Nighshft

to the op - just putting in my i've been a nurse for 33 years, i work with all ages of nurses in our very busy unit - i can see both sides of this - i see some of the "more experienced" nurses get totally frustrated by the computer and take forever to chart - and i see the less experienced ones just click and run through the menus and never check that their cursor hasn't moved to the wrong radio button. i get tired also when i see people play it so they don't have to come back to patient care - on both sides of the spectrum i also get annoyed when i can't get to the computer to chart because "someone" is updating their facebook status or surfing the 'net - hard to correct this behavior when the manager does the same thing..... i also see the newer nurses sit at the front desk, do distance charting, and hardly ever going to see the patients, - you practically have to blast their backsides out of the chairs- i swear some of them have their imprints on the chairs lol we came up with an agreement that you have x amount of time to do this charting - and if it takes you longer - it's on you - you return to patient care, do the charing when you can, or finish it afterwards - there are only so many computers and you can't tie them up for extended time( unless there is an exceptional reason).enough times exceeding the time limits and you will be spoken to by management - (unless you are one of her best friends, but i digress - my personal vent lol) i am also the 'go to" person here on my unit - i'm able to fix a lot of computer issues and often get the phone call (even when i'm off!) instead of calling it and waiting before they are able to get to us... what bothers me is the fact that the op has targeted the "older, slower nurses" - no wonder they don't seem to want to help you - attitude come across more than you know it, and maybe you need to look in the mirror. one also wonders about management and why they encourage this disharmony on their unit...

Our anesthesiologist will not place an epidural through a tattoo. Their attitude is that they do not know what is in the dye, and will not take any chances on bringing that tiny amount of dye into the epidural space. In this time of "sue everyone", they do not want to add any additional risk to what is really an elective procedure. People have had children for eternity w/o an epidural, although nowadays people can't seem to do without it . Girls should be educated before they get that tattoo that it can limit their options for pain relief later on... (mom of 4 - never had an epi)

Right now we still use QS for our fetal monitoring, We have a doc that has bwwn able to add what we need to it for our L&D charting. He keeps adding different items so that it is almost all we need for the L&D part of it - has taken forever. We are now going to use SUNRISE for the hospital electronic records, but that is going to be phased in over the next few years. This is being done to comply with the federal directive for EMR

There is a reference for OTC (over the counter drugs) that may have Tucks on it....

I asked when I interviewed at one hospital and was told that "you don't have a choice, you have to", and I didn't take the position. Where I am now, a tiertary hospital, after I worked there and I realised that they did do terminations, I submitted, in writing, a letter explaing that I could not participate in a termination, although I had no problem with caring for patients with stillborns or inevitable abortions. they gave me a little bit of push back ( I think to see if I was truly doing it for issues of conscience). I responded that I would ask my local churches to come down and show their support, and there was no way they wanted THAT publicity...They are now doing KCL inections of late term terminations 21-24 weeks, but I will not take care of those patients either, as I consider that part of the termination procedure. I have been told that if no one is available, they may have to call someone in and then they won't need me...in 15 years that has never happened. Bottom line is you need to live with yourself and not endanger your soul, if that is the reason for your refusal.

I've been birthing babies for 30 years ( I can't believe it's been THAT long!) I still love it as much as when I started, though I do feel more comfortable... It's the happiest place, and sometimes the saddest. I often say there are no atheist in the Delivery room my purpose in the delivery is to ensure my patient has the safest birth possible , as close to her plans as possible. and I am honored to be part f it

Many of the more "seasoned" nurses aren't comfortable answering questions online- why I don't know... Perhaps it's because they want you to be able to ask someone face to face....see their body language - or even to be able to ask a f/u question. another concern is perhaps the person answering the question isn't really a nurse, after all there isn't a guide at the entrace to this area checking our licenses....lol

RN here, Be glad to Help,

Our unit does hire new grads but we it has it's difficult moments, as I will detail later... We usually hire nurses who have done a student extern program with us, which gives them a sense of what the unit is about,we get a sense of the student's attitude and critical thinking skills, as well as the stress levels that encompass a very busy unit (5,500-6,000 births/year). New nurses have time management issues that are part of the normal learning curve for a new grad. I often tell new grads that are stressed that it often takes years before one feels comfortable in their "skin" as a RN, and that all of the seasoned nurses have felt the same way as they do. Management needs to listen to the staff nurse who spends time w/the new grad to see how they are progressing Those that are are so stressed that they feel they cannot handle it and want to leave will cost the unit a lot of money spent on orientation,to prevent this loss, we offer them a less stressful enviroment (such as mother/baby) until they feel more comfortable. Many of these nurses find they love mother/baby and are very happy to stay there.... So the bottom line is ...make sure you inderstand that L&D isn't all happiness, there is stress involved and that it really is a critical care area - what we do will affect these newborns for the rest of their lives:dncgbby:

I've been doing L&D for 24 years and have not yet witnessed a "splash and slash" under local. We have 2 anestheisia docs and a CRNA on our unit 24/7, so I guess we're luckier than many. I've seen them put a patient under general and go, and many have epidurals now, so that helps in cause of a crash. A BENT KEY??? geez you think he would have noticed that earlier? makes you wonder just how careful they check all their resources when they change shifts

I have sat down with and given my managers a letter explaining that I would refuse to take care of patients who decide to have a termination,( based on my religious,moral beliefs). I also made it clear that I would not have a problem taking care of a patient who has a stillborn, or a fetal demise. (excluding those patients who had Kcl injectionsin order to cause a fetal demise) They made it clear to me that the remote possibility exists that they may have to give me time off (they say that like it is a bad thing!) and bring another worker in who would not have a problem with a termination. I understand this and have agreed to it. We have nurses that don't have a religious or moral objection to terminations, and (unfortunately) we have more than our share of stillborns and losses, so it seems to balance out fairly. I have often offered to take a stillborn labor from someone who has difficulty with the berevement of the patient and the extended family members.