NYCRN05

Hi AliNajaCat, Thanks so much for the advice! During a recent interview I did tell them that L&D is my true passion and it really is! That's why I'm going to be studying to become a midwife. As for the pay and benefits, I currently work for a hospital so that wouldn't work. Lastly, I wouldn't be leaving this position to begin the master's program. I will be working and going to school at the same time. Thanks again for the advice though!

Thanks so much Cat365 for your advice! I have been keeping an eye out for positions on my old unit (I still work for the same hospital system) but so far nothing has come up. I do know we are currently in a hiring freeze but I'll keep looking on the intranet. And I will also keep my eye open for positions in other hospitals that interest me. Thanks again!

Hello All!! It's been quite some time since I posted here but I was wondering if anyone could help me with a problem I am having. I am an L&D nurse who has been working in community health for approximately 7 years now. I had been working per diem on the unit until about four years ago but had to stop for a number of reasons (health issues, school, time, etc..). I am about to graduate from a BSN program and I plan on going into a master's program next year to study towards becoming a CNM. My problem is this...I recently began applying for positions on L&D because I really miss being on the unit but I'm not having any luck. I feel I am not being considered because I have been out of the hospital setting for so long. Does anyone have any advice as to how I can be considered seriously by HR and nursing management for a position back on an L&D unit? Thanks so much for any and all advice in advance!!!

So sorry to hear you are feeling so down but I can so empathize with you! When I graduated from nursing school I was offered a position in a very good hospital in my area. The only problem was it was on the night shift. I too have never been a night person, have always been able to function much better in the mornings. Well to make a long story short I lasted 6 months on night shift, became severely depressed and was diagnosed with Shift Workers Syndrome (yes there is such a thing!) At that point I went straight to another hospital and I was very frank with my interviewer, explaining to her that the reason I wanted to leave was because I was hired for night shift and I realized I'm just not a night person. In the end I got a position in my dream area of L&D on the day shift and I gave in my resignation effective immediately. Please don't put up with a horrible situation such as the one you are in. It's just not worth it! You are so important to all around you. Jobs come and go, God closes one door but he alway opens others. There has to be a way out. God bless you and please let us know how it all works out for you!!!! :icon_hug::blushkiss

I always knew I wanted to be an L&D nurse even before I became a nurse which just happened two years ago. I have been working on a very busy L&D unit for almost a year and a half and it's everything and nothing like what I expected. My best advice to you is...follow your heart and do what you love. GOOD LUCK!!!

LKB82...My situation is very similar to yours. I am also a relatively new nurse (17 months) and for eighteen years knew Labor and delivery was where I wanted to be. Right out of school went into a different specialty (orthopedics) and I was absolutely miserable After writing to this forum a number times for advice and with the wonderful encouragement of SmilingBlueEyes, I was hired as an L&D nurse ten months ago. I love my job and worked very, very hard and learning the ins and outs of L&D and to this day I still feel I have so much more to learn. I worry every day because the hospital I work at extremely busy (it's not unheard of to have 3-4 patients in various stages of labor) but I too have very supportive coworkers who have always been available to give a helping hand and are always asking "How are you doing?, Is everything alright?, Can we help you in some way?" I also had an extensive orientation period (six months) which really made a difference. So in response to the original poster, it Is possible for a new grad to flourish in L&D!!! Good luck!!

OMG!!! I thought I was the only one experiencing this! I'm a new nurse (only one year now) and I've been in L&D for seven months, one month on my own. I was just telling some of my coworkers yesterday that even when I am at home on my days off I can't stop thinking about work. There are some days that I will just sit and read my maternity text book to try and reinforce everything I'm learning on a daily basis. Even getting a good nights sleep can be difficult because after a tough day I spend the entire night dreaming about the hospital so it feels like I never really leave there. Don't get me wrong...I love what I do. There are just some days that the impact of having lives in my hands is extremely overwhelming. I also work with many high risk patients and also high numbers of patients, there are some days when we can have three or four laboring patients. MamaMadge, thanks so much for voicing what I am feeling :blushkiss :yelclap: :thankya: It's always nice to know you're not alone. :balloons: :balloons: :balloons:

OMG!!! This is exactly what I need! Just yesterday I was thinking about a career in Research nursing but wasn't sure how to go about it. Your are AWESOME for taking the time to do this. God Bless You!!!!!!

