What did you do during your OB rotation?

[ssalulu]

Just wondering the types of experiences different students had. What did you see? What were you assigned? Anything hands on or mostly just observing?

[donk]

I went into my ob placement with certain expectations but unfortunately they weren't met. The other students in my program at larger hospitals saw lady partsl deliveries, c sections and did non stop assessments and baby baths. Unfortunately my experience has involved none of that. However I did get to spend a day in the NICU and got to observe some pretty neat stuff and ask a lot of questions!

[turnforthenurse, MSN, NP]

Our time was split between postpartum and L&D. In postpartum, it was A LOT of teaching. We also got a lot of moms who have "been there, done that" so we didn't really do a lot of teaching for them. We hung out in the nursery, fed and cuddled with the babies.

In L&D, it was mostly observation. The goal was to see at least one lady partsl birth and one c-section. Some students saw both, some only saw one. We then helped with post-birth care.

Postpartum was okay, but a little too slow for my liking. I did not enjoy L&D at all, really.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

My experience involved mostly observations.

While in the LVN program, I observed a lady partsl birth and a woman during the antepartal period as she was dilating and effacing. I also spent a couple of shifts in the newborn nursery and postpartum.

While in the RN program, I didn't really do anything or observe anything noteworthy. I basically did care plans because the staff nurses on the OB unit seemed to want us students out of the way.

[BostonFNP, APRN]

I loved my OB rotation in undergrad.

Split time between PP and L&D and SCN/NICU.

L&D got to both see and participate in lady partsl births and sections.

PP did a lot of teaching and assessments. Got to give shot to both mom and baby.

SCN/NICU got a lot of hands-on experience with newborns.

[gabriellegoss]

I watched a lady partsl birth and also a C-section. Got to take care of the baby and mom the day after the C-section and I will never forget it. The family took a picture of me with the baby and emailed it to me. :)

[pixiestudent2]

Literally nothing....

But we have 2 roations so we will see how the next one goes.

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

In my RN program I saw (if you could call it that - I stood in the doorway) ONE delivery - 5 minutes into our first clinical day. After that there was not one single labor patient the entire rest of the term. B.O.R.I.N.G.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

I did my rotation at a very large teaching hospital... so there was not an "OB" floor. There was antepartum, labor and delivery, post-partum, nursery and NICU that were all separate. Well, the nursery was part of the post-partum floor but the others were all separate. We were based on the post-partum floor and everyone had a day in antepartum, labor and delivery and the NICU. The goal was to see one lady partsl birth and one C-section. I saw three C-sections- one scheduled, one semi-urgent and one emergent- and one lady partsl birth. The emergent C-section happened during my day in the NICU and the nurse I was following was called to the birth as the mother was hemorrhaging and it was a twin delivery. C-sections are the freakiest things ever. To see the lady partsl birth, I had to go in for an extra shift on a Friday evening... I'm still not sure why I agreed to that.

I found post partum to be boring but we did get to spend a decent amount of time in the nursery feeding babies, giving shots to both mom and baby (vitamin K and hep B vaccines to baby, Rhogam to mom if indicated), giving newborn baths and participating in newborn assessments with the neonatologist. Actually, I remember one particular day- my baby was a classic case of macrosomia. The MD had a medical student with him and was asking her what she thought the cause of macrosomia was... she went around in circles "ummm... the baby could be edematous? The baby is retaining fluid?" Then he finally looked at me and said "do you know?" "Hmm... could it be that the mother is diabetic?"

So, all in all, I guess my experience was better than most.

[Sparrow91]

I am just finishing my OB, the first day was good, saw a lady partsl birth and was asked to help the mother keep a certain position so I was able to see everything that the midwife was doing up close. After that I did the mums assessments till discharged and then we did not have any mums on the unite so we went to other units (ICU, peds office, specaillty clinics, OR, ect.). OB is hit or miss, some times you see a whole slew of things and some times you see nothing. So don't be to disapointed if you do not get to see anything .

[Tait, MSN, RN]

Nothing. Our OB rotation was 4 weeks and for one of the weeks my instructor was home birthing her CAT. I never saw a delivery, though I did get to work with my first non-English speaking couple and I took care of several post-partum moms and babes. Good thing I grew up on a farm or I might not even know what birth looks like. I of course refuse the mirror in my own deliveries...no thank you.

[mret2231]

4 week rotation. I got to see 4 lady partsl births, 4 C-sections, gave several newborn baths and did newborn assessments and Hep B injections. For mom, mostly observed in labor, but got to do many assessments and fundal checks.