Stupid Student Question on C-Sections and Nursing Specialty

What type of nurses are involved with c-sections, OB or OR nurses? Just curious how that works.

[Energizer Bunny]

I'm pretty sure it's OB, but I'm just a student too, so don't take my word for it!

[Tiki_Torch]

Every place I've worked it the OB staff nurses that do the c-sections. The hospitals have regular Operating Rooms for all kinds of surgeries (sometimes two separate ORs... one for inpatients, and one for outpatients). The Labor & Delivery Unit (OB Unit) has their own Operating Rooms for doing scheduled as well as emergency c-sections. As a matter of fact, the OB units are much like mini-hospitals of their own because (1) they are like mini-emergency departments because they usually never know what's going to walk through the door at any moment, and (2) because they take care of their own surgery patients. Most hospitals I've worked for have the OB nurses taking care of the patients even during their recovery phase after general anesthesia; one hospital would send these patients to the main hospital's Recovery Room (PACU: Post Anesthesia Care Unit) before sending the mother to her room. It seems like the hospitals who subscribe to the LDRP model are the ones who also perform recovery room activities for the moms too. (The ones with separate Labor & Delivery and Mother-Baby/Postpartum units seem to be the ones that would use the main recovery room to recover their general anesthesia c-sections. I'm speaking as a baby nurse (Mother-Baby unit and NICU) but thought I'd answer your question with my bit of experience since no one had answered you yet. I hope I've been of some help to you.

[BabyRN2Be]

At our hospital, it's OB staff as well. OB has it's own surgical area, staffed by OB nurses. Normally, it their patient needs a c/s, they usually are the ones who assist in the section depending on the time.

[fergus51]

I have worked in hospitals where it was the OR nurses (and the OB nurse would be responsible for the baby) and in places where it was the OB nurses. It just depends on the hospital.

[orrnlori, RN]

Good greif!!!! I'd freak out if they brought in a c-section to my OR. I know nothing about it. Our OB floor does that.

[Baby Catcher]

The OR is in OB and the OB nurse preps the mom for surgery but the OR team comes up and does the surgery. The OB nurse stays in the OR to take care of the baby. People present are: obstetrician who performs the surgery. MD who acts as first assist. 2 OR nurses- 1 who circulates and 1 who hands the instruments. 1 OB nurse. 1 pediatrician.

[SmilingBluEyes]

Depends on where you work. Where I used to work, csections were attended and cirulated by OR nurses. The baby was "caught" by a nursery nurse. Now,where I work OB nurses do all of this. Depends on where you work ....so your answer is :

BOTH OB and OR nurses attend to csections; and both are held to AORN standards of care when so doing.

[suzanne4, RN]

I have worked in both types of facilities, some where the OR did the C/S in the OR and others where they were done in L and D. Depends on the facility.

And have been at some that if the L and D staff were tied up or they had call ins, then an OR crew went up to do the case.

[fourbirds4me]

At our hospital L&D supplies circulator, scrub and assist. Nursery comes for the baby. However there are time when we have to call OR for help if we are really busy or short staffed.