Projects in your OB department

nocturnalnurse · Feb 22, 2014

we just started a new facebook page for our specific unit. over 200 "likes" already!

we are looking for any ways possible to increase our census. the "bigger" hospital is sucking the life out of our business!

baby friendly noises were made but it was dropped.

current safety initiatives are, I think, the normal. hemmorhage, oxytocin, magneisum sulfate...revamping lots of "old" policies.

what's everyone else up to out there?

klone, MSN, RN · Feb 22, 2014

Our OB unit got birthing tubs for water births about six months ago. And we're in the process of getting nitrous oxide for labor analgesia.

Janinern84 · Feb 23, 2014

Interesting!! I hear you nocturnal about the small hospitals. We are in the process of possibly merging with another local hospital

Katie71275 · Feb 23, 2014

We just recently went private in October, and they are changing several things up. Our labor unit is supposed to be getting a face lift and some of our smaller rooms that aren't delivery rooms will be changing over to a labor/delivery room so that we don't have to move them across the hall for delivery. And we have a private doc starting soon(not sure how that will go).

TexasCourgette · Feb 24, 2014

We just started offering birth classes at our hospital, and are increasing the number of tours we give per month. Our unit is in the middle of remodel, and we're gaining an LDR from that. In the last year we've added a "birth plan" to our tour packets (a list of statements people can circle/cross out/write in/edit and bring with them to the hospital, or just use to think about available options), and we're including statements in our classes and tours encouraging women to make their birth preferences/plans known, whether or not they're in writing. Our lactation department is growing, but not fast enough for our patient population--now we screen all babies for "high risk" lactation problems. If they're delivered by cesarean, premature, have any abnormalities, or if the mom is a first-time mother under 18, they're automatically seen during their stay, and if not, then lactation sees them by request and lactation support is offered by RNs. Our outpatient lactation program is also growing.

Not directly related to patient care, but this year, in an attempt to bring our women's services department together as more of a "team", we're registered for the local March of Dimes event this year. The fundraising is fun, even if not everyone participates, and a I think the more unified staff behavior is making for happier nurses, and that affects patients, even if it's indirect.