MickeymomRN

An ER resident was doing his OB rotation and was on shift. I had a resident multip OB patient being induced for labor. I was working night shift. He came in around 0300 after I worked very hard to get her to relax and go to sleep. Yes, he woke her up and I found him at the bedside telling her that since she wasn't making any progress that she was going to have a c-section. I walked out before he finished his conversation and he found me at my computer documenting. I asked what his name was. He confronted me and said that there seemed to be some hostility. I told him no, no hostility but just wanted to documented who woke up the patient and was giving her false information and causing her anxiety. He then proceeds to tell me that the patient had been in labor for Xhrs and that she was not making any progress requiring a c-section. I informed him that she wasn't in labor yet so a c-section wasn't warranted and the attending physician didn't call a c-section so he had no place to tell the patient that (she had no prior c-section). He then says (with two other RNs at my sides) "the pt has been contracting every 2 minutes so she's in labor).... all three of us RNs said in reply in unison, "labor is regular contractions WITH cervical change"..... and here's the funny part, he says "that's what my little black book says"..... we just laughed and laughed and laughed... outcome? My patient finally delivered at 0730 lady partsLLY!!!!

I work at a facility that transports OB patients from our facility to the high risk OB facility about an hour away. The nurses that work here are not all ACLS certified. Sometimes, ok, most of the time, the MFM requests that an RN accompanies the patient on ground transports. The ambulance that comes to pick up is ACLS but 1 EMT\1 EMT-P. When I started working here, I told the management that the nurses should be ACLS. They were also sending nurses that weren't high risk experienced. We're only a Level II NICU and hardly see anything high risk except PIH. The "old" nurses that have been here forever state "nothing has happened in the past". well, we all know that lawyers can't defend on past record. The requirements for transporting NICU patients is pretty tight. But for OB it's pretty hard to find. Does anyone have any resource that states the requirements/standards for an RN on OB transports?? I'm in FLA.

I sometimes use reps to provide an incentive meal for my past inservices/educational classes. Now I hear that there are new regulations that prohibit them from doing so. Just like the one that will not allow them to present their products during the breaks. I have someone who works in our institution who thinks it's ok to allow the reps to present their products as well as provide meals. Yes, still this year! I thought we can get in trouble for allowing this. I used to work in corporate ed in a large metro hospital. Now I work in a sorry for any offense "redneck" backwards hospital system that doesn't want to focus on education or pay for it. I already told her that she cannot allow this but she is so arrogant it's nauseating to think I have to work with her tomorrow. I don't want to get in trouble for her actions. How can I protect myself?

Thanks for the answers!!! I actually looked up the AWHONN policy template for triaging the OB patient..... they recommend that patients under 34 weeks be evaluated by a physician..... woohoo.....I have been trained correctly.....now I have to get this place to comply with standards....

I need help finding out the standards of care for patients under 34 weeks who need a vag check or spec exam for ferning or cervical checks. I am looking for information regarding the care of these patients. Do you as the nurse perform these checks/procedures? Please, tell me what type of facility you work at. ie. tertiary, NICU level, etc. Also, include if you have an OB, attending or resident, as well as anesthesia in house 24/7. Greatly appreciate your help!! PS- if you have a policy regarding this issue, can you email or fax me a copy??? no one will be held liable for any info I am gathering for a research project.

WOW! It's been that long since I started this thread?? Well, I guess it's time for an update. Yes, I started a Health Ministry (aka Parish Nursing) at our church as stated above. I did take a Basic Prep Parish Nurse Course thru Saint Louis University School of Nursing that was also mentioned in someone's reply. It was awesome!! I also have become active with Nurses Christian Fellowship and am very slowly starting up a local chapter in my area. I also took the METS training which can be found on http://www.gomets.com (or org. can't remember which one). Those were the coolest 4 days! As for what we're doing at church, here are the activities that we "sponsor": blood drives, AHA Heartsaver classes, during church activities we have a first responder team, and ready???!!! this coming Saturday, a team from our ministry is leaving for Honduras to give medical/evangelism. Please, pray for them. Thanks! So that's my update, isn't that cool? I hope that this inspires you guys! Lots of prayers and research helped me out. And waiting for God's timing. He's in control!!

