What are the positions in the delivery room?

KellNY, RN · Dec 15, 2006

Surg tech would help you be *near* the babies and mothers, but you're doing things like passing suture materials, counting out sponges and accounting for all instruments, etc. No baby handling/touching. And that's only in the OR, not at a lady partsl delivery.

In a lady partsl delivery it's usually just the RNs and MDs or CNMs. The RNs take the baby from the MD/CNM and clean/assess/feed it. They're also the ones caring for the mother. There really isn't any room for unlicensed personel. At least not in any L&D I've ever been at.

You could be an aid, but again, in L&D there isn't much actual patient care, and you most likely wouldn't be there for the delivery--it's mostly transporting moms to the post partum floor, stocking, running for supplies, more stocking, some cleaning, more running, etc.

Your best bet if you want to be there for a delivery and do patient care is go for the RN. Most L&Ds don't employ LPNs (we have a thread here about that, actually).

-Kellny

HR_LPN · Dec 15, 2006

I'm an LPN who works Postpartum in a rural hospital. I'm currently taking classes to train in nursery. I'm a fresh graduate and was very lucky to get my job. Most "rural" hospitals will hire LPN's to do PP and Nsy IF they cannot find a RN who is willing to take the job. However, I know of no hospitals that allow LPNs to do actual L&D. The meds that have to be given to the laboring pt are out of the LPN's scope of practice.

In my hospital, we have LDRP rooms. Even though I am the PP nurse, I do a great deal of work with the babies also. I help my coworkers in the Nsy as much as possible so that I do get some hands on experience before I officially start training in Nsy.

As far as the L&D part of things, I am occasionally in the delivery room but I'm "observing". But, once or twice I did have to help out because baby needed some resusitation and mom was bleeding too much. In those instances, I was just "there" and an extra hand.

Hope this helps and good luck with whatever you decide to do!!!

SmilingBluEyes · Dec 15, 2006

The above posts are very helpful; I have nothing to add. But I wanted to wish you the best of luck, achieving your dream.

powernurse · Dec 15, 2006

i worked on mother baby all through nursing school. i had a cna and emt but i know they would have hired me as a patient care tech if i met any ONE of those criteria..... most units will take you as a PCT if you are past your first semester of nursing school.... the cna is only a few weeks to obtain, there are accellerated 2 and 3 week courses if you look for them and the emt basic training is about 10 -13 weeks long but an invaluable experience. i am an RN now but women and childrens health is a great place to work.... good luck to you....

mitchsmom · Dec 16, 2006

I guess what I am asking is who all goes in and out of the L&D room before, during, and after delivery?

98% of the time on our unit, it is the RN. 1.5% of the time maybe the MD (we don't have any midwives) and .5% is an LPN or CNA. We do have one LPN who "catches" babies often and does the portions of initial baby care that are within her scope (she is great - I think it's pretty much everything but the Ballard/Dubowitz assessment that she does, and the other newborn assessments have to be signed off by an RN). She can't be the nurse for the mother since that's L&D. Our CNA occasionally comes in immediately after birth to help us clean up and put things back where they go (take delivery table back where it goes, etc.), she also does a lot of initial baby baths (she is also great!). Our CNA doesn't really clean that much overall though, she mostly does vitals, stocks rooms, makes delivery tables, does initial baby baths, helps us pass out meals and pick finished trays back up, sometimes gets call lights and helps if it's within her scope or gets us if not, assists us when we get moms up out of bed for the first time, etc. Our CNA has a fair amount of pt contact with postpartum families; that said I'd go ahead and shoot for the highest education possible if it were me; as I wrote, the RN's have by far the most contact.

enfermeraSG · Dec 21, 2006

Check with your local hospitals because it really depends on what positions they utilize. We do not use LPN's on L&D, but sometimes mom/baby does. We do use Surg techs but JCAHO requires cert. in this area - meaning schooling of about 3 semesters. (BTW, that's what I did on L&D through nursing school) Otherwise, we use CNA's on mom/baby, while L&D only has RN's and surg techs. Both of those positions would be good, but you would learn a lot more on L&D they would benefit you later. Good luck! SG