Yes, ACF's, Laminectomies, posterior spinal fusions and decompressions, etc, etc. Like I said the doctors are pretty adamant about npo until +BS and +flatus. Then and only then can we advance them. Do your patients usually tolerate the soft diet right away?

Ladydame, I just wanted to say I'm going to be keeping you in my prayers!!! I'm going through a similar situation and for the next two weeks will also be looking for another job. Thank God we have such supportive people in our lives, right? GOOD LUCK AND GOD BLESS!!! Let us know what happens!

Hi Lyallch! On my unit (postop spines, hips and knees) the only patients who must be npo until they have bowel sounds AND are passing flatus are our spine patients, the doctors INSIST on this. Hips and knees are a little more flexible and as long as they have bowel sounds we start advancing them a from clears to full clears, to soft and finally regular as long as they are tolerating the diet, ie no nausea or vomiting. If at any point they start experiencing nausea or vomiting, it's back to npo.

I too work nights (7pm to 7am) and I just came back from the doctors office after being diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety. The doctor put me on Celexa for the depression and gave me a note to stay out of work for the next two weeks until the antidepressant kicks in. Since the day shift is not an option for me at this hospital I'm going to be spending the next two weeks looking for a new job, at a new hospital on days. I've always known I am a day person but felt I had to give nights a shot in the dark (no pun intended). Enough is enough, my health isn't worth all of this and my family needs me at home. Not locked on a Psych ward.

Thank you all so much for your support. The saying goes "Hind sight is 20 20", so obviously I now know where I went wrong with these errors and I never plan on making them again. I've been unhappy in this job pretty much since day one and I absolutely hate working 3rd shift (I've always been a day person), but the charge nurse on my shift and my coworkers have all been really great so I guess that's what has helped me to hold on for seven months. But I'm finally realizing that I'm exhausted (working nights, taking care of a home, husband and two kids), I'm depressed, I've lost the little bit of confidence I had when I graduated from school and I think it's time to start looking for a day position somewhere else. Once again, THANK YOU!!!!!

Hi! Sounds to me like it's definitely some type of fungal infection.

I know, I know...most of you must be looking at this and thinking I'm living it and I feel the same way. I'm posting this because I really need some advice; I'm depressed, confused, feeling incredibly stupid and very guilty. Let me give you the scenarios and you can tell me what you all think. By the way, in case you can't tell...I'm a new grad, June 2005: 1) First medication error occured when I gave the wrong patient the wrong medication (I did a stupid thing by carrying two patients meds at the same time). This patient happened to be a chronic pain patient, knew the medication wasn't for him but accepted the medication anyway. The medication was Percocet 5/325. I alerted my charge nurse right away, told the doctor (who started laughing and told me not to worry about it because this patient was on so many meds the percocet wouldn't do anything to him.), and wrote out the incident report. Went home that day feeling terrible and wondering if I'm really going to be good at this. 2) Second error: received report from Step-down unit, was told this patient had not received his evening dose of Coumadin. When this patient came up to the floor I looked in his file to see if the Coumadin had been given, couldn't find the documentation in the usual place, called the nurse back in an attempt to find out whether it had been given or not, later found out I was connected to another nurse who had also given me report that same night and who told me she had not given the Coumadin. Gave the patient 5mg Coumadin and then found out the original nurse had already given the 5mg!!! Once again filled the incident report and once again went home feeling terrible and wondering if I made the right decision to be a nurse. 3) Latest one: Received report from one of the nurse on my floor that the patients Unasym had been discontinued and the patient now had an order for Penicillin Q24hr, when I looked in the MAR I saw the registrar had picked up the order as Q24hr also, I signed off in the patients chart right under the registrars signature. To make a long story short, next day received a call from the charge nurse on days alerting me to the fact that the patient had missed 3 doses of her penicillin because it was ordered for Q4h!! Filled out another incident report, was written up for this latest occurence, went home and cried myself to sleep and have been feeling horrible ever since. :o For the past 20 years all I've wanted and dreamed about was becoming a registered nurse, I graduated at the very top of my class, received the Gold medal at graduation, and am was hired at one of the top orthopedic facilities (which has Magnet status) in the nation right out of school. I can't help but wonder...what has gone wrong? I can honestly say, I've learned from each and every incident, but I'm beginning to wonder if I should quit before I'm fired. Any and all advice will be very much appreciated. Thanks.