How Does a Labor and Delivery Nurse Spend a Workday?
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Working With Patients
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A labor and delivery nurse spends most of her workday aiding a woman in the labor and delivery process. The nurse must keep track of the patients' and unborn babies' vital signs. The nurse must keep track of the progress of the labor to alert the doctor when it is time for the patient to begin pushing. The nurse must also keep an eye out for any complications that arise. Patients are oftentimes nervous and in intense pain. A labor and delivery nurse must be patient and encouraging. He must be able to make the patient feel more comfortable and relaxed.
Working With Physicians
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The labor and delivery nurse spends some of her workday aiding physicians in delivery. The nurse will aid in normal delivery as well as C-sections. He will need to be able to aid the physician in emergency operations as well as planned ones. The nurse will also need to be in contact with the physician during the course of a patients labor and must be able to carry out the instructions of the physician.
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Working With Infants
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After the patient delivers her child, it is the nurse's responsibility to take the infant from the physician and clean the infant off. The nurse must make sure the baby is breathing normally. The nurse then takes all of the baby's vital signs and assigns the baby an apgar score. The nurse must monitor the baby and feed and change the baby when necessary. The nurse will also aid the mother in learning to nurse the baby. If the baby has any health issues, the nurse must care for the baby and arrange for specialists to come and evaluate the baby.
Paperwork
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A labor and delivery nurse spends the rest of his day completing paperwork. The nurse must keep track of everything he has done for the patient, the doctor, or the infant. Most records are kept in the patients chart or at the front desk. The paperwork is usually completed throughout the day as the nurse completes the tasks but must finished before the nurse leaves for the day. The paperwork must also be explained to the nurse that is coming in for the next shift. For this reason, nurses must work 13-hour shifts. One hour is for updating the nurses coming in for the next shift.
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- Photo Credit Jenny Rollo
