SoldierNurse22 BSN, RN

Our unit takes patients on insulin drips, too, and they're not often 1:1 patients. We have extremely poor staffing ratios, often times meaning that we aren't 1:1 with our labor patients, either. It's a hot mess. I can't tell you how many times I t...

SVEs can take time to really master. There are several blogs out there that can add the personal experience/tips/tricks of current L&D nurses to your preexisting experience/textbook info. If you haven't already, take some time to cruise L&D...

My apologies, OP--onset time for methergine IM is 2-5 minutes, as stated by a PP. So if you were going to see symptoms of a hypertensive crisis, it would be much faster than what I indicated in my original post.

I don't want to be too specific, so I'll tell you what I can. We have under 20 labor beds. We have a separate PP unit with less than 30 beds. We see about 250 births per month.

It's really not that unbelievable. Hospitals hire based on their needs, and if they need an experienced L&D nurse, they will often wait it out until they find one instead of trying to leverage time and resources they don't have to train a new on...

That really depends on the patient's underlying disease process(es) and the extent of the bleed. Generally speaking, if you're giving methergine to a patient who is experiencing a hemorrhage and has contraindicating factors for the drug) such as pree...

Either BAMC or Madigan would be good choices. Unless things have changed in the past few years, the ICU course is offered at BAMC (I know it was previously done at Madigan, though I'm not sure if this is still the case). You might consider looking ...

And suddenly, HR's Halloween costume contest as a morale-improving measure took an unseemly turn...

Nurse: "Maybe this goes without saying, but I think it's best for everyone if the angel helps Mr. Jones sign his surgical consents."

What quazar said. Putting the thick side up makes no sense. You want pressure on that lip to make it skidaddle so you can get to the baby-havin' part! The only time I might consider putting the thick side "up" is if I felt increased swelling in th...

I work in a pretty big facility (~2500 births per year) and it was only around when I was hired that we had an OB in-house 24/7 for the first time. Prior to that, trauma surgeons in the ER were on standby for anything emergent that walked through tr...

Agree with all of the above. I would strongly emphasize continuing education, even on your own time. Take the time to review strips and read textbooks if you've got the availability. Keep up on new research and always, always, always honestly educ...

Your employer should be investing the time and money to get you certified in EFM, NRP, STABLE, etc. I wouldn't invest any money in anything at this point as that should be taken care of and you will end up paying out of pocket for what your employer...

You and I might work in the same place. I am struggling with the same thoughts about what I enjoy vs. what's safe and prudent in terms of my license. Honestly, I think most of the healthcare field struggles with that dynamic. Though some places are...

In addition to books, there are lots of good blogs out there, too. These are my favorites: Cervix With A Smile – Walk the floor with an L&D Nurse! Adventures of a Labor Nurse – The Highs and Lows of Labor and Delivery Tales from Labor & Deli...

Cervix With A Smile – Walk the floor with an L&D Nurse! Adventures of a Labor Nurse – The Highs and Lows of Labor and Delivery Tales from Labor & Delivery Those are my three favorite L&D nurse blogs. Some of them are written somewhat int...

Nope, nothing I've ever seen, even in cases of severe maternal disease prompting a medically-indicated IOL (if anything, our docs are more aggressive about cervical ripening in those populations so as to increase the likelihood of vaginal birth. I m...

Holy contaminated field, batman. I'm good with "gentle" c/s practice in a non-emergent setting, but this...looks like you're asking for an infection. The natural caesarean: a woman-centred technique Interesting article, but with very little evidence...

Enlighten me...why would you think ACLS would be optional for L&D nurses? (I mean, if you're confused, follow me around for a shift, and maybe you'll understand why ACLS training is important on my unit!) As a point of clarification, L&D nur...

It's certainly an art mixed with a science. Cervical exams take lots of practice. When I was a new L&D nurse, my preceptor would often check the patient, then have me check her. Within a few months, I was pretty confident. The Mystery That Is ...

I prepared for all of those courses by working on the unit with actual patients under the guidance of a preceptor. I watched her interpret FHR, slowly started to do it myself with her help, and took the courses after several months in order to becom...

I can't believe we're still having this ridiculous discussion. OP, aspirating for the majority of meds given the IM route is not only no longer taught,but it is completely unfounded from a scientific perspective--it is NOT evidence-based practice. S...

Once you realize you have a prolapse, you would push baby's presenting part off the cord immediately. THEN you have someone else start the bolus and O2, in which case yes, increased SPO2 and blood volume will better perfuse and oxygenate the placent...

I generally agree with your post, but technically speaking, a prolapsed cord is occluded, often in a permanent sense, especially if baby's head is engaged in the maternal pelvis and the cord is between kiddo's head and mom.

Correct. I think you're missing one of the major interventions in a prolapse scenario: hold baby's presenting part off the cord! That means if you're the first one to discover the prolapse, you're going to have your hand in mom's vagina holding ba...