rox4synch

I was hired to work post-partum on a low-volume (50-90 births a month) hospital birth unit. I am not cross-trained to L&D, so when there are no labor patients I frequently get asked if I'd like to take call as the L&D RN's here have done post-partum. We do alledgedly rotate being called off, but I have been put on call before when it wasn't my turn...I've learned to ask when called, "is it my turn?" Yep....it can play havoc with your weekly pay or you can wind-up having no vacation pay/time to take an actual vacation! And, it is frustrating to be sitting at home "on call" at $2.00/hr when I could be working elsewhere that has a higher patient census....but, I stay because I like the lower patient census. Sometimes you gotta take the good with the bad!

TPN tubing changed every 72hrs, unless drastic glucose, protein or lyte concentration changes which warrants tubing change with that TPN. TPN tubing may need to be changed sooner when/if high glucose or calcium clogs the filter. Lipid tubing is changed every 24hr when new lipids are hung. TPN/IL is hung under sterile technique if infusing via central or PICC lines. This has been my experience at 2 different NICU's.

I can't imagine though how a baby would get a perf'd stomach from an og. In 14 years of working NICU, I have seen one case of a perf'd stomach from an og in which an "inexperienced" RN used the stylet that was packaged/in the og. This was many years ago, and I'm not sure if she was "taught" to use the stylet in her orientation by another RN or whether she was just shown how to put og in, not told to remove stylet specifically...don't really remember/know the details. Perforations are a definite risk when using stylets.

Hi, I did VCU's RN to BSN program, graduated in 2000. It was a fairly new program back then and required going to an off-campus site (based on where you live) one weekend a month for actual classes and then email discussion group participation and online submission of classwork/projects. The program may be more "online" now. It was a good program back then...very "do-able" even working full-time. If you have'nt looked at their program, I would suggest doing so.

Hi, One of my nursing peers/friends chose to get an MBA versus MSN, and she took a job as a product rep!! She's making big bucks, but she does spend alot of time "on the road" with various hospital "clients" within a certain geographic area (part of PA, NYC, and NJ). She pushes the product to the hospital, then educates/in-service's the nurses on how to use the product. So, at least she is still doing something within nursing.