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labordude BSN, RN

L&D, OBED, NICU, Lactation
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labordude has 15 years experience as a BSN, RN and specializes in L&D, OBED, NICU, Lactation.

labordude's Latest Activity

  1. labordude

    Case Study: An OB Catastrophe

    labordude replied to juan de la cruz's topic in Nursing

    This is where I was going. The presentation screams this to me. AFE, especially the rapid cardiorespiratory collapse, neurologic symptoms, moving into DIC and left ventricular dysfunction. The low platelets and low fibrinogen are hallmark and I bet that EJ would high fibrin split products if that lab value was present too. The upside is that AOK is really effective IF AFE is recognized and the meds are given quickly. They are easy to keep available and can be kept together in an AFE kit.
  2. labordude

    Case Study: An OB Catastrophe

    labordude replied to juan de la cruz's topic in Nursing

    I think I'm with you. If I'm right, we were just talking about this at work the other day and WAY too few people have ever heard of the acronym that helps both identify the condition and the initial treatment for it.
  3. labordude

    Case Study: An OB Catastrophe

    labordude replied to juan de la cruz's topic in Nursing

    Woohoo! Let's go...I'm waiting for the promised later excitement too. Initial presentation is pretty much..hey I see this every day 🤣
  4. labordude

    CLC with no personal experience

    labordude replied to dnij's topic in Ob/Gyn

    They are incorrect and this will help you, especially if it's something of interest to you. I have the pocket guide, but I don't have or use any other books. For reference on medications I use Hale's Medications and Mother's Milk as well as LactMed. Get the apps (they're free!). Sidenote: What would they think of me? I'm a dude and I've been a CLC for 12 years!
  5. labordude

    CNM's in Houston

    labordude replied to hsmrn00's topic in CNM

    You have heard incorrectly about Houston. While Ben Taub & LBJ have midwives, they are part of the staff. The midwives at Texas Children's are part of the Women's Specialty group which is OB/GYNs, CNMs, and NPs. Methodist Willowbrook also has midwives (who are amazing by the way). Memorial Hermann also has at least 2 credentialed midwives who work as part of private practices but have delivery privileges. By and large the city is not CNM in hospital friendly, but that will likely change. More and more people want the combination of the CNM with hospital. I have no intention of doing out of hospital deliveries.
  6. labordude

    arom by residents

    labordude replied to nursingthings's topic in Ob/Gyn

    Artificial Rupture Of Membranes. In general terms, breaking the bag of water using a special tool.
  7. labordude

    Student pregnancy

    labordude replied to iggywench's topic in School

    Guttmacher has this up to date reference on minor's access to different kinds of care. The third column is prenatal care. 33 states allow minors to access prenatal care without parental involvement or notification. https://www.guttmacher.org/state-policy/explore/minors-access-prenatal-care I agree with the others who suggest looking for your particular state laws, but in the presence of ambiguity, I'm protecting my patient's confidentiality and supporting her choices.
  8. labordude
    There is a distinct difference between the skills necessary to place an IV or an NG tube and the assessment/knowledge/etc needed to titrate drips. It is this difference that forms the major gap between CNAs and RNs. Give me a new grad with a strong physiologic and a pharmacologic knowledge base any and every day and I can teach them physical skills like IVs, NGs, and Foleys. The opposite situation is much more difficult.
  9. labordude

    EFM Interpretation Help

    labordude replied to Gingerpsych's topic in Ob/Gyn

    Yeah, I have that and my RNC-OB and AWHONN and CLC and whatever. Seriously, at some point it becomes RN, (insert alphabet soup) 🤣
  10. labordude

    EFM Interpretation Help

    labordude replied to Gingerpsych's topic in Ob/Gyn

    I agree with Klone, though if the answer options don't have that it would just be prolonged because of the greater than 2 min but less than 10 minute long deceleration and return to baseline.
  11. labordude

    Considering applying for L&D (NICU nurse)

    labordude replied to sweetsadie's topic in Ob/Gyn

    I made this switch 5 years ago after almost 10 years in Level III-IV NICU. I only wish I was able to switch sooner, but I knew exactly what I wanted and it wasn't a maybe situation for me. Since I didn't need as much (or really any) extra training on the baby side of the delivery, I was able to really focus on the mom and fetal side which was awesome. I was able to care for moms with likely NICU admitted babies really well and prepare them for what they might see/experience/etc. It was tough sometimes if my baby wasn't good at delivery not to jump over to the warmer because I was the mom nurse and not the baby nurse (though there was one time we did an "okay switch" because the mom was good and the baby needed help which was taking a while to get there). If you think you want to do L&D ask them to shadow. It shouldn't be an issue as a current employee, we do it all the time for people interest in internal transfers.
  12. labordude
    TL;Dr: Nursing needs some help. What do you think will help improve the profession? Nursing as a profession is in definite need of improvement as we go forward into the future. Many additional tasks are thrown at us, sicker patients are assigned to us, and we’re always asked to do more with less and do it faster. There has been a palpable push toward tasks over people, a decidedly different path than historically and from what is taught as nursing in schools. Based on your experience, what would you change or do to improve the profession? I’m going to preempt some answers here and say go beyond better staffing/ratios, higher pay, ancillary staff, unionizing, etc. Think about the profession itself and how you think nursing fits within healthcare as a whole now and five years from now.
  13. labordude
    TL;DR: Have experienced huge differences in organizational and regional cultural expectations as I've traveled across the country. What's been your experience? For those of you who've worked in different locations around the US, how has your interaction with the physicians changed? Are there different unwritten (or written) rules on how to communicate with them? I've worked in 7 different states in several regions of the country and have seen a huge difference in cultural expectations of RN interaction with physicians. Back in the northeast, it was very common to be on a first name basis with the providers. Having moved down south and ended up in TX, it's a night and day difference with a very demonstrated expectation that it will always be Dr X regardless of the situation. Even had the chief of service verbally correct a first year resident who was talking with a colleague of mine on a first-name basis. They were told to make sure they were always called Dr Y. What are your experiences? How do you choose to interact/are encouraged to interact with the providers? If you choose to call someone Dr X out of respect, do you not ask the same from them for your given title?
  14. labordude

    OB Unit for Male Student

    labordude replied to nurse2bguy555's topic in General Students

    It's only awkward when someone makes it awkward. I generally see male students rejected more when they are presented poorly by the nurse they are with. "Hey, I'm Jackie and this is John, he's a nursing student working with me today and we're going to take great care of you" is DRAMATICALLY more successful than "Hey, I'm Susan, I'll be your nurse today. We also have a male nursing student, would it be okay if he helped care for you today?" If we keep presenting it in a way that makes it seem weird or suspect, we do no one any favors. I can't even imagine how my career would have gone if my experience had been like that. I had an amazing clinical instructor who saw that me (at the time, a 21-yr old clueless nursing student) really, really liked OB and she made it so that the experience was as successful as it could have been. That is what students (especially men) need to have in OB/Peds. Men can thrive in those areas and both the clinical instructors and the nursing staff need to ensure the same high quality education gets to every single one of their students.
  15. labordude

    OB Unit for Male Student

    labordude replied to nurse2bguy555's topic in General Students

    Wait, are you in the United States? I'd be happy to speak with you in a private chat and help you out because this is absolutely insane.
  16. labordude

    The Stigma of Men in Nursing

    labordude replied to Nurse Beth's topic in Nursing

    Submitted my app today (finally) I'll let you know what comes of it haha Oh hospitals definitely try to come up with excuses...they don't last long in my world