vastudent09

So I will be transferring to L&D from Icu in January. I was wondering if everyone would be willing to share their "pearls of widom" that they've learned through their L&D experience. Things that you feel like are imperative to know/do to be a successful L&D nurse. Things you've learned from or things you want/expect a new L&D nurse to do! Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!

well , thank yo everone again for your 2 cents. it helped becasue........... I GOT THE JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :yeah:I am so excited to begin this new journey and I look forward to the new world of L & D! I did not bring up my daughter in the interview, or the significant impact the L & D nurses played in my own long & trying delivery, but I wish I could tell them personally how amazing they were and that experieincing what they can do for a new mom and the role they play in labor and the delivery made my decision to go for the switch. I hope I can become half as good as those nurses were and that I can hopefully one day make an impact on a woman like the one that was made on me. Thanks again!!!:)

Hi everyone! Just interested in everyones 2 cents as to why they chose L&D? What drew you to this field of nursing and or what do you enjoy about being in it? Or what is difficult about it, what are things you don't like about it? Ect Thanks for your thoughts!!!!

thank you everyone for your responses!!!!! I really appreciaTE them. My interview is tomorrow, and I will NOT be bringing up my duaghter/pregnancy. Your advice has really helped and I am hoping to present myself as an eager, willing, competent, and qualified candidate. I will draw from my ICU experience and use that to boost my chances. Thanks again,

thanks so much! i definitely wasnt going to bring up my actual birth experience. its just the whole process- pregnancy and childbirth is what made me decide on LD. i wasnt sure how to answer the "why LD "question without mentioning when my interest sparked. thats all. i completely agree that i want my answers to be pt focused, and i wont be in there telling my birth story! lol. i will talk mainly about my other interests in LD, and how i think it is similiar to ICU so i think i can bring a unique set of skills to LD! thanks again

HI! Well I'm an Icu rn right now but I have an interview next week for a L&D position!!!!!!!! So I know the usual interview questions and how to answer questions correctly but I thought I would throw it out there... Is there anything not to say? For instance, I became truly passionate about pregnancy, childbirth, ect when I got pregnant and then having my daughter and spending 3 days in L&D ( 72 hour labor) and 3 more in PP and kind of seeing what the nurses did & talking Witt them I made my mind up! Is bringing up my own experience being pregnant & delivery something NOT to bring up? Any other NO. NOs for the interview? Thanks!!!!!!!

I live in VA but can't relocate right now. But the positions I applied for asked for. L&D, ED or critical care experience so I'm hoping my Icu experience can help me. I'm going to also lOok into certifications I could get or anyything L&D related while I stay in Icu and just keep applying as positions come open. I just hope it won't take too long !

Hello ALL! WELL, I AM AN ICU NURSE, AND I JUST APPLIED TO SEVERAL L&D POSITIONS. I AM REALLY BURNT OUT WITH THE PATIENTS AND ATMOSPHERE IN THE ICU & I NEED A CHANGE. I LIKE HIGH ACUITY PATIENTS AND I ENJOY THE DETAIL ORIENTED CARE I THE ICU, BUT I AM NO LONGER ENJOYING TAKING CARE OF PPL WHO HAVE NO CHANCE OF SURVIVAL, KEPING PPL ALIVE THAT SHOULDNT BE, ECT. I JUST WANT TO BE ABLE TO GO TO WORK AND FEEL POSITIVE ABOUT WHAT IM DOING. I LOVE TO TEACH AND I AM JUST OBSSESED WITH LEARNING EVERYTHING I CAN ABOUT CHILDBIRTH, LABOR, & PREGNANCY ( IT REALLY STARTED WHEN I GOT PREGNANT WITH MY DAUGHTER:redpinkhe) I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED L&d, BUT IT IS DIFFICULT TO GET INTO STRAIGHT OUT OF SCHOOL. NOW ALL I WANT IS TO BE AN L&D NURSE. ANY ADVICE ON INTERVIEW TIPS- SPECIFIC TO L&D, ANYTHING THAT MIGHT UP MY CHANCES OF GETTING INTO L&D, THOUGHTS, THINGS TO KNOW/READ/STUDY BEFORE AN INTERVIEW, CERTS TO TRY AND GET,ECT... THANKS!!!!!!!!!!

1. MICU/SICU 2. 7 weeks on unit with my preceptor with 1-2 classroom days a week during that time 3. normal icu 1:1-2, sometimes 3 if staffing is tight

This topic has been debated before, but I feel as a new grad in the ICU I need to state my opinion. I worked in the same ICU as a tech for 2 years prior to becomeing an RN in that same unit. I don't think it's as cut and dry as "yes or no " in regards to whether a new grad should start in the ICU. I feel like i am learning better critical thinking skills in the ICU than I would be on a floor. The expereinces I get every shift at work taking care of 2 critically ill pts are irreplacable. I have a great team of nurses around me that provide support and encouragement. Also I have to constantly be thinking and learnign in order to continue to do well in that environemtn, but I am aware fo that, and I think that is why it is going well for me. I only got 7 weeks of orientation because they took me off early b/c my preceptor said I was ready. So, neways I can't imagine working anywhere else. I tried to take every opportunity available to prepare myself to be s good nurse in the ICu out of school. I did 2 summer externships in that ICU and then my final school 120 hour preceptorship while alos continueing my tech position. So basically, I think the ICu can be a good fit for soem new grads but others are not ready. I think it really depends on the person. But it get old ( no offense) hearing a lot of veteran nurses saying I don't belong where I am working, and that I am not ready. JMHO

LMAO!! how funny, I can just picture that whole situation...thanks for the post!:chuckle

I didn't want to make the post too long, but he had terminal gastric cancer, had had multp. surgeries that were unsuccessful. there was nothing else to be done, he was trached & unresposive , becoming septic- anyway, the family would not make him a DNR, and he was not a candidate for any surgery or anything...so... after all MDs were aware, and since nothing to do...yes he stayed like that fo 2 weeks.

