kejRN

The cabinet is behind the desk in our nurses station. We have a bin for each of our two Novii monitors that has all of the parts in it. This is where we also keep our basket of essential oils. We have made it a habit to put it back pretty much as soon as it comes off of the patient. The cabinet has outlets inside so they stay plugged in at all times. We have not had any issues with missing pods by doing this.

Hi there! I am looking into the FNP program at University of Cincinnati. Did you hear anything back yet? Can I ask what made you chose that program?

Hey all!! I am looking at applying to the FNP program at Walden this fall! I have a few schools on my list in addition to this one. If I may ask, what made you each chose this program? Thanks in advance!

Hey there! I am just starting researching NP programs and Chamberlain in one that is on my list. Can I ask why this is the program you chose? I have a list of a handful of programs that I am interested in (Chamberlain, Walden, Frontier, Maryville, Simmons, etc.). Thanks for any input!

One of the nurses I worked with on Labor and Delivery graduated from FNU last year. She did the midwifery program. She had good things to say about it. A nurse that I currently work with just got accepted last week to the WHNP program and she seems very optimistic about it. I am curious to see how she likes the Frontier Bound when she is finished with it. I actually think that is an awesome idea to be able to meet your classmates in person before the program starts.

Hey! I am in the same boat as you. I am looking at either FNP or WHNP. School is crazy expensive! I hear good things about FNU though.

No problem! Happy to help!

They are helpful...for the most part. We have a joke on our unit that Monica (the brand of device) can be a very fickle creature. When it works, it is amazing. I just used one the other night on a laboring natural patient and it was great. She was able to get in the shower and get on the ball without me worrying about finding baby every few minutes. Sometimes it doesn't work and I am not really sure why. The one thing that I don't like is that sometimes decels, especially variables, look funny, again, I am not sure why. That being said, I am glad that we have them to use. They are great.

We have 2 of them. When they are not in use, they are in a cabinet at the nurses station and the base is plugged in so that the battery is ready to go for the next patient. We have had them for a while and we have never had a lost pod...knock on wood...

Hey all, I am looking at gathering all my stuff to apply for class #167. If anyone gets accepted, please pass on any wisdom or tips for the application process! Thanks!

@sandchedrick, BSN...Totally off topic, but I was looking at different posts regarding FNU NP program and saw that you live in Hawaii. My mom is a nurse and my parents are looking at moving to Oahu. What do you think of the hospitals there?

I am an L&D nurse in Virginia. We do draw labs off of newly placed PIVs. We wait until the lab is at the bedside and then start the IV. They also do it that way in the ED, except they have their own "mini lab". I am not sure how the rest of the hospital does it though.

I think it is kind of unheard of, but not impossible to achieve. I graduated with my ADN 3 months after I turned 20. I took most of my pre-reqs my senior year of high school. I turned 20 in February of '08 and graduated in May and started working at the hospital in July. I worked on an Orthopedic unit so I was giving narcotics on a daily basis, when I couldn't even legally drink a glass of wine to wind down after a long day! And I was the youngest nurse on the unit by several years. That being said, I would not change anything.

We do ours just before beginning the shift, before we get report. We discuss the basics of all the patients on the unit. We all like to somewhat be aware of issues of the patients on the unit. We also discuss any risk reports that were done on the previous shift. We also talk about any hospital wide issues or unit wide issues that need to be discussed. It usually lasts 10 minutes or less.

I work on a Labor and Delivery unit. We do urine drug screens on every patient that comes in, regardless of whether or not they have history. We used to only do a UDS if they have a previous drug history, no prenatal care, or we were suspicious. These patients also get tested during pregnancy at their OB offices. At a certain point in the pregnancy, we get their prenatal histories sent to us. We don't watch them, most often they go into the bathroom alone. We have occasional patients that insist on a friend/spouse go into the bathroom with them, and we can get a little suspicious. If their drug screen comes back positive, we send a segment of the umbilical cord to do a tox screen and we order a social work consult. If we are not able to get a UDS on a patient, we will put cotton balls in the baby's diaper to collect urine and test it that way. In my opinion, I don't think it is a terrible thing to test EVERY patient, regardless of history, but that is just me.

