I am currently thinking about leaving ER and trying out my other interest in L&D.
ER has been a very exciting yet stressful environment for me since you never know what is going to come in the door. My question is for the L&D nurses...what is a "typical" day like?
How many patients are you assigned too?
What do you do if more than one patient are fully dilated and ready to push...does another nurse take over?
What is your typical stress level on average (1-10)?
What is the best/worst part of your job?
Do you think an ER nurse could make the transition easily or do you think it is a "whole other world"?
You're prepared for anything....You individually taylor your care to each person, family, nuance, culture, personality, psychosocial situation, etc...You learn something every time with every patient.You listen to your peers and see what works for them.You take the time to thank those you work with every end of shift. You be yourself and learn, learn, learn.......
That's something that I forgot: culture! Find out the demographics of your area and read up on those nationalities. It can make for some very interesting, engaging reading. In my case, I'm dead smack in the middle of the U.S., work in a county hospital and most of our pts are Hispanic and Native American. If you work in cultural hotspots of the country (the West Coast or East Coast), find out more about what your hospital sees. These cultures are fascinating.
Childbirth is indigenous to all races - it's truly an opportunity for a fascinating experience!
"ER has been a very exciting yet stressful environment for me since you never know what is going to come in the door."
---Uh, THAT is the FUN part of L&D! Every day is different!
"what is a "typical" day like?"
---No such thing as a typical day, unless you mean LOTS of hard work, few breaks, and maybe lunch by 3pm!
"How many patients are you assigned too?"
---2 laboring patients or
---1 delivering patient or
---1 c/s patient or
---3 to 4 antepartum patients.
"What do you do if more than one patient are fully dilated and ready to push...does another nurse take over?"
----yes, God willing...(pray for more woment to love Nursing! LOL)
What is your typical stress level on average (1-10)?
---in my understaffed unit, with many non-English-speaking patients, a 12!
"What is the best part of your job?"
---making a BIG difference in someone's life!!
"What is the worst part of your job?"
---understaffing, physical fatigue,
Do you think an ER nurse could make the transition easily or do you think it is a "whole other world"?
----nope...easy transition! You are used to direct patient care, mulitasking, working directly with physicians, time management, physical and emotional crisis intervention, etc.
How long do you think the orientation would be?
---at my hospital, it is a 12 week Preceptorship, that includes classroom AND bedside teaching and supervision.
BabyRN2Be
1,987 Posts
That's something that I forgot: culture! Find out the demographics of your area and read up on those nationalities. It can make for some very interesting, engaging reading. In my case, I'm dead smack in the middle of the U.S., work in a county hospital and most of our pts are Hispanic and Native American. If you work in cultural hotspots of the country (the West Coast or East Coast), find out more about what your hospital sees. These cultures are fascinating.
Childbirth is indigenous to all races - it's truly an opportunity for a fascinating experience!