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Siri or Smiling-- Just curious if anything new has been released in terms of research on this issue? I just changed hospitals and at my old hospital we did 250-300 births a month and therefore Amnio's quiet frequently. Our policy was a 300 cc bolus and then running the fluid at 100cc/hr all to gravity...NO PUMPS. With the mindset that this would decrease the risk of "blowing out" the uterus. At my new hospital, the policy is dated 1998 and my manager admits she's never actually seen an amnioinfusion...hmn. Anyway. The policy is to run a 600-800 cc bolus and then on a pump keep it going at a somewhere between 125-300 cc/hr. A) this seems like too much fluid and B) I'm curious about the pump...obviously I come from the other teaching but they are asking me now if I know of research either way. Can anyone point me in a direction?? Thanks!!

I just started at a new hospital and some of their protocols are a bit different than what I'm used to. I'm wondering if any of you can give me a little clarification. Where I was working, we did all IV's to gravity and only ran pit, mag, insulin etc on a pump. Our standard was 20 units Pitocin to 1000 cc's Normusol (which is similar to LR). After delivery of placenta, we ran the Pit wide open until bleeding stabilized and could add up to 40 of Pit if the MD desired before going the miso, methergine, hemabate route. At my new hospital, they do 30 units of Pit in 500 cc's of D5W on the pump during labor and then keep it at 125/hr after delivery. However, if the pt hasn't been on Pit during labor, they add 10 units of Pit to 1000cc's LR and keep it at 125/hr. I'm curious--will this minimal amount of Pit really stop the bleeding/keep the fundus firm? I'm sure that my old hospital probably handed out Pitocin like it was candy so to speak...but this minimal amount of Pit especially in a multip concerns me. My other question (which noone can seem to answer at my new hospital) is in the use of the D5W. If you have a GDM patient, is using D5W appropriate? Even though it is a minimal amount of fluid infusing, I still think it could throw off BS. Any thoughts?? Thanks!!!

Hello all...I want some honest, straight forward responses here. I've been an OB nurse since November 2005--I started in postpartum and then began L&D training in January 2006. So I'm getting close to a year of L&D experience and am dying to start traveling soon. For all kinds of reasons. I know everyone says get a year or two of experience before going which I understand. I am wondering though...does this mean I could maybe start an assignment in December or how close to my year do I need to be before I start talking to/working with recruiters? It seems that a lot of people on here have gone through multiple companies or recruiters before finding someone they "trust" but I don't want to waste companies time or my own time by getting my hopes up too early in the process. Help!

How many of you L&D nurses who have been traveling for a while are ACLS certified? At my current hospital, this is not a requirement so I haven't done it but I am contemplating starting traveling soon and am worried that there will be hospitals out there wanting me to have that certification. Do I need to get it on my own now or is this something that they will train me on if they require it? Also--how much experience did you have in L&D before you started traveling? I'm curious what seems like a good time frame for this specialty.

I'm thinking about taking my first assignment in Wichita with Access Nurses. Has anyone out there done a travel assignment with them there? Or with another company? I'm trying to find out if the rate they are offering is right. Since I'm new at all this I'm not sure what kinds of things to be asking and I'm afraid I'm going to miss something! HELP!!! I was planning on starting to travel sometime towards the end of the year but they are trying to get me started in early October. How exactly do you go about quiting your current hospital?? I mean how much time do you need to give them...2 weeks is plenty or more? thx in advance!

So how much experience do you need to do agency work? And does anyone know pay rates for travel RN's?

Congrats on graduating! I just moved out here in oct. from Omaha (but I'm originally from KS and got my first degree from K-State) and didn't have much of a problem finding a place. I think it was relatively easy to find something on Craigslist. you just need to narrow down the area of the city you're wanting to look at and maybe invest in a hotel for a week so you can spend some time exploring and looking. It won't do much good to freak out until a few weeks before you get here b/c most things in CA that are good tend to get picked up very quickly. I wasted a lot of time freaking out about it before we moved out here and I coulda just relaxed a little and did my searching a few weeks before moving. Course you are getting close...yippee...it's great out here! you'll love it! PM me if you have more questions. what floor are you starting on at CPMC?

I tried sending you a pm but your inbox is full...I'd love to ask you some questions. email me? thx! j

I just always laugh and say..."nope. not yet! Have to find a boyfriend first!" Then I tell them that I'm content right now to just deliver babies, play with them and then be able to give them back to their parents. Usually people just laugh at me. I understand where you're coming from though. When I started, I never thought I'd be able to teach breastfeeding and surprising to me..within a few weeks i had that down--and even in 2 languages! I got so cocky about my ability to work with babies that I was convinced I could totally handle raising a baby now. Until one of my bosses pointed out that she once thought that too when she first started and it wasn't until she had her own children that she realized she only knew how to care for babies until they were 4 days old! 'tis true...just enjoy your job and your passion for it will win over any questioning parent.

Hello-- I am just finishing the L&D training program at Mills-Peninsula in Burlingame and am thinking about finding some per diem work in the next few months and would love CPMC b/c I know it gets some higher risk stuff (since we transport to you a lot) and would stay in the Sutter system. Do you know if there are any per diem spots open on your unit? How much experience do your managers like to see in per diem people?? Thanks for the advice.

seriously, I was having this same issue 2 1/2 years ago. I did prereqs at El Camino College in Torrance and then hated Mt. st. mary's program and couldn't bear to do CSULB's in the first year. So I went to Creighton University in Omaha, NE. They've been doing an 11 month accelerated BSN program twice a year (starts in Aug. or Jan) for the past 31 years! I had a great experience. was taught by really professional, well established and experienced faculty, was accepted by nurses throughout the city of Omaha and left the program with a 7 week preceptorship under my belt and feeling fairly prepared for the NCLEX and for my first job. I am with you...when you already have a BA/BS in something else you really should investigate the accelerated route due to money and time constraints. If you're single or can move your family you've gotta consider a year or year and a half away for the great programs you can choose from in other states. Now I'm back in California (albeit the Bay area--but they pay so much more $$) and I only lost out on a year's salary. A salary that I have since doubled since starting my first nursing job! Good luck!

I think it's great! I'm not surprised to see UCLA come up with this since Cal State Long Beach started an accelerated BSN program a year ago and the only school in this market in LA was Mt. St. Mary's. What all of you naysayers have to realize is that in California there is somewhat of a shortage. And when you have 16 million people living in a city, there are a lot of them w/ BA/BS degrees in other fields who are disillusioned with their current jobs and wanting to branch into a career where they can make some money while doing a good thing. Schools on the West coast are finally starting to get the picture by adding these accelerated programs which will help produce new nurses quickly. I did an accelerated program in the midwest b/c it has been around for 30 years and I didn't want to mess with the newer program at CSULB but I would have loved to have stayed in LA to finish nursing school. I say investigate and visit the UCLA to hear their spiel. Keep an open mind. Be really really prepared to study you butt off and not have a life for the 2 years that you're in the program. Have a great time and realize you will look back in 2 years and be blown away by all that you now can do! Good luck!

It's so nice to know I'm not alone out there on the--"hey...leave me alone for 5 seconds so I can organize my thoughts instead of focusing on you nagging me!!" Supposedly this too shall pass and we'll all be better for it in the end. Thanks for sharing!

THANKS ALL!!! I'm so lost when it comes to vag exams but I know I have to just keep practicing to get it down...

dead serious. No aguanto means "I can't stand it".