Nightshift vs. Dayshift on an L&D Unit?

[AvaRN22, MSN, RN]

Hello Everyone :-)

Just curious how dayshift differs from nightshift on a L&D unit. How do the responsibilities differ for each shift?

I work on a cardiac stepdown unit and nights are more focused on auditing, bed baths for total care patients, chart reviews, etc. There's more down time/time to spend with your patients. Whereas, dayshift deals with interdisciplinary staff, constant orders from the doc, family members, etc. Is it the same for an L&D unit?

Thanks for reading :redbeathe

[Hushi05]

Nightshift frequently has to serve as scrub techs, OB techs, and clerks as well as nurses. Chronically understaffed. The only thing night shift gets less of is clinic referrals and scheduled procedures.

[Nicole2010]

On nights, of course, you have less management around! I oriented on days then switched to nights, the biggest thing I noticed is how the MDs handle pt's. The MD's usually try not to deliver in the middle of the night. We do still get inductions, usually cervidil. We are fortunate and still have OB techs & a clerk. Overall, it's less stressed/paced at night (most of the time anyways).

[feisty]

I work nights, but I started on days and still work them occasionally. There are so many differences, but where I work nights aren't easier. We are required to work with fewer staff members at night. I should add that I work on a LDRP unit with a nursery offered, but no staff provided solely for the nursery. We also staff our own c/s suite and are required to take call to meet the needs. Nurses also do all outpatient checks with no extra staffing for either shifts.

Day shift- scheduled c/s and tubals, more circumcisions, social service consults, more discharges, scheduled NST and amnios, occasional neonate in nursery, meal trays, and gyn surgery patients post-op admits.

Night shift- unplanned c/s and tubals, few circumcisions, few discharges, more nursery use, chart checks. Night shift admits all their inductions and all the day shifts inductions. We also admit all am c/s and have them ready to roll to the c/s room when day shift receives report. We are a small hospital and so we do not have c/s's scheduled every day. Maybe 3-5 scheduled weekly and usually scheduled for 7or8 am. All neonate hearings are scheduled for night shift. We sometimes receive post-op gyn patient admits.

Credit must be given to both shifts on our floor as they both work very hard. Can not say that one works harder than the other and deliveries occur daily on both shifts.

[bagladyrn, RN]

In small hospitals night shift in OB can be scarier at times as you have to manage crisis situations (especially those requiring emergent intervention) on your own until on call staff (MD, OR crew, RT, etc.) can be called in from home.

[AvaRN22, MSN, RN]

Thank you all for your responses! This is all really helpful info :-)

[fayardj]

I rotate between the shifts. Two weeks of days and two weeks of nights.

Day shift is EXTREMELY busy and most of the lady partsl deliveries and c-sections occur during the day. As soon as you deliver one patient you get to breathe for a second and assume care of another laborer. It never ends for 12 hours. If ever an emergency, doctors are in their offices and take 5 mins or less to come on the unit. Doctors frequently check on their patients-inpatients and triage patients.

Night shift is more laid back. Scheduled inductions come in at night so we start the ivs and start the induction process by either cytotec or pitocin. We do not have night time secretaries but have a OB scrub tech in house.

At night if there is an emergency, the doctors and anes docs are in their beds sleeping, so you have to pray for the next 30 mins awaiting there arrival (which can be quite scary). When triaging patients, usually we have to tell the doctors what we think the plan of care should be (rule out labor, false labor, pre-term labor, etc.) so more experience is required.