When we first moved, we rented in East Orlando. thank god we didn't buy! We checked out the area and found Oviedo. It is a very nice small suburb of Orlando but right on 417 which can link you with I-4 and 408, two major highways to get around Orlando instead of going thru it. Oviedo is also 40 minutes to Disney/Universal/Sea World and the beaches. There will be a new hospital to be built in Oviedo but one system is appealing the other to build it. Whatever, the CON has already been granted it's just a matter of who's going to keep it. ORHS and Florida Hospital are the two major systems in the Orlando area. With Oviedo being right on 417, you can also check out Central Florida Regional Hospital in Sanford. Supposed to be a nice community hospital but I don't know anyone who works there. ORHS will be opening Winnie Palmer Hospital which is absolutely beautiful! State of the art! Check out another thread about ORHS vs. FH for my opinion about which hospital is nicer to work with. And I am not only basing my opinion on employment but also from being a patient at both. If you were local already, I'd show you my thrombosed arm courtesy of FH......but that's another story!

Stick with your Littman. It's surprising to see how many L&D nurses don't carry their own stethescope but when they need one, they'll hunt you down for yours. Also, I have always wondered how did they do their physical assessments without having one in the first place? Especially the nurses recovering a post op c/s patient.

Thank you all for responding! I WILL be reporting my suspicions to the state as specified in our Nurse Practice Act. Yes, this agency runs residential facilities for the DOC thru DJJ. These kids even though they have violated laws still deserve to be treated correctly especially medically wise. If and when the state investigates this, by my statements alone, they will realize that I am a disgruntled former employee who had her hands tied behind her back by the owner. He is an arrogant piece of work to think that his "business license" supercedes our nursing licenses. He even told me that he carries malpractice insurance and that I will be covered. By his statements, I knew to RUN>>>>>>>> I will now safely be employed by another corporation who respects their employees AND understands to the letter the law revolving the nurse's practice.

I worked at APH for the past 6years. I also worked at FH East Orlando, Orlando, and Altamonte campuses for about the same time give or take. See my career at FH has some gaps b/c of: department closure, department's inability to work with my disability despite calling me in to help cover partial shifts, and lastly, a team of nurses who established the unit who drove away 99.9% of the new nurses as quoted by the HR department during the exit interview. Now, to also establish more evidence about my "expert" advice, I also was a patient at both FH and ORMC hospitals since 2001. Now, my verdict: ORMC is a whole world better as both an employer and healthcare provider. Sadly, I must state that for FH to claim themselves "a Christian organization" it gives Christian's a bad image. I will never work for them ever again. I just had an interview for a dayshift position that was published in the Orlando Sentinel for FH Winter Park campus. When I spoke to the recruiter on the phone, I made sure that I was interviewing for a day shift position. I was told yes. When I was at the interview, I was then told that I would start on nights until a day shift position would open up. When I asked about the advertised day shift position, I was told that they would be filling that internally. I explicitly told them that I could not take a night shift position and not even 4 hours after my interview, they call me to offer the night shift position and gave me the highest salary possible. Isn't money Satan's tool? I was very annoyed that I wasted my precious time with FH AGAIN! Please, check out http://www.orlandoregional.com (or org. can't remember which) and see that we will be opening Winnie Palmer Hospital on Mother's Day of this year!! There will be a link for it on this website. It will have ample pediatric beds and also state of the art labor and delivery! If you have any more questions, please, feel free to contact me. PS- yes, ORMC has an excellent GN and new hire orientation and support system.

