I try to work in a larger facility to observe more births during orientation?

I can't believe I have worked LTC all this time and not in L&D like I have always wanted.

Is a large hospital where I should try to be? Like 30-45 min. drive from home?

If your ultimate goal is to do L&D, I would suggest that you go to a large hospital where they will have the time and energy to train you properly. That way, after your orientation (which should be months long depending on how many areas you do) you will have the patient volume to give you the experience. 30-45 minutes to drive is NOTHING.

No one new to a field should work in a very small place. You will not get the experience, or the volume of patients (and types of labors) to support your skills.

A MINIMUM full-time orientation to just L&D should be between 12-16 weeks. if you are talking LDRP, you will need several months in each of the areas (nsy and PP) before you even go on to L&D. It takes a good year to even begin to feel comfortable (or have the critical thinking and monitoring skills) in L&D.

[SmilingBluEyes]

Hey all!!!! I am in my Women's Health/Labor & Delivery Rotation and I have an assignment to come up with a 2 page teaching plan on Breast Health/BSE/Mammogram....any suggestions?????

Thanks,

Sherry

HI there Sherry, and welcome to the OB/GYN forum. Here is a link that you may find helpful. Just an aside, currently it is considered controversial as to whetherbreast self-exam is truly helpful in reducing risk of dying of breast cancer, as tumors are not found early enough often. Combining BSE with solid preventive health care, regular visits to one's doctor and REGULAR and THOROUGH mammography TOGETHER--- is currently the "gold standard" for reducing one's risk of discovering she has cancer "too late" for effective treatment. Personally, I do all of it. My risks are "up there".

I have a cancer-surviving cousin who had invasive and very fast-progressing breast cancer in her 20s that was discovered 8 weeks post partum by her primary doctor on a routine exam. I think it's so important to get those check ups!

here is the site, anyhow. Sorry I digressed.

http://www.breastcancer.org/dia_detec_exam_idx.html

[Nurse032006]

HI there Sherry, and welcome to the OB/GYN forum. Here is a link that you may find helpful. Just an aside, currently it is considered controversial as to whetherbreast self-exam is truly helpful in reducing risk of dying of breast cancer, as tumors are not found early enough often. Combining BSE with solid preventive health care, regular visits to one's doctor and REGULAR and THOROUGH mammography TOGETHER--- is currently the "gold standard" for reducing one's risk of discovering she has cancer "too late" for effective treatment. Personally, I do all of it. My risks are "up there".

I have a cancer-surviving cousin who had invasive and very fast-progressing breast cancer in her 20s that was discovered 8 weeks post partum by her primary doctor on a routine exam. I think it's so important to get those check ups!

here is the site, anyhow. Sorry I digressed.

http://www.breastcancer.org/dia_detec_exam_idx.html

Thanks for the reply...I know what you mean about the BSE and high risk of Cancer, I have a very high risk myself....I think it is sad to see that breast cancer is still so prevalent with all of the imformation and breast cancer awareness out there...it is scary!!!

I picked this topic because this is the only one that related to my patient...thanks again for the info!!!!!!

Sherry

[crb613, BSN, RN]

This thread has helped me so much since starting my ob clinicals & I just had to share this. I got home today & had a letter from mt school informing me I had been selected to receive an academic award!!!! They also sent me 4 guest tickets to the annual awards presentation & banquet. I feel really honored & excited. I don't know what the award is but I will be happy with it regardless.I just had to tell ya'll! CRB

[SmilingBluEyes]

wow CRB way to go!! Congratulations to you!!!!

[Nurse032006]

This thread has helped me so much since starting my ob clinicals & I just had to share this. I got home today & had a letter from mt school informing me I had been selected to receive an academic award!!!! They also sent me 4 guest tickets to the annual awards presentation & banquet. I feel really honored & excited. I don't know what the award is but I will be happy with it regardless.I just had to tell ya'll! CRB

Wow...that's an honor, you should be proud!!!!!!! :yelclap:

[SmilingBluEyes]

bump for new people.

[crb613, BSN, RN]

Does anybody know why this can't get a sticky???

[SmilingBluEyes]

it takes moderator to do it and my guess is, they are quite busy in other forums. :)

[mugwump]

Does anybody know why this can't get a sticky???

My guess is there is already a place for students to go to ask questions. I was hoping that since OB is a speciatly that it could be sticky'd

[crb613, BSN, RN]

Ok I am having a little trouble with fetal position. I have read this & read this & looked at pictures but I am confused. To me the LOA, LOP & the LOT look pretty much alike. Same thing on the ROA, ROP & ROT. Right & left are about all I can figure out aargh! I know it's a fixed ref. point on the fetus in relation to mom's pelvis but they all look alike to me except some are on the right/some on the left.If anyone can explain this simply I would sure appreciate it. Also transverse... my book shows the fetus crosswise.... then it lists the position as ROT & shows a picture of the fetus

with it's head down like it's diving out. I am confused terribly to say the least!! Thank you CRB