magicsauce

Hi There. 1. How many labor beds do you have?--->8 Triage Beds, 22 LDR Beds, and approx 50 PP beds 2. How many physicians deliver in your unit?--> many different call groups, usually 10-15 on call on any given shift 3. Is it LDRP or just Labor with a move to a mother/baby unit after delivery?---> they move to PP floors 4. How many births does your unit do in a year?---> approx 9,000 deliveries annually 5. Do you have central monitoring? If so, which system?--->Yes, Clinicomp and Cerner

I took my ACLS at the tail end of nursing school because I wanted to pad my resume due to the fierce competition. I was able to land the job that I wanted so I'm glad I did it. HOWEVER, in my opinion, it wasn't necessarily beneficial to take it without on the job experience. With that being said, cardio was never my strong suit so it was pretty stressful, but if that is your fortay, then I say go for it. I just did my first ACLS renewal and it made a lot more sense the second time around. Good luck!!

I live in San Diego and we have a large Middle Eastern Community in our area. I have had to call the Arabic translator many times to get assistance. In addition to the learning a new language, I think it would be neat to learn cultures and customs from that country too. There are so many little things that we can do as nurses to uplift the patient experience by providin culturally competent care.

I had to do a project in my leadership class in my program and I chose Gestational Diabetes. It was a relatively easy topic to find lots of research on and I was able to learn and teach my fellow students great information. I am now a new grad that was fortunate enough to get my dream job working on an L&D floor, and we see MANY GDMs. Good luck!

I have watched it multiple time, I enjoy it each time. I am an L&D nurse so I think it is positive to see films that promote positive bith experiences. I think that in our society due to the fear of litigation, there are far too many interventions that are done. Yet, I do think the existing interventions are based on evidence based practice and they can absolutely be beneficial, as in your case with your high risk pregnancy. I don't think I would choose to do a home birth myself, but I totally support anyone that makes that choice. :)

sorry, I mean to say "AWHONN"

Congrats on your new job:yeah: I am also a new grad, graduated last Sept, and also got hired in L&D. One great book that has a wealth of information is "Intrapartum Management Modules, A Perinatal Education Program". It covers almost everything you will be dealing with. You can find it on B&N or Amazon, don't remember exactly how much it was but it's totally worth it. I take it to work with me every shift and look at it very frequently. I'm not sure if you are a member of AWOHHN but they have a wealth of information available too. How long is your orientation going to be?

Our policy states that we start with 1-2mu and can increase 1-2mu up to 20 mu q30 min as long as the FHR is reassuring and the patient isn't experiencing tachysystole. After 20 mu we have to have an MD order and place an IUPC. I have heard of places in my area also that are starting at 6mu with subsequent 6mu increases q30 but our hospital isn't one of them.

I currently work for Sharp and would recommend the organization to everyone! I worked for my current hospital for 2.5 years and then was able to transition into the New Grad program that just started after graduating from my ADN program in Sep/09. I think they have a summer New Grad program starting so check their website at www.sharp.com. Good luck!

Is there really such a thing as over documentation when it comes to decels? I would document what I saw, whether it was an early, variable, or late. Establishing a pattern for decels is key in determining fetal well being so I would say chart away :) They always said to make sure your documentation could paint a picture for someone reading the chart, so the more you document, the clearer that picture is. Especially if the strip were to ever end up in litigation.