dariah

Ditto obrn23. I've never had specialty pay, and only float within maternal-child health.

Mine always come mixed from the pharmacy or manufacturer. If we run out is the only time I've had to mix my own.

I've had both cases. My clinic job I had to buy my own scrubs but whatever color/style I wanted. Then my first L&D job they were provided. My current job, I have to buy my own but in a specific color. (Which of course is not the same as the ones I already owned!) I would say hold on to them for a bit.

No. Case by case like you said.

I have some patients that I've bonded with and remember fondly, crazy horror stories, and patients I go home thinking about because I'm worried about them. But none of it has kept me from functioning.

The necessity of it probably is facility dependent. At my former hospital, a big teaching institution, anybody who would be charting on a fetal strip had to have EFM. Since this was a requirement, we did not get a bonus for it. After EFM, you were compensated for having certifications so some other nurses did get certified in inpatient OB. Aside from the accomplishment and increase in knowledge (and beyond a unit requirement), a slight bump in your pay may be the only advantage at your workplace. Also, don't mind those who are belittling your MNN. Sorry to hear you've had to deal with that but I've never come across that attitude in regards to certification so it's likely just the culture there and not everywhere.

I don't love the OR but I'm rarely in there. When I was first learning to circulate I would get so nervous and intimidated too, but like with everything, it gets easier with practice and experience.

One thing that I don't like is that debriefing sessions are often separated into nursing meetings and medical meetings. Not only are we missing out in the chance to learn from each other, I think it leads to the blame game and fosters a "us vs. them" attitude.

I imagine starting salary is going to vary greatly by geography. Keep in mind that I was working in New York City where all RNs pretty much make more than the national average. I have found that the tools at Welcome to Salary.com! - Salary.com have been pretty accurate. In 2008, my starting salary was $70K, with a fixed raise each year and a cap of 90K. (Also, this was position was salaried, so no overtime and I often worked 45 hours a week.) I had nice benefits, too, so that counts for something. In the future, I would recommend asking around if you have friends who work in similar environments so you can get a sense of what is competitive. Clinic salaries are usually lower than hospitals, and also less formulaic (hospitals usually offer a base rate, plus x for experience, plus night differential, plus bonus for certifications or MSN, etc.). Use Job Search | one search. all jobs. Indeed.com or Find Jobs. Build a Better Career. Find Your Calling. | Monster.com or even Craigslist to browse similar positions and see if they post the salary. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think in nursing typically a salary is a salary, and it's not really negotiable unless merit based. So I wouldn't sweat it about salary requirements.

I haven't seen anything in the way of an algorithm or checklist (we just administered what MD asked for) but we had a sealed kit that included 5 tabs of cytotec, and a couple bottles each of pit, hemobate and methergine. We kept it in the med fridge so in an emergency we could just grab that pack instead of fishing out individual vials. I always had to be careful not to forget syringes and needles though! Might be nice if those are included.

When I first started in L&D I think I had about 12 weeks and remember feeling so overwhelmed. But once I was really on my own I knew more than I thought I did. It can be hard when someone else with different habits and priorities is hovering over your shoulder. When I switched jobs I just was on orientation for a month, which was about all I needed to learn the computer systems and policies.

I've heard doctors try to get me restart or up the pit and say "the baby needs to declare itself" meaning, if we can say the baby can't tolerate labor then we can just call a section.

When I worked at a large teaching hospital in New York City, almost 50% of patients brought private cord blood kits and almost everyone else participated in the public bank if it was open. Now that I've moved to a small hospital in the Midwest, I've seen exactly zero.

However.....bare in mind that this might be a foreshadowing of how that institution and floor is run. Not saying you shouldn't take the job, but just be prepared that you might hit administrative bumps along the way.

We treat our leftover pitocin like chemo, careful to use gloves and dispose of in black boxes. Maybe this got someone confused?