Why do other floors think OB isn't real work?

Noahm · Dec 30, 2006

Geez. I'm a medical floor nurse and I always thought that OB looked difficult and scary. No way could I handle it. When things go bad in OB they go REAL bad. No thanks. I have a lot of respect for OB nurses.

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Dec 30, 2006

People just don't understand other people's jobs sometimes. I was at ACLS and was the only med-surg nurse there. The Critical Care educator was telling us about the new Rapid Response Team............"it's to help the med-surg nurse, because they don't have good assessment skills and we can talk to the doctor for them because they aren't comfortable talking to doctors".
Whatever.

And that person was an educator? Sounds like they could have stood a refresher course for themselves.

mitchsmom · Dec 31, 2006

I dream of the day we can all respect each other for just being a fellow nurse. What does it matter if we are an ADN or BSN, an Ob nurse, an ICU nurse....or in may case an often looked down area in the profession....school nurse? We all worked hard to get and stay where we are. We all bring a special touch and skill set to our chosen specialty!!

:yeahthat: :yelclap: :cheers:

lannisz · Dec 31, 2006

That's all too common of a thought if you ask me. I, on the other hand have to say that it can be so CRAZY. I don't think people realize that wehn we have 5 patients, that we actually have ten, seeing how we are responsible for all infant vitals, assessments, and any tests hat need to be done (PKU, hearing, Glucose). I was thinking of this last night when I was running back and forth down the hall trying to remember when I went to the bathroom last this WEEK.

Yes! Exactly!

anne74 · Dec 31, 2006

That PACU guy was obviously an idiot. I work in the PACU, and I've never thought OB/L&D nurses have it easy. In fact, I don't think anyone has it easier than anyone else. Different specialities have different stressors, that's all.

I get so tired of nurses taking cracks at other speciality areas. Unless you've worked there, you have no right to judge it, so shut your trap!

PACU gets beat up too. As part of our orientation, we have to take ICU classes and be ACLS certified, etc. One of my ICU instructors said, "I don't even know why you guys are in here. How does this relate to what you do?" Uh, maybe the fact that we TAKE CARE OF ICU PATIENTS might have something to do with it. Once again, quite an ignorant statement from an EDUCATOR!

And if someone thinks they have it so bad in their unit and others have it easier, they can always quit and go work somewhere else. That's a much better use of energy than trying to make others feel inadequate. People need to grow up.

lily_lover · Dec 31, 2006

I have to agree with Marie, people think that OR nurses don't do much at all, in my experience. I had a friend who told me she would "never work in the OR because she liked talking to her patients," and in the next breath complained about her patient ratio! I know that OR nurses don't do a high degree of interaction with their patients (as compared to a med-surg or other units) but we do talk to them, and more than once I've taken time to comfort and reassure someone who was nervous and teary before surgery. I don't think there's such a thing as an "easy" unit in nursing. Someone else made the comment that you run in any nursing unit, and I think that's true. I don't know what that person who made the "easy" comment was thinking, but I don't believe its true at all. God bless all you nurses that work in OB!!! I could never do it, but I know that when I had my son, I had excellent, caring nurses who were patient with a new mom with tons of questions.

SmilingBluEyes · Dec 31, 2006

I think a lot has to do with the fact we MOSTLY deal with healthy patients undergoing a normal and healthy situation, birth.

But I have found many a nurse who either floated or moved to our OB unit to "get a break" learned real quickly it was not quite the "easy street" Unit they thought it to be. You are either an OB nurse or not, and if you are not, it is miserable for you to work there.

I otherwise would not worry what other nurses say. We know what it takes to be a good OB nurse, and that is all that matters.

SmilingBluEyes · Dec 31, 2006

*I think it's most telling of the people saying these things than it of the units of which they speak.*

just food for thought.

wooh, BSN, RN · Dec 31, 2006

There's stereotypes for all the units.

Mother/baby just plays with babies all day.

LTC nurses just talk to old people all day.

OR stands around handing instruments to the docs.

ICU sits around all day since they "only" have 2 patients.

Med/Surg nurses weren't smart enough to cut it in a specialty.

ER nurses are adrenaline junkies that won't do anything unless the patient is losing a limb or coding.

We all think we work in the hardest specialty, and we're probably all wrong!haha!

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Dec 31, 2006

There's stereotypes for all the units.
Mother/baby just plays with babies all day.
LTC nurses just talk to old people all day.
OR stands around handing instruments to the docs.
ICU sits around all day since they "only" have 2 patients.
Med/Surg nurses weren't smart enough to cut it in a specialty.
ER nurses are adrenaline junkies that won't do anything unless the patient is losing a limb or coding.
We all think we work in the hardest specialty, and we're probably all wrong!haha!

Hey, don't forget, mental health nurses just pop pills lol.

wooh, BSN, RN · Dec 31, 2006

Hey, don't forget, mental health nurses just pop pills lol.

Thanks for catching that, I'd hate to forget those lazy bums!!

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Dec 31, 2006

Thanks for catching that, I'd hate to forget those lazy bums!!

I forgot another group, those physician's office nurses just sit around and answer phones all day and drink coffee.

(In case someone hasn't read all the posts, we're just jokin' y'all)