mrshurstnurse

Hey There! So I'm a new nurse and sounds like we have a lot in common. I work on a renal/metabolic med-surg floor and on-call at a water birth center. I LOVE my job at the birth center. I struggle with my job at the hospital. Although I am nervous at times, I never show it to my patients/clients. I make the decisions I NEED to make when I need to. I second guess them at times, but I'm growing more confident. For me, nursing has been a roller coaster of a career choice and I'm keeping my options open for now. At the birth center we've had a cord prolapse, nuchal cords, distocia's and our share of the anxiety filled events. We've never lost a mom or baby & all outcomes have been well thanks to our midwife's insight, competency & proficient work. & God's grace of course. (Also, birthing centers are only low risk pregnancies) :) However, the midwife is the one making the BIG decisions... with NO SLEEP! lol Of course this is a private owned business, but it is the baby business. She works long hours. It's a 5 day week followed by midnight call-ins, false alarms and late labor alarms. Followed by another 5 day week. CNM's have opportunity for different work hours depending on employment. Here are some things that make the midwife I work with a great midwife: 1. She has learned and mastered the skills needed to do her job well. 2. She is Confident in the skills she learned & when people question her skills does not intimidate her. (She sticks to her guns!) 3. She is constantly critically thinking 4. She is always multitasking. 5. She remains calm in a crisis. 6. She is life-long learner. Those are a few I could go on, but are you seeing a trend? Its the same qualities that make a great nurse. :) I believe skills can be mastered with experience, confidence can be strengthened with time, anxiety & worry overcome when the root cause is discovered and addressed, critical thinking is practiced and learned: All of these things make a great midwife and great nurse. My advice: Learn your skills like the back of your hand, we live and die by the vital signs & assessment, your new confidence motto: fake it 'til you make it. If you have always wanted to be a nurse-midwife do it. Just be sure your not making it more romantic career in your head. The struggles you have as a nurse you will have as a midwife. Your weaknesses will still be your weaknesses and your strengths still your strengths. Good luck! :)

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Hey there nurses! I need your feedback. I am a new grad RN working a med-surg floor. I am almost to my 1 year milestone. :) I currently have an ADN & all prerequisites for my BSN completed. However, teaching is looking appealing to me after all this fast paced stressful environment has got me burnt out in only 10 months time. I appreciate all I've learned. The job experience has been eye opening and strengthened me as a person. However, plain and simple: its not for me. I was considering a dramatic career change these past few months. I don't want to quit nursing entirely. I just want a job that will support my personal strengths. So, I started thinking school nurse. I'm great with kids. Everyone says I would make a good teacher. How about 2 career options? Everyone knows a good nurse has experience with patient teaching. That is one of my favorite parts of my current jobs is teaching patients. :) A BA in education & an AD in nursing? Can you think of any disadvantages that might occur from having these two different career degrees? I do not have any interest in continuing my BSN at the current time. Any nurses out there that have heard of this before or have any advice?? I'll take all I can get from you seasoned nurses / teachers! Mrs. Hurst Nurse

Congrats on the new job new nurse! :) It makes me happy to see that the "You must have experience to be an OB nurse" isn't always the case. I feel like telling everyone who says you need to do med-surg first... THATS NOT TRUE! Hope you settle in well and learn a lot your first few months. My advice: learn the assessments & emergency interventions first and go from there. What is most important? Know what is an emergency and what isn't. As a nurse, I need to know what is a PRIORITY. So, I would focus my learning on what is a need to know & what comes with experience. Here's a few from a OB class..... Malignant Hyperthermia (MH): - Define MH & its prevalence - Review the nurses’ role in MH emergency. - Identify what is needed in MH emergency cart. . Eclampsia in the Hypertensive Patient: - Define the epidemiology & risk factors of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy. - Describe the priorities for treatment & management of care. - Explain the guidelines for anticonvulsant & antihypertensive therapy. Obstetrical Hemorrhage: - Identify the signs of hemorrhage using the ABC’s. - Describe the causes of maternal hemorrhage in the intrapartum and postpartum periods. - Describe the interventions for treating hemorrhages. - Review the basics for a crash c-section. Shoulder Dystocia (SD): - Define SD & the risk factors associated with it. - Describe actions & maneuvers to be taken when SD occurs. - Describe documentation timelines when treating SD. Mock Code- ACLS OB: - Describe the physiologic changes of pregnancy that may affect resuscitation. - Identify the different interventions used for a pregnant woman during resuscitation. - Identify the nurses’ responsibilities in a mock code. Good luck! :) MrsHurstNurse