OB department closing-house supervisors role

[tranquility00763]

Our OB department is closing. Should nursing supervisors now need to be NALS and PALS certified when they have never needed to be before just in case a patient arrives at the ED and delivers when the ED nursing staff is not NALS certified but are only PALS and ACLS certified?

[Jolie, BSN]

What will become of the staff who currently work OB and have these skills and certifications?

It is difficult to maintain basic competency, let alone a high level of proficiency, in skills that are rarely used. But given that the likelihood that a patient will drop in and deliver at your facility, it is imperative to formulate a plan for the care of that future patient.

That might involve a team of in-house staff members who would be called to the ER to manage the care of an emergent OB patient and stabilization of the newborn. Sounds like a multi-disciplinary planning team is needed pronto.

Best of luck to you.

[babyktchr, BSN, RN]

Your unit it totally closing, like poof no more?

[Moneypitt]

Why should the nursing supervisors need to be NALS and PALS certified when they have never needed to be before? Seems like the need is diminished even further with the OB department closing. For the hospital I supervise at the supervisors need to be ACLS certified. We do not have an OB department anymore.

[Ahhphoey]

I came from a hospital that had closed their OB department. The supervisor had not additional responsibilities or requirements. I think the ER staff should get the NALS as they are the ones that would be potentially caring for the patient population. As a nursing supervisor (in a different hospital that has OB), I don't really do any patient care unless it is an in-house emergency. I respond and participate in all codes and medical response team calls, but do not routinely do patient care (though I do help transport or other tasks when units are short-staffed). It should not be the responsibility of the nursing supervisor to drop everything he/she is doing to go to the ED to provide care for a patient for what could be an indefinite period of time until the baby can be transported elsewhere.