rdhdnrs

What are the legal ramifications of charting directly on a fetal heart monitor strip?

Whenever someone mistakes me for the doc I laugh and say "Oh, my, don't demote me!" and just make a joke of it. Nursing and medicine are two distinct philosophies and disciplines. You know that, and you know that you are not a "junior doctor". People...

I usually only call in when I a) have a fever, b) am throwing up or having diahrrhea, c) when one of my kids is sick. However, there has been the rare occasion when I just couldn't face a day at work. I believe in the concept of mental health days. I...

One of the best moments I ever experienced as an L&D nurse was when a dad, the OB doc, and I all burst into tears at the birth of the first of twins. The babies were from an in vitro pregnancy and were the culmination of many years of trying to h...

One of the best moments I ever experienced as an L&D nurse was when a dad, the OB doc, and I all burst into tears at the birth of the first of twins. The babies were from an in vitro pregnancy and were the culmination of many years of trying to h...

Great job! I think this is very appropriate.

The only people who will really understand what you do all day will be other nurses. Not your family, not your friends. Some days on your way home after work you will wonder "Did I really do that today?". When you need to debrief, call your precepto...

I am so sorry this happened to you. I think you did the right thing by offering to be tested. This will go a long way in your defence. Hang in there.

I don't know how to get over crying; I usually go in the med room with my bestest friend and put cold wet paper towels over my eyes till I'm ready to face the floor again. God, I love this job!!!

I'm so sorry to hear of your troubles. Please know that you and your family are in my thoughts and prayers. Lisa

I'm in OB at a teaching hospital so am generally regarded as a good resource for residents since I've been here seven years. Occasionally have the med student or resident who doesn't understand their rank in the scheme of things. I am usually able to...

I had a patient the other day who had an inverted uterus after a routine SVD. We got her to the OR; she lost her total body volume of blood, about 5000cc. Her BP was 49/19 at one point. At that moment, she looked at me and said, "There are angels all...

Do you chart directly on your fetal heart monitor strips? Why or why not?

There is nothing I can add to Deb's answer; it was great. I had 12 weeks of orientation; I felt it was about right. OB is a great field of nursing. I have felt called to it since I started nursing school. I work in a high-risk tertiary care unit so s...

One thing I have learned is to always consider developmental stages....remember in psych when we learned that teenagers are most concerned about themselves; their own feelings, and their own bodies. This is why your patient responded to you when you ...

Thanks for all the information. Lisa

I personally love Cytotec. We use it in very low doses for inductions w/o favorable cervix. Higher doses for demises. It's a great pph drug. Doesn't usually cause diarrhea like carboprost. We haven't had any problems with it, used properly. In our fa...

Sorry didn't proofread, of course I meant "talk" not "tale".

Deb, You don't tale too much!! Just enough! I love "laboring down". I think it causes much less wear and tear on the mom, the baby, the mom's family--and the nurse! Also, it reduces the incidence of those variables you sometimes get while pushing, th...

Deb, The only problem I have with writing on the strips is if the time is wrong; rectified, I suppose, by making sure the time is right whenever you turn it on. I have just never gotten in the habit of writing on them. I may need to change my practic...

Well said, Jan. If a doc ever asks me to do something I know is wrong, I don't do it...period. The doc is not going to get up in court and defend you. But more importantly, if you do a procedure that you know you shouldn't that is not being a patient...

I work in a University Hospital in OB. We had a meeting with our risk-management attorney on just this subject. She advised against getting insurance because where I work, if the hospital is sued, it does not go to civil court, it goes before a board...

Has your sister had ultrasounds that show any signs of neural tube defect? Most of the time, there are some signs of that. Did she have an MSAFP blood test? That is just a screening test for downs and ntd. If these were normal, she could rest a littl...

I can't think why the normal use of pitocin to augment labor would cause anemia. Can anyone else?

We mix 30 units in 1000cc D51/2NS, start at 2-4 mu/min and go up by 2-4 mu/min until adequate (by IUPC) or 42 mu/min.