HEEEEELLLOO evyerone!!!!!! Well i thought it would be fun to read about some of the crazy, gross, weird, amazing, touching, horrible, ect experiences we all have gone thu in the ICU... I'll start... SO I work in a 22 bed MICU/SICU. I have worked there almost 3 yrs, but only been a nurse a few months. SO, this is just somemthing i had never seen before and thought it was pretty crazy. we had a pt the other week who was a full code, but would go asystole about once q30 mins for about 10-40 seconds! it was the craziest thing. he would just be beating along and then ding-ding-ding, asystole, and we would jsut watch the monitor to make sure and to see how long it would be till he came back. he did this for almost 2 weeks before he passed. The funny part was, after one night of this we were all used to it, but we would "get" ppl who were not aware, ask them to check what the alarm was on the monitor, have them look and start to freak out as we all sit there and say , oh, no big deal...:chuckle I guess we ahve a weird sense of humor :)

So is there a difference between SLED & SCUF?

THANKS FOR THE REPLIES. I APPRECIATE THE ADVICE AS I STILL HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS EVRYTIME I GO TO WORK. !

I am also a new grad in the ICU. I graduated a bsn program in may. Anyway, I am so jelous of these great residency, orientation pograms I am eading about. I got a 7wk orientation that involved 2-3 shifts a week and then a few classes. I really wish I had a well rounded orientation like soem of the other ones I have read about. I love it there, but I am still really nervous every day I go to work. I guess it will be like that until I have been there a little longer. Well, good luck to eveyone.

Hi everyone! well, I am a new gad ICU nurse only a few weeks off my 7 week orientation:eek: anyway, I was jsut wondering what the *rules* preferences are regarding how fast to infuse blood, platletes, FFP, ect.? And do you all use a different IV tubing setup between each unit. I do for blood, but have not been for plts. Lastly, do you follow the blood product with a flush of NS, like 50cc? Thanks for the input!:wink2: I had a short orientation, and did not even give blood products during orientation, and have heard different things from different nurses. Just tryign to do things right!:)

thanks so much for that post! I am definitly going in early from now on, at least while on orientaiton, b/c i got a really bad report the other day- had 3 replacemnt bags of KCL, and 2 of Ca gluc. to hang ( b/c night rn didnt get around to starting to hang replacements), plus a hypotensive pt who just had a chest tube placed. Needless to say, I was behind from the start, wasn't as prepared as i would like to be for 9am rounds, and jsut felt behind all morning. ( not somehting i liked AT ALL!) SO thanks agian!!:bowingpur hope to have a better day tomm.

Hello everyone. Well, I am a new grad starting in the ICU and I was just hoping all the experienced nurses out there would share little pearls of info about how to succeed in the ICU, tips/strategies to being a good nurse in general... things you have learned along the way/picked up as habits of your own...!!!

thanks to all for the great responses and insight. I am really hoping that i have some nurses on my unit who are open to teaching, and will be open to answering all the questions. thanks again.

Hello All. Well, I am a new grad in the ICU where I have been a tech for 2 years. I just wonder... How do you know when to worry. I mean, for example- if I walk into a room when I am wokring as a tech, and see an o2 sat of 83 ( nonvented) , tell her to cough, check the finger probe, waveform is good, ect. and after about 5 mins the sat is still not coming up, I am thinking i need to go get a face tent or NRB mask ( she is already on high flow NC)? But the nurse pretty much says no big deal, tell her to cough some more, it will come up? Well, as a new nurse I dont want to OVER or UNDER react to situations? I am just nervous I guess. I mean, I understand i need to use critical thinking in those siutaitons... but I was just wondering if those ICU RNs that have been doing it a while, get some sort of sense for situations, or have seen enough to know when someone is gogin downhill, ect.? Thanks!

"Nursing school Experience I just got accepted into nursing school and wanted to know details about your experience. If you are a nurse, how was your nursing school experience? How much of your time did it really take, how much did you study? How many hours were you in school a day? How many hours per day did you study? Did you break up the study time throughout the day? How did you get through all that reading? What was your process of absorbing all the information? What did you do if you were studying and got so tired that you could no longer concentrate, what was your solution? What are the positive things about nursing school (because I haven't heard hardly any)? " My nursing program was 3 yrs with a yr of pre reqs before. to sum it up it was one of the hardest things, most challenging, most rewarding, and completely crazy things of my life. The first year weeds ppl out, you will think it is hard, untill yr 2 comes around and then yr 3. I am graduating in 5 days, and i can not believe it. There is never enought time to get everything done. Learn to prioritize VERY well, have a study group, it really helps for classes like critical care, A&P, things that req. a lot of critical thinking. The days of memorization are over, you have to learn and remember everything, b/c the next subject will build upon the last. Your life will be consumed with NS, and you will feel like you might go crazy. I have made some amazing friends in NS, and could not have made it thru without them. It is difficult, but when its done you will feel the greatest sense of accomplishment and pride and joy all mixed together. GOOD LUCK!! PS- tons and tons of reading, get prepared for that now!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks everyone for your replies. I am graduating in 9 days, so i am starting to get nervous. I appreciate your words of wisdom!

Thanks so much for the great information. I appreciate your opinions and knowledge. I expect that I will meet resistance about starting in the ICU, but I feel like i have done everything I can to prepare myself- and i feel like knowing the staff and having worked with them both in my role as a tech and a student nurse, that I might have an easier transition... Hopefully anyway. Thanks again though for taking the time.

I could really use some guidance!! PLEASEEEEE