StudyingNursing

Cook Medical equipment makes a balloon catheter for induction: http://www.cookmedical.com/wh/datasheetFeature.do?id=4486 You can read their literature for more information on how the foley bulp induction process, and it has illustrations. The cheaper way to do this is using a 30 cc foley catheter, which is more common. Sometimes I've seen this used with pitocin, or before pitocin. It does work.

My twins were both vertex during labor. 1st twin was born lady partslly after 1 push, 2nd twin turned transverse, and after trying a version for 22 minutes was a stat section (the placenta detached while trying to turn him). To this day he still has his own way of doing things I would always have wondered if I hadn't attempted a lady partsl delivery, especially for my third pregnancy.

Last year when I took the NCLEX I walked away from it with no idea whether I passed or failed. I wasn't even sure what number I got to, I think around 85. I had no calculations, a few multiple choice - multiple answer questions, and felt numb walking away. 2 days later, I checked online and I did not have a nursing license issued to me -- in Virginia, you check the BON site to see if you have a license. If you do, then you passed. I went to work, and the first thing my new hire coordinator asked was "so, did you pass?" -- in front of everyone. Talk about feeling bad, when I had to tell her that I did not have a license issued to me yet. She told me I could call the BON when they opened at 8 to ask. When I took my break at 9 I called, and after waiting on hold forever, was told that I did have a license that was issued the night before :balloons: . The online system just wasn't updated yet. Of course, I didn't believe it until I saw with my own eyes that I had a license -- but I was very relieved to go to my manager and tell her that I was licensed and could continue to work!

I graduated with an ADN in May '06, and began a fellowship in L&D in June '06 at a high-volume hospital. I had 16 weeks of classroom and preceptorship/on unit training, and now am a floor nurse in L&D. Just talk to recruiters to see if they offer fellowships or training for new grads -- you may be surprised at what jobs are out there for new grads.

I started on L&D as a new grad last June. I was hired into a fellowship with other new grads, there are 10 of us in our fellowship. Our hospital has a wonderful fellowship program that trains us to work in L&D. Our unit tends to stay busy; we had just under 12,000 deliveries last year, and is well organized so nurses do get breaks during the shift. I love my job, and I don't want to work post-partum so starting in LDR was what I really wanted to do. I did an externship at another hospital in the system the summer before I graduated in L&D, so had an idea of what the job entailed; and then worked in Telemetry as a ClinTech/Nurse Extern until I graduated. That taught me time management in a hurry (nothing like having to care for 12-20 patients on a busy Tele unit to learn how to manage your time, or to make me glad I was hired into L&D as a new grad). I learned a lot, but realized that L&D is definately where I want to be. A lot of the nurses in the tele unit were appalled at the idea of L&D; they loved Telemetry and couldn't stand the idea of working with 'screaming women' (their words, not mine). I'm glad everyone is different and has differing specialty areas they enjoy.

I think it depends on the patient. My pediatrician says not to give anything to reduce the fever (Tylenol, Ibuprofen) unless the fever is over 103. My 3 sons can hover around 102 with no problem; they feel tired and achy, lay around and rest and recover. If I give them Tylenol, they feel better, run around and end up sicker than they would have if they had nothing for their temperature. My twins get croup and wheeze with colds if they run around too much, and I've learned it is better for them to have a low-grade fever and recover much easier than to treat the fever and make them sicker overall. The fever is there for a reason, to help them heal from whatever they are ill from. My daughter, on the other hand, goes from 99.0 to 104 with little warning, and then has hallucinations. She never has a low-grade fever. If her temperature is 99, I treat it with Ibuprofen and a sponge bath. Listen to the parents if they tell you how their child reacts to illness. -New Nurse in L&D

I was hired into an LDR (perinatal) fellowship as a new grad RN. There were 10 of us in my fellowship (it was the largest they had ever had), with 8 more starting after we got off of orientation, and another fellowship starting after that. We had 16 weeks of orientation (classroom and with a preceptor) before working on our own. I am very glad I chose to work at a hospital offering LDR fellowships, as L&D is the reason I became a nurse. I did an LDR externship at a hospital in the same hospital system the summer before graduation; it was a great way to learn what an LDR nurse does to know that I really wanted to be in the area I am in now.

In L&D, we always let the air out of the bags before attaching and priming the tubing. We often leave bags wide open to bolus patients, and do not want air in the vein.

I wear the OR shoe covers we use during deliveries to keep things off my feet (I work OB also). The crocs are very comfortable.

You mentioned that the books are expensive. Have you tried the library? The local library and her college library may have study guides. Try a variety and see which works best. I checked the Saunders RN and the Kaplan study guides out of my local public library when I was studying in school and for the NCLEX. That said, I love my job. I am not spit on, though I may have various body fluids to clean up. I worked as a clinical technician in Telemetry while in school, and the other clin techs were helpful and friendly, and we worked together to get the patient care done. Now I work in L&D as an RN, and love my job. It can be overwhelming at times while I am learning and have two patients ready to push at the same time or having decels, but my job is very rewarding. Please don't let one person's comments scare you away from nursing -- there are many different areas of nursing to get into. While I learned a lot about prioritizing and patient care in Telemetry, I really love L&D and working with women and children and feel this is the place for me. . . for now . I also like the Neonatal Resuscitation Nurse's job, and may try to do that in a few years, but the big thing is there are many choices you can make in health care and many different directions you can go.

Talk to them as coworkers. It shouldn't be bending over backwards to talk to your aides as coworkers. Treating them with respect will get you respect and better attitudes.

And I thought Inova Fairfax was busy with close to 12,000 a year! I hope they are well staffed at Parkland.

Try to find a hospital that has a good orientation program. The hospital I chose to work at has a 16 week orientation 'fellowship' for L&D nurses -- I finish the fellowship 10/16 and have already learned so much more than we learned in school. We did not get much L&D experience in school at all -- just a general overview. I have young nurses in the fellowship with me (20, 21; new grads and no personal childbirth experience) that are wonderful L&D nurses. My preceptor the summer before graduation also was childless, but a wonderful, empathetic L&D nurse. I think you would enjoy it.

Here is a link to the admission scoresheet: http://www.fairmontstate.edu/academics/nursingdept/resources/application/Pdf/scores.pdf This page explains the admission requirements and how to use the scoresheet: http://www.fairmontstate.edu/academics/nursingdept/resources/application/howto_and_welcome.asp There is no waitlist for entry into the program; you have to reapply each year if you did not get in the year before. I graduated last may also, and found that most of the instructors took the time to help you if you needed it. There is a mix of testing styles and personalities, and you have to learn which way the teacher will test (one teacher uses Saunder's review questions during lecture for bonus points; she doesn't say where the review questions come from though, I just figured it out because I bought the book to study from after her lectures and the questions looked very familiar -- wish I had figured it out before her lectures :wink2: ). I had no problems passing boards after graduation, and I am working in L&D now and loving it. Good luck!

I had no drug calcs on the NCLEX last month when I took it. Mainly priority questions (who would you see first? what would you do first for this patient? type questions).