MistyBlue

We did foley inductions in NC. They were often placed in the office and taped to the thigh with a little bit of tension and the pt was told to come to the hospital when the balloon fell out. Where does the liter of fluid come into play? Have never seen it done any other way.

You should have no retained placenta after a c-section because the placenta is manually removed while the uterus is outside of the body.

My story is similar to Sicuotcrna. I went to nursing school knowing that I wanted to work in L&D and I did for over 5 years and I loved it. When I felt it was time to move on and advance my career I went to the PICU and an adult SICU and now I am in my second semester of anesthesia school. I do not regret my time in L&D one bit but I also had no idea that I would one day pursue anesthesia.

I considered the CNM route as well. The art of midwifery is dying (at least in GA). The CNM's that I worked with were like "call me when she's crowning" and all but one wanted everyone to have an epudiral. I didn't like the MD/CNM relationship at times, heard some comments that I thought were disrespectful on the part of the MD. Huge liability and long hours for low pay. There were several things that reinforced the fact that midwifery wasn't for me. Got a job in the ICU and now I am finishing up my first semester of anesthesia school. I will still be able to stick my head in L&D every once in a while. Good luck!

And I forgot... Congrats on the acceptance!

I have to agree with getting your finances in order and getting familiar with the ANS.

I have gone through the switch from paper to computers twice and I can honestly say that it is horrible in the beginning, but give it a little time and you will find your days a little easier. Good luck!

Our PICU does both VA and VV ECMO ( mostly VV sine we have a CICU that does the cards cases.)

This is interesting because usually it's just the MDA and RN in the room so it seems impossible to do EFM and hold position and chart at the same time if the pt is sitting up. We remove EFM and toco because the bands would be in the sterile field. We document epidural placement in progress. If the baby has not had a pretty tracing we would have an FSE in place if not we would get another set of hands and do side-lying insertion and try to monitor that way but very rare.

You put too much time into becoming a nurse and have endured too much to throw the towel in now. There are so many things that you can do as a nurse so you shouln't have to torture yourself. I have worked in the ICU - both peds and adults. Teamwork is essential in that type of an environment. There is only so much two hands can do at once. I had a job that I absolutely hated (and I was experienced at this point) and I kept telling myself that I needed to stick it out and that it would get better. I was physically ill when I was getting ready for work. I lasted 7 1/2 months before I quit. It was such a relief. I am now working in a unit where the politics stink beyond belief but I like my job so I go to work and go home and minimize my involvement with that drama as much as possible. I start grad school next month so I don't feel compelled to be a change agent. I guess I am just biding my time at this point. I believe that as long as I am getting something out of the situation I will continue on. When my job is so bad that I'm sick then it's time for me to go. I don't believe in being disrespected or abused on the job. I speak up in situations where I felt I have been wronged and I remind myself that there are numerous options out there for me. There have been many great suggestions posted on other areas to try. PACU and same day surgery can be fast paced but a pleasant change from the unit. You could always get an office job or do something more laid-back like mother/baby. I personally am partial to L&D, but I know that it's not for everyone. Good luck in whatever you choose.

I got my packet today

I included my shadow experience in my purpose statement and I did not mention what level hospital I worked in but the various units were listed on my resume

above should read peak not trough. Sorry!

Like I said we draw our vanc trough 1 hour after complete but the generic rule still is handy

In my facility the trough is drawn 30 minutes prior to the dose being due and the peak is drawn one hour after completion of the dose. The generic rule of thumb for us is to draw the peak the same number of minutes after completion as it took to infuse it. If you gave the drug over 30 minutes draw peak 30 minutes after complete, etc.