What is the typical night like on a peds wards or Labor and delivery floor?

nursejoy1, ASN, RN · Sep 18, 2009

I'm wondering too- I do my 1st clinical next Saturday nite.

neonatal_nurse · Sep 18, 2009

As a NICU nurse, we work in collabaration with L&D nurses. The really "toxic" stuff are the admissions. This is aside from the other 10 million things you have to do- meds, charting, procedures etc... It becomes really (and I mean REALLLLLy) CRAZY when there are like 5 pregnant women being wheeled in. You see them and you're like- "Uh-oh, looks like there's no sleeping tonight." It's really tiring. I see the L&D nurses are in-charge of the delivery (of course) as well- you have to prepare the OR if it's a C-section, or the DR, you have to monitor the labor process- basically you run around doing stuff. Sometimes (or most of the time) you don't even get to sit, or eat. On one of our really crazy nights, one L&D nurse joked that she needs Oxygen- she was so tired running around all night, and this is true for us NICU nurses too.

It can get this packed when so many things are happening all at the same time, but there are days when there are no admissions, you hardly do anything. Because these area is very seasonal. There are peak seasons. There may be times that you will be floated on other areas because there are no patients.

All in all, you can learn a lot, you have to get used to things.

Good Luck!

Blackheartednurse · Sep 18, 2009

Wow sound scary,I arleady been asked if I'm ok with floating? (Do I have any choice?? Yeah right.I was interviewed at the same hospital for two openings L and D with floating to M and B or PEDs with floating to M and B, and I dont know which is worse,LOL.I realize that I'm lucky that they even were willing to interview me for those two positions being a new grad and all...If I get hired for the peds unit I will be starting oct.13 so right at the begging of the flu,bronchitis season..so I think it will be pretty wild....I really would love to work OB but I dont mind kiddos.