pittnurse08

hey everyone! i was just wondering, if you work in PP are you required to assist with circumcisions? i'm not judging anyone here who does, but it's something i cannot personally bring myself to do. thanks for your input:) rachel

this whole thread makes me so sad i'm only a nursing student right now, but i've been shadowing at the local women's hospital. last time i was there, we had a 22 weeker come in with slight cramping, so the docs did all the standard tests and cultures, no sve but speculum exam showed cervix to be about a fingertip. baby sounded good but the nitrazine came back positive and ferning was "positive" (it was weird, it didn't look like normal ferning, way more wispy), but there was also a possibility that the mom had intercourse within 24 hours (she couldn't remember the exact time), so could that have affected the test? u.s. showed normal fluid. anywho... the doctors decide that her options are to induce, to terminate (i can't remember the exact term, but it's like an abortion, d&c maybe?), or to try to continue the pregnancy. they made a huge effort to "paint the grim picture" to this young (only 19 y/o) patient. it just felt so wrong to me. like they were pressuring her into ending it. i so wanted to say something, maybe suggest a repeat of some of the tests, but as a student it definitely didn't seem like my place to say something like that. i'm just so sad for this poor patient am i wrong here? or should the docs have been making more of an effort to save this baby? ok... done venting... thanks

hey again deb! :wink2: i just got in contact with a l&d nurse at the local women's hospital about shadowing with her this summer! i'm soooo excited :) she also said she could hook me up with a pp nurse so i can see what that is like. depending on how that goes, i might *hopefully* volunteer as a doula for the rest of the summer. i'm hoping to do externships in l&d in the summer after my sophomore and junior years also. do employers consider externships to be "work experience"? i'm trying to get as much experience as possible in the whole maternity arena... any other suggestions of what i can do to get out there and get the experience? thanks for your help ladies! ~rachel~