I LOVED the Purely Yours! I bought it years ago and have lent it to my friend who also loves it. I have used both brands and Purely Yours is definitely the best! Signed: Mother of 4 breastfed sons!! Ages 15, 12, 8, and 6. I nursed them to the average age of 3 years old, just to clear up any misconception there. :rotfl:

More info on this situation...... I was hired into the agency to replace this LPN who was DON for a few years. I am an RN which the state requires as DON. Upon my first day of being oriented to the sites and the agency, I was given a copy of a report by DJJ and DCF who investigated an incident reported by a child and it was ruled "medical neglect". When I confronted the agency's owner and the program director with our Nurse Practice Act along with an executive summary of other issues that I had observed, I was told that I "misread" the report and that it was not ruled against the agency. During the following week, I came in contact with a DCF worker (investigating another incident) who I confided the report to and I asked her if she could interpret the report's findings to me. She confirmed what the findings were. I was right. The only hitch: the ruling was only to document the incident because the site is an agency and not a private home,so there will be no judicial action against the agency as a result of the ruling. BUT that is totally separate from our Nursing Practice Act, yes? I feel that I still have the obligation to report the LPN who I feel is the sole source of the unethical practices at this agency. OK, stay with me, more details with this DRAMA..... This LPN went on medical leave one week after I took this position. Leaving me with her position as DON and her position as one of the site nurses. (each site only has one nurse). There were also two other sites with nurse vacancies. After having one hell day (two emergencies at two different sites and the DCF investigation and finding more evidence of poor medical care), I confronted the owner about more observations that I made. His response, "Why is it that I've never heard about any of this before I hired you!!!" (it wasn't a question, he was accusing me of using standards from my previous employer which I replied back that I was using nurse practice standards that should be used across all the specialties and environments in nursing!!!). He wouldn't allow me to hire nurses to fill these vacancies because he didn't have it in the budget. I told him that this only left me with the feeling that my license was in jeopardy and he replied, "my license supercedes your license!" I believe he was talking about his business operating license. He is not a nurse or medical professional. He was wrong, right? So I gave him notice as of the end of that phone conversation. So I am no longer employed there but the thought of these kids being taken advantage of and being in "danger" is eating me up. Last detail to this saga, I have not received my paycheck yet. They owe me for two weeks worth of work and heartache. I know it shouldn't come down to money BUT I do have bills to pay and I don't want to have to tangle with them for it. So I am thinking of reporting them after I receive and cash my check which I should get on the 28th. Hoping that it will not be shorted. OK, give me feedback. What should I have done, what should I do, should I have left with my license between my legs????

I have a difficult question: Should I report an LPN who "was" DON of an agency that runs Juvenile Residential Facilities who already has a confirmed report, by the state's department of children services, of medical neglect? According to our state's Nurse Practice Act: anyone who has knowledge that a licensee has violated the Act by abuse or neglect should report the licensee to the state. Pretty clear cut but there are some factors that are making my decision difficult to make so I need some input. PS- I have reviewed some of the charts and observed some of the practices of the nurses affiliated with this agency and find that the children ARE being neglected. Also, I observed this LPN's medication administration training and was appalled!!! I feel that the children's health is in danger with non-licensed staff administering meds. I no longer work for this agency because of my findings. I have never seen such poor nursing care. Help!

Hi everyone! We just started a new parish nursing ministry in our church. I have researched off and on about PN for over a year. We do not have a budget and the church has some questions. I contacted 2 lawyers and they both gave two different answers regarding liability. Of course the answer I liked came from a Christian lawyer. Q: Do we have to have a medical director? (that one came from our paramedic) Q: If we offer screenings, how do we go about getting around liability? Q: Has anyone taken these online or correspondence courses for PN? Well, that's all for now. Thanks for you help! Leilani

All I can say is AMEN! I give thanks to God for giving me the heart to help someone when they are in need. And I thank Him for giving me the brains to do the work. I am thankful that I have the heart to see God at "work" in the nursing field. Sorry, but doctors and nurses are NOT god. I pray that those who do not see the "miracles" will be touched someday.