evltwnRN

OMG!! We initially had to do both too. Some of us almost quit. The L&D unit that I work on is supposed to staff 6 or 7 on days, 5 on eve and 5 on nights. Well reality is 5 on days, 4 on eve and 3 on nights with people on call. It was almost impossible to do both. I thought it would be better just to scrap the paper and jump right into the computer. Then you had to learn it and didn' t have a net (of paper) so to speak. It is 6 months since going live and we have Dr. that refuse to use the computer to chart, nurses who use paper in triage because the triage in the computer is way to long, nurses who skip over parts of the admission or don't do the admission because they don't like it. I would have to say many of us only like the point and click part of the Fetal Heart Tracing. The rest is just a pain. I used to work at a little hospital like that. They would staff 3 nurses, one in PP, one in the nursery, one in L&D. You could get floated out too,I would refuse and get sent home instead. It was always very interesting. They had 5 beds in L&D and 2 ORs. If you needed another nurse the babies went out to mom and the nursery nurse came to help you. Now where I work there are 9 beds for L&D, 5 Triage beds that double as recovery, and 2 ORs. There is no floating but we are rarely ever slow and I work 12 hour shifts so rarely if ever the chance to leave early because it affects the next shift. Which is always short. Any way you would probably do better to concentrate on the computer and ldt the paper go. Goog luck :balloons:

OMG!! We initially had to do both too. Some of us almost quit. The L&D unit that I work on is supposed to staff 6 or 7 on days, 5 on eve and 5 on nights. Well reality is 5 on days, 4 on eve and 3 on nights with people on call. It was almost impossible to do both. I thought it would be better just to scrap the paper and jump right into the computer. Then you had to learn it and didn' t have a net (of paper) so to speak. It is 6 months since going live and we have Dr. that refuse to use the computer to chart, nurses who use paper in triage because the triage in the computer is way to long, nurses who skip over parts of the admission or don't do the admission because they don't like it. I would have to say many of us only like the point and click part of the Fetal Heart Tracing. The rest is just a pain. I used to work at a little hospital like that. They would staff 3 nurses, one in PP, one in the nursery, one in L&D. You could get floated out too,I would refuse and get sent home instead. It was always very interesting. They had 5 beds in L&D and 2 ORs. If you needed another nurse the babies went out to mom and the nursery nurse came to help you. Now where I work there are 9 beds for L&D, 5 Triage beds that double as recovery, and 2 ORs. There is no floating but we are rarely ever slow and I work 12 hour shifts so rarely if ever the chance to leave early because it affects the next shift. Which is always short. Any way you would probably do better to concentrate on the computer and ldt the paper go. Goog luck :balloons:

I used to really love Hollister charting. To me it was so quick and easy. The computer program we use is Quantatative Sentinel. You can chart directly on the Fetal Heart Tracing but the other screens take forever. it would be great to just be able to chart everything right from the strip. Then when you need to find something like ROM you have to click through about 6 screens you can'tjust go to that one. There is no one screen that has all the info on it. The postpartum unit doesn't use the same program and they are not going to be. So when we transfer the patient we have to print out the entire chart. We use more paper now than we did when we used paper. :balloons: :angryfire :imbar

our bedside computers don't "talk" to the other programs the hospital has. They don't even talk to Postpartum. The only internet is at the nurses station. Yours sound much better. If I had the ability to pull labs up at the bedside it would be a much better program we do get some pretty sick moms that need ICU type care in labor.

Hey Everyone, I am a L&D nurse for 15 years and I need some input. My unit has recently been computerized. I am also a student going for my APRN in Womens Health. I am writting a paper on nursing and computers. Thats where the input comes in... How big is your unit and what is your nurse patient ratio for the different stages? Not what is should be but what is REALLY is. 1. Do you have computer charting on your unit? 2.How do you feel about it? 3. What is your program like? Do you have multiple screens to do what was on one sheet of paper etc.? 4. Do you think it frees you up to give more individual time to the patient? Any other comments or insight is welcome.

Hi All, I need some input. I have an essay to write in one of my classes on technology and nursing. My topic is "Do computers bring the nurse back to the bedside?" The L & D unit I work on has only been computerized for about 5 months. Does anyone else out there have an opinion on if computers are good or bad? If you work L & D I am especially interested. Thanks