Ob/gyn reading

[ccahill]

I'm a new graduate RN. I work at an ob/gyn office and I absolutely LOVE it. I adore this area of nursing. This week I was doing some phone triage for the office. I found myself several times consulting other nurses and the doctors for advice. While I don't mind asking for help, and everyone was so kind to me and willing to help, I also want to educate myself more in this area. Any experienced ob/gyn nurses please feel free to give me some suggestions of books you like or found really helpful/informative in this specialty. Any suggestions are really appreciated!! I just want to really expand my knowledge in this specialty!

[klone, MSN, RN]

I also work in an OB/gyn clinic. Honestly, experience is the best educator. But Varney's Midwifery and Williams' Obstetrics are probably two of the best resources out there.

FWIW, I worked in L&D/OB for 8 years before I took this clinic job, and even with years of experience under my belt, I still had lots of questions from triage calls. Phone triage is a unique animal, and part of it is just learning the protocols of that particular clinic.

[Janinern84]

Any EFM books or AWHONN books are great!!

Casual reading, "Midwives" is a fictional book but an awesome read.

[klone, MSN, RN]

I would say an EFM book would probably not be particularly useful at a clinic, especially for phone triage. :)

[NurseNora, BSN, RN]

Read all the patient handouts in the office and any books recommended by your docs for their patients. As you continue in this job, you will find that there are certain questions that come up frequently. Discuss with your providers how they want you to handle these common situations so you are sure that you are giving the advice that your team endorses. Keep asking questions. Nursing is a collaborative profession and we all discuss our uncertanities with our coworkers.

[queenanneslace, ADN, MSN, APRN, CNM]

I purchased a book - "Telephone Triage for OB/GYN" and stashed it in my bag when I was taking triage calls at work. I didn't want to look like I didn't know how to take triage calls, but it was affirming to have some experienced nurses walk by, flip through my book on my desk and say they'd like to purchase one themselves. It's nice to have a step-by-step process to follow when triaging patients over the phone. It's not perfect, and the book doesn't follow the practice's specific guidelines all the time, but it is nice to have it as a reference when dealing with an unusual issue.

It's not perfect, and I can't say I use it that much. But I will flip it open when faced with a new scenario. It's organized by trimester of pregnancy and gynecology. It's a little safety net. I like it.

[klone, MSN, RN]

I purchased a book - "Telephone Triage for OB/GYN" and stashed it in my bag when I was taking triage calls at work. .

That exists?? Cool - I looked for a triage book specifically for OB/Gyn and couldn't find any! I will have to tell my manager and get that purchased for our clinic.

Can you give me the author/publisher info, or ISBN?

[queenanneslace, ADN, MSN, APRN, CNM]

I forget what the rules are for linking to other websites, so I didn't provide a link. Here's the book.

"Telephone Triage for Obstetrics and Gynecology"

Vicki Long and Patricia McMullen

It gets mixed reviews - if you're looking for a thorough set of protocols, this is not the book for you. But if you want a checklist of questions to ask/areas to assess over the phone when a patient calls with certain symptoms, it's useful to help you remember all areas to touch on. That's what I use it for... that last little question that might lead me to recommending a different course of action.

[ccahill]

Thank you for all the suggestions! Can't wait check them out. I can't believe there is actually an ob/gyn triage book! I'm excite about the one!