OB explanation??

[nursejllrn]

I am thinking of leaving med/telemetry after 6 months and go to OB. I was wondering though, I like postpartum and infant care (or couplet care) but not so much labor and delivery. If I take a job on a floor that has a LDRP unit must I do the labor/delivery part too? Are the nurses seperate or are they all cross trained and switched around? I know in smaller units and older hospitals like where I work now postpartum/L&D/nursery are all seperate(no couplet care) and have there own staff. But I plan on moving in 6 months and the hospitals there do couplet care. I am assuming that means it is a LDRP unit. I appreciate you help!!!

[matchstickxx]

Couplet care does not nessicarily mean LDRPs. My hospital does couplet care, but labor and delivery is a completely separate unit.

[Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP]

We also do couplet care (or a variation thereof, anyway) but L&D is separate. In some units the RNs are cross-trained to do it all. Where I am mother/baby/nursery is separate. L&D is not for me, at least not right now.

[mitchsmom]

There can be all kinds of mixes. When I started my job, my unit was an LDRP and about half of the staff was cross-trained to do it all. Many floaters and a couple of LPN's did only postpartum couplet care (we do all rooming in; i.e. well babies don't go to the nursery).

Although I am cross-trained for all, I have mostly done labor because we tend to be short on labor nurses and if you are trained for that, that's where you will end up unless we have a (rare) low census.

We are now transitioning to separate LDR and postpartum units so it will obviously be separate, still with just a sick baby nursery as far as I know at the moment. I have mixed feelings about going separate - I like doing both and I like the continuity of care. I would really not be happy if we started a well baby nursery on top of it. But everyone has different opinions.

I don't think the setup necessarily has anything to do with how big or little the unit is - we are fairly small (but growing) and we are splitting up but have been an LDRP for years; the other (small) unit in our town is LDRP.

I would definitely ask at any place you are interested in working at.

[eden]

We have 3 units, PP, L&D and LDRP. Everyone on L&D and LDRP is cross trained to do labouring. I like the mix though.

[33-weeker]

It varies from place to place. You just have to ask around before taking a job.

[HappyNurse2005, RN]

it varies. my hospital does do couplet care on the postpartum floor, but labor and delivery is separate. we are not on thsame floor and they are not trained to come do our jobs.

so its possible to do couplet care but not do L&D