new grad hired as staff nurse for postpartum/newborn floor

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

Hi All,

I was recently offered a position on the postpartum/newborn floor & could not be more thrilled! I begin orientation Sept 12, and once off orientation I will be working nights, 11pm-7am. Could anyone who currently or has previously worked in this field give me some insight on a typically day? Average nurse to patient ratio is 1 RN: 4 moms, 4 babies. I doubt I will be doing many discharges because of my hours, any tips or insight would be greatly appreciated :)

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While I'm not in OB, one thing I can advise you on is time management. True, you really wont be doing discharges for the most part, but you will have admissions. Always stay on top of things. Nights can go slow and you feel like you have more than enough time to get everything done - then you get slammed with admissions and the entire shift is ruined.

Also, definitely be a team player. You'll have limited staffing on nights sometimes, so helping each other do the little things can go a long way.

And most importantly, stay hydrated, eat a balanced diet, and don't be afraid to ask for help!

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Exactly what Birdie said!! Time management. The minute you decide to lax on charting or anything else KAPOW! there will be a new mom/c-section and there goes your night. Always be prepared for a new baby, keep an eye on what is going on in L&D. You will love postpartum!!!

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I'm not in OB but I still consider myself a new nurse. I work the night shift in a cardiac ICU, I'd say take the extra time to study your facts about OB (there's so much to learn!). I've found that looking over a few disease processes have helped me out big time :) Good Luck and enjoy!

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I started in postpartum about a year ago as a new grad...

The previous posters are right...time management is huge! On our unit the nurse does the admission bedside including the newborn assessment, bath, etc. So when you get more than one admission it can be hectic!

Teamwork makes everything so much easier! We started sending 2 nurses in on arrival...the extra nurse admits the mom and the bedside nurse admits the baby.

Ask questions! If this is your first experience caring for newborns, they bring about interesting challenges...some things they do are normal, and some are not!

Keep up on your charting as much as you can and help each other out!

Have fun with it!

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Specializes in Medical/ Neuro/ Telemetry.

Time management. Time management. Time management... I work 12 hour nights and sometimes still don't have enough time to finish everything!! Depending on staff overnight, and the Ed census, u can still get killed!!! I would imagine it could be the same on OB... Babies are born all day and night long!!!

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Hi - I am also a new grad (May '11) and I started working OB in June, so I have almost 2 months under my belt. I would recommend looking into breastfeeding, s/s of hypoglycemia in newborns, circ care, fundal checks, lochia, protocol for preeclamptic/HELLP pt's (postpartum), and NRP. Common meds to know about = Toradol, T3's, Percocet, Morphine, Demerol, Magnesium Sulfate, Rhogam, MMR, Protonix, Zofran, Reglan, Labetalol, and blood products. These are some good things to refresh on before starting - although their will be more to know. We do lots of education! Good Luck!!

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This is great information! Thank you for all of the advice.

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