Teamwork with OR ??

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

Specializes in med/surg, tele, OB.

For those of you who work with an OR team (we don't scrub/circulate our sections) any suggestions on how to improve teamwork between the two units? I would like for both teams to come together during a section and feel supported by the other, and this isn't happening... I am new to OB and would love some feedback from experienced L&D nurses or OR nurses. I feel that one of the issues is just the different flow between a sceduled OR procedure and the unpredicable nature of unsceduled sections... but beyond that I don't know. Thanks for any suggestions, it is much appreciated!:redbeathe

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Unscheduled c/sections are very stressful situations. It is not really a time to be "supportive of each other" when the baby's having decelerations and the mom is moaning and screaming. The tension level is going to be high no matter what.

However with any stat situation in a hospital, from a code blue, to multiple trauma victims, to stat c/sections, staff functions better if the stress level can be lowered.

Perhaps a few days after a stat c/section, when you can think objectively about what happened, you can try to figure out when, where, how, who, why, the team work fell apart? Then get back to allnurses with a more specific question?

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Specializes in med/surg, tele, OB.

I don't think I phrased my question appropriately. We aren't falling apart in a stat c/s... we do work well together. There is just a sense (on both sides of the table) that we function as two very seperate teams OR v OB and I would was looking for suggestions on how to make to very tight groups of nurses expand their teams to become one as we work together. I love that the OB nurse have a very close relationship with each other and it is also obvious that the OR nurses have a close working relationship and I would like to find a way to bridge the gap between the two groups. I am looking to improve morale between the groups more then a patient safety type issue... Maybe people would have some additional suggestions, now that I have clarified my question:rolleyes:

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Perhaps on slow days in L&D, or even on a day off, you could shadow an OR nurse for a scheduled c/section? I can't guarantee an OR nurse would want to spend a few hours in L&D, but it seems fair that they should?

There is all kinds of cutesy ideas, picnics, birthdays, pick an OR buddy stuff you could do? I'm not much up on those things.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

How about a meeting between the two units to hash out the differences and try to work things out?

Glad we do our own c/s,tubals and often, d/c's. Takes that problem out of the situation.

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

I think it would be good to have a meeting between not just the managers/supervisors, but several staff as well. If you can get staff represented from each shift that would be even better - not because the problems necessarily change (they might), but that way everyone's voice gets heard and if there are different issues they can all be herad.. More often than not, what happens at my place is that meetings are held during dayshift hours, when night people are sleeping and there's a disproportionate representation and sometimes (sometimes not) the issues are different on each shift.

Are there issues of transfer? Is it a conflict of personality types? Whatever it is, everyone needs to get everything out in the open in a non-judgmental, non-accusatory way.

Another one who is supremely grateful to have a dedicated L&D OR/PACU staff.

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Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.

To be perfectly honest, I don't think it's going to happen. It's like that EVERYWHERE where an OR team takes over C/S. The OR is, quite frankly, their turf. They don't like when we come in there, and they resent when their scheduled gets bumped or backed up because of an emergent C/S. They also hate getting called in from home at 2am to do a C/S.

OR staff are, generally speaking, a different breed, with a different sense of humor.

The place I used to work that had this problem tried all kinds of things to help foster good feelings between the two units, but nothing really worked.

The only thing I've found that solves the problem is having a dedicated OR and teaching the OB nurses to circulate.

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Specializes in med/surg, tele, OB.

Thanks for the feedback. I wish we had the ability to have a dedicated OR staff, but that isn't happening anytime soon.:no:

Hmm... maybe I am just going to be disappointed but I really do hope to improve the relationship between our groups. I think I will offer to shadow in the OR and see if I can get someone to come back and shadow on L/D... Call me crazy but I hope that if I have a positive attitude it will rub off...

I really appreciate everyones suggestions- I'll let you know how it goes.

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