Nicole2010

We are always short staffed. Plus they just took away on-call pay, so who wants to come in if someone calls in sick. I work in a high risk unit. We have 11 labor rooms, 2 ORs and a 3 bed triage. We can usually meet core staffing which is 5 nurses (a charge & 4 RN's). Some days we only have 4 on. Now we are all worign 4 days a week to cover the staffing problem and I'm 30 weeks pregnant!

ICU and OR. I work L&D. I think I have 4 pt's, 2 pt's I can see and 2 I have on a fetal monitor.

A pt in DIC (which we had the other day), placenta abruption, uterine abruption or PIH pt with seizures. At my facilitiy you'll never know what you get!

I have several tattoos that are small and I have only received complements on them. Tattoos seem to be more commonly accepted nowadays. Associating tattoos with criminals is a bit ridiculous! My husband is a cop with sleeves! I wouldn't worry about it.

I'm married but have no children and working 3 days a week is enough. A lot of my co-workers work between 5-6 days a week between two hospitals. I think they're crazy! I love having time off. I don't live to work. I wouldn't even acknowledge what your co-workers are asking.... It's none of their business. IMO, It sounds as if they may be jealous.

$41k. I went to a private school so my own reasons.

We use 40gm in 1000cc h20. It equals 1gm per 25cc 's. Then it depends if a 4 or 6gm bolus was ordered

On nights, of course, you have less management around! I oriented on days then switched to nights, the biggest thing I noticed is how the MDs handle pt's. The MD's usually try not to deliver in the middle of the night. We do still get inductions, usually cervidil. We are fortunate and still have OB techs & a clerk. Overall, it's less stressed/paced at night (most of the time anyways).

I'm sorry you are having a rough month! The hospital were I work, we are required to be ACLS certified and have mock codes/drills every 3 months. We have an edu dept that has a pregnant similator dummy that we practice CPR, shoulder distocia, deliveries, etc on... Really though, unless you do codes all the time having ACLS is kind of pointless. I hope everything gets better!

Thanks for the responses. They want the new hires/grads (another RN & I) to get used to triage now because we will be expected to do it. I think it comes down to the fact we are extremely busy and everyone has to pull their weight. As of now when I triage, my precepting RN double checks my vag exams (if req) before I call the MD. Otherwise, I've learned how to do spec exams, collect FFN's, amnicators, etc...We do have awesome team work at the hosp and everyone is willing to answer questions or double check something if I'm not sure. Majority of the doctors have been great, very helpful and willing to teach. Then again, I am at a teaching hospital and have med students/residents all over the place. I had my first should distocia yesterday and my preceptor and MD were great during the whole delivery and went over the delivery afterwards. I know things will take time. I take each day as a learning experience and am getting some constructive feedback from my co-workers. They all tell me it takes atleast 2-5 yrs to feel ok at the job. I guess I just feel this huge weight since the L&D RNs can do so much in the state where I work and the MDs have certain expectations because of it. I take each day one at a time and go from there.

Thanks everyone! I know I will make mistakes and I'd rather be forgetting to ask about blood pressure meds than making a patient or med error. I definitely have been learning from them. Yesterday I made a list of things I needed to ask for before I called the MD and that helped significantly.

Hi everyone! I'm a new grad and am in the 10th week of a 12 week orientation at a busy inner city hospital. We do 300+ deliveries/month and have a level III NICU. I absolutely LOVE my job, but I feel like I'm always making errors. Yesterday I was triaging a pt for suspected labor and her BP's were elevated. She was already at a sister hospital earlier in the day where her MD didn't have privleges. Anyways, called MD got orders to admit & I totally forgot to ask about BP ranges and meds! This was all happening at change of shift, so I told oncoming RN and offered to call MD back to get ranges/BP meds, but she said she would do it. Then I got home and realized I forgot to but TO: MD readback on my orders. I am wondering if it will get better. Im nervous that I am on my own in 2 weeks and should be able to manage 2 patients and I feel like I keep messing up on things that should not be forgotten. I guess I am probing for some advice. Thanks!

We all make mistakes. You'll probably never make the same mistake again! I'm new to L&D as well and just the other day while I was triaging a pt, I forgot to tell the MD that the perinate was keeping her on the Procardia till she was 37 wks (pt was 36.4). Anyways, the MD wanted the med stopped & I DC'd the pt home with the orders to stop the Procardia. Not till I was laying in bed did I realize that I didn't tell the MD what the perinate wanted. The next day I called my precepting nurse to let her know & she was going to call the MD. Boy, this is still dragging me down. But when I go in on Friday I know what I will do different when calling the docs. You aknowledged your mistake. It would be different if you were trying to cover it up. Learn from it and move on, but don't leave L&D over it!

Congrats!!

In the AWHONN book, it says to admin narcs during the contraction to minimize the amount that reaches the fetus if your doing IVP. I start to give my narcs the beginning of the contraction and have it administered by the end. Our hospital policy is no narcs after 7cm dilated.

I would go with OB. That way you could really find out if you "love" OB. For my preceptorship, I went to the OR because OR really interested me. I used my 140 hour preceptorship to see if I truly loved the OR. Everyone asked me why I was going there since you don't use your 'nursing skills'. All my classmates and some instructors thought I was crazy! No I didn't pass meds or to head-to-toes assessments, but I learned a whole new set of nursing skills used for that area. And guess what...I found out that I do love the OR. This was my rationale for going to a specialty. If hospitals are willing to hire New Grads that haven't been able to find a job in over a year and require a whole lot of training because they haven't used their nursing skills, why would it matter where I did my preceptorship. IMO, going to a floor because it is drilled into your head that to become a great nurse you MUST pay your dues in Med-Surg is a bunch of BS. I HATED med-surg and if I went there I would have become burned out of nursing. You learn the skills useful for the area you work. Now as a New Grad, I am working L&D and I don't feel like I can't manage my pt's because I didn't go to Med-Surg. Plus I still get to go to the OR. It's just different! Go with your gut! I would hate for you to get into OB, sign a 2-yr contract and find out you hate it because you went to med-surg.

I do the exact same thing! I come home and process the day and wonder what I missed or could have done better. I know at some point I need to learn to leave work AT work, but right now when I process the day I'm trying to make myself a better nurse. I know errors will happen, but it's still difficult to accept. What you're feeling is completely normal.

There was one far posterior cervix I could not reach for the life of me (even with the pelvic tilt)! My precepting nurse could, but she had longer fingers than me! I agree with the above post...you may have small hands

I used the program Perrla. It formats everything into APA.

I work in L&D with an ADN & I'm a New Grad

I graduated on Aprill 11 and tested on April 28. Get it done asap

I completely understand.I'm a new grad and today was my first day on the floor in my L&D internship. Talk about crazy. I thought at times, "how will I ever be able to do this?". But I did it (not as fast as the seasoned nurses) and I kept telling myself that everyone on the unit has been there for years! If they can do it then so can I. Stick it out & believe in yourself. You can do it!

Have you talked to the doctor about recommending hospice services?

Thanks for all the responses. I do have my book from the OB/PEDS class and I have been reading it. I just wish at times it went into depth on certain subjects. I start orientation tomorrow and will be getting another book for the class portion of orientation. I just know there is so much to learn! Thank you again.

Hi everyone, I'm a New Grad and was fortunate enough to get a job in L&D. I do have 10 years working in a private OB/GYN practive & I hope that helps in the way of tests and general knowledge. I was looking at the sticky for recommended readings, but there have been only a few current posts. Does anyone have any recommended books for reading or pocket guides. I am also open to any tips, tricks, knowledge, etc... Thank you so much! I am so very excited to be in L&D!!!!