What is considered a "busy" L&D unit?

[fsaav]

I know this might be subjective, but how many births per year is considered busy, moderate, etc?

Thanks.

[magz53]

As discussed on previous threads..........numbers do not tell the tale. I work in a small rural hospital that does 50 or so deliveries a month. There is one L & D nurse per shift.....many times with more than one labor patient....including pit, epidurals etc. also handling triage which can include real problems like pre-termers in possible labor or R/O ROM etc. Any pregnant patient coming to ER gets sent to us first ( that was another thread also ) Working evenings with no aide, no secretary, no tech can be a nightmare shift and NO ONE CARES. Therein lies our low morale as well. We get reprimanded for not maintaining our mandatory inservice packets, QIs, etc. etc. Well, when we are quiet.........we are floated as well. Nothing like coming back to OB when you have been working on a floor full of flu, MRSA, diarrhea etc. I think the mindset of a nurse is a nurse is a nurse is what is most degrading and the total ignoring of our skills is what is most depressing. My question is..........are there any managers or others in the ivory tower that read this forum ????

[tntrn, ASN, RN]

My question is..........are there any managers or others in the ivory tower that read this forum ????

I don't think managers are allowed to read anything but studies, reports, and only what administration tell them to read.

[HappyNurse2005, RN]

We do 3500 deliveries a year, have a 12 bed antepartum unit as part of labor and delivery (not a separately staffed or separately located unit), a triage that has 500 visits a month. We are the perinatal referral center for the area and get the high risk patients, the transfers, etc etc.

To some that might sound busy, to some it may sound like small beans. I say its busy, but we're used to it, so its not bad. Its really a mind set thing, too. If you are easily frazzled, you'll think you're busy more so than someone who stays calm and doesn't get frazzled.

Sounds like a decent enough size to get some good experience at your first labor and delivery job!

[Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP]

My feeling is, if you have the space and are adequately staffed, then it's probably less 'busy' than someplace that's either too small and/or understaffed, even if the numbers are about the same. Best of luck! :)

[L&D caligirl7]

I worked on a unit that did a little over 18,000 deliveries in 2004 (that only counts live births. It was a factory, although a very well organized factory. I miss it. People never believe me when I tell them:)