Hey everyone, I wanted to get some suggestions on a tough subject. This might be a bit of a long winded post. Yesterday was Pregnancy Loss and Infant Remembrance Day. Yesterday, our unit (with no involvement from the hospital) did our third yearly candlelight memorial walk for our patients who have experienced a loss, whether it was a pregnancy or an infant. We have a nurse who has a passion for this. She has spearheaded tracking/collecting data on the patients who come in. For the past few years, our unit sends out invitations to these patients inviting them to participate in a candlelight walk if they wish. There are a few speakers, some music, and then a quiet candlelit walk through a park on the hospital campus. It seems as though there are only a few patients who decide to participate, but they all brought a lot of family support. Last night, we were talking about things that we could do to get more support or bring more attention to this or maybe get more community involvement. We were talking about seeing if we could get local businesses to donate flowers, food, etc. We were also wanting to see involvement from the hospital (management support, etc). Is there anyone who has experience in doing something like this with their hospital? Or, if you have experienced a loss yourself, would this be something you would participate in and if so, what would you like to see/hear/do? Our main goal is to be there for our patients and let them know that we care about them and that we want to honor their babies that are no longer with us. We are the ones they see when they come in and we hold their hands through this sad and emotional time. If anyone has any ideas, thoughts, comments, concerns, please let me know! We want to get on planning for next year because it is something we would like to keep doing for our patients. Thanks for your input!

I happened to just stumble upon this. I have about 2.5 years of L&D experience and I am thinking about taking the exam and am currently looking for good study literature.

Thanks for your reply. I have thought about going back for my Master's because I am not sure if I want to do bedside nursing for my whole career. I have RA, which I was diagnosed with before I started nursing school, and I am not sure if I will physically be able to be a floor nurse in 20-30 years. I don't feel like management is the route I want to go, same with education. But, there is something intriguing about the challenge of being a nurse practitioner. Once I decide, then next choice would be which program to chose.

Congrats! L&D was my dream job too and it took me 4.5 years to finally get there. Our unit typically doesn't hire new grads either (with a few exceptions, like students who precepted there and were great). I was terrified when I first started that I was going to hate it, but I love it. Elevense has some great tips. I would also ask a lot of questions to who ever you are orienting with and others. I would definitely be proactive in your orientation. If you see something going on that you want to do, speak up and ask if you can be a part of it. Don't be afraid to ask for help if you don't understand something or don't know how to do something. I am sure you will do awesome. Congrats again and good luck!

We just started using these at my facility recently. I have not seen one placed yet, but I am curious about them. The other night, one was placed on another patient. From how the nurse was talking, it seems like it was placed by feel and not visualization. I don't think hers was in very long before she SROM'd and was 4cms at that point. Hopefully in the near future I will get to see one placed.

This is definitely not okay and I am sorry that this has been your experience in an area that can be rewarding to work in. I have been working on L&D for a few years now, granted I was not a new grad when I started. L&D is such a specialized area that it takes a long time to learn things. There are still things that I am not completely comfortable doing and I still ask a lot of questions. Nurses who are new to that area should get a lot of support. I would definitely pursue conversations with your unit manager or director and see if some of these things can be resolved. Good luck and I hope things get better for you!

I have been thinking of getting my Master's degree for several years now. I started with my ADN and went back for my BSN after 3 years of working. I have been a nurse for 8 years now, with experience in Ortho/Med-Surg, and Labor and Delivery. I have thought about and actually started a program geared towards Nursing Education, but I am not convinced that that is what I want to do for the rest of my career. Over the years, my mind keeps drifting towards being a Nurse Practitioner, either Family Practice or Women's Health. I think part of my hesitation is that I don't feel like I am smart enough to be an NP. I know there are several good programs in the area I live in. Any tips or suggestions on how I can make this important decision? Thanks!!

I am in the same boat as you. I just applied and got accepted to the Nurse Educator program at Cappella. There are no schools near me that offer that program on campus. I start next month. Now, I am starting the whole process of financial aid, scholarships, etc. Good luck to you!