[nursepushhh]

I work in L&D in a small hospital in the south. We do 700-800 deliveries a year. Because a large majority of our deliveries are pit inductions, we deliver at LEAST half our babies at night (I work 7p-7a). After working about a year, I found that I was growing increasingly concerned due to the fact that I was always working alone. There is also a nursery nurse and a PP nurse, but I was always alone in L&D. I constantly worried what might walk through the door! I decided, last September, that I would apply elsewhere - so I did. I got a job in a larger hospital. I HATED it. The workload wasn't nearly as bad and there was always someone there with me, but on my first day, the entire staff acted like I showed up unexpectedly (even though I was on the schedule). The lady who was to be my precepter wasn't even scheduled with me for the whole month and I was put with the most uncaring, unfeeling person on the face of the earth! She sneered at me as she asked who I was, then when she found that I had experience in L&D she promptly handed her patients over - with me protesting the entire time - and left the floor! I didn't even know where things were! IT WAS MY FIRST DAY! To make a long story short, things went from bad to worse. Constant backstabbing - people trating orientees as if they were dirt, etc. Meanwhile, the new nurse manager at my old job begged me to come back. A new company was buying our hospital and I was told that things would be better -two nurses each shift, no C-section call ... So I went back after only a few weeks on my other job. Now the new company is in place and the "second" nurse in L&D is constantly being floated to other areas. The other night, I was floated to CCU which had 2 patients, when there were three in L&D - two needing to be admitted and a triage! This is an ongoing thing, but I am so scared to leave after my last experience. We have complained until we are blue in the face and are down to minium staffing because everyone is leaving. Our complaints are met with the attitude that we are "spoiled brats". Any advice?

[BirthingCenterRN]

I am also an OB nurse. I have worked at small hospitals to university hospitals. The ONE thing you need to think about is the experience of the staff around you. When workforce is tested and patients see it, they tend to look for mistakes. If the nurse before you made a mistake, you are going to court with her. That is the reason I left my small hospital close to home. The averge delivery experience there was about 100 deliveries. You can't put yourself into a bad situation. Are you trained in telemetry? Would that hospital dare put a telemetry nurse into OB? Remember, we are specialists in a critical care area in which we can see one patient and cannot see one patient. Because OB is a "happy" place, a lot of people, management included, forget that we are critical care specialists with training that no other nurse can jump in and do. Don't be afraid of change. If you don't burn bridges, you can always cross back over.

[sleeplessrn2003]

Did you ever find a job that wasn't just horrible. The last post you left in March of last year was very sad. It appeared that you were running out of patience with just about every one, and were getting absolutely no support!

Where are you now. I'm a travel nurse and what makes my job rock is that I don't have to stay if it doesn't feel right. I've worked postpartum and level II nursery; I know how awful the nightshift can be and how the skeleton crew they leave us is not only ridiculous, it's downright dangerous!!! Are things better? I wish you well. I just joined this site and noticed that it's not terribly active but it is very interesting.

Jessica