4 answers
Sequoia
Student
Kerrville, Texas
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What are the hours like of a labor and delivery nurse?
I love kids and helping other people.#Labor-and-delivery #nursing
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4 answers
Ashley Anders
Labor and Delivery/Postpartum/Stable Newborn/Gynecology Registered Nurse
15
Answers
Wytheville, Virginia
Updated
Ashley’s Answer
Hey Sequoia! I have been a Labor and Delivery nurse for around 5 years now. I am so lucky to have found a career path that I am so passionate about because it honestly to me a long time to decide exactly what I wanted to do. There are so so many options! But I really enjoy using my knowledge and love of labor and delivery nursing to help others find their passion too! I guess the point is don't feel lost for not knowing what you want to do right away. Think really hard about the things you love and expand on that to find a career that best suits you!
Most Labor and Delivery jobs require 12 hour shifts 3 days a week for a total of 36 hours a week. They consider this full time. Sometimes this can vary with educational days (for other certifications such as CPR, etc.) and some units also requires on call shifts. On call shifts means that you technically are not working but are being paid to be available in case your unit needs extra help that day. Some units depending on staffing and how busy they are also have overtimes shift that can also be picked up if your so choose for some extra money.
The best advice I have is when you go to interview for a position to ask the manager of the unit:
How many shifts a week you are required to work
How long are said shifts
Is there mandatory on call shifts/overtime
Most Labor and Delivery jobs require 12 hour shifts 3 days a week for a total of 36 hours a week. They consider this full time. Sometimes this can vary with educational days (for other certifications such as CPR, etc.) and some units also requires on call shifts. On call shifts means that you technically are not working but are being paid to be available in case your unit needs extra help that day. Some units depending on staffing and how busy they are also have overtimes shift that can also be picked up if your so choose for some extra money.
The best advice I have is when you go to interview for a position to ask the manager of the unit:
How many shifts a week you are required to work
How long are said shifts
Is there mandatory on call shifts/overtime
Melissa Haltom, MSN, APRN, FNP-C
Nurse Practitioner
29
Answers
Houston, Texas
Updated
Melissa’s Answer
Great question! Most hospital 'shifts' are 12 hours long for the best continuity of care, mostly 7am to 7pm (the day shift) or 7pm to 7am (the night shift). This makes for only two 'shift changes' (when the current shift gives 'report' to the oncoming shifts).
The 'report' includes all of the patients information (demographics), their pertinent medical, surgical, and social history, their treatment and progress, medications, discharge information and so on and so forth. It is quite a lot of information.
I'll make an analogy to explain more in depth. Imagine you are babysitting a baby. Before you babysit (for your shift) you ask pertinent questions. How old is the baby (may determine what you plan to do), Does the baby need to eat on your shift (Is he at an age with increased choking hazards)? What does he eat? Will he need a nap or will he be ready to play? Does he have any medical conditions (any inhalers you should know about, peanut allergies?). And when the parents come home (for their shift) they tend to ask questions regarding the baby. Did the baby sleep? How long? Did he eat? What and how much? Did he get hurt? Where and what happened? Did you give him medicine? Did he cry or was he happy?
The report is very important for continuity of care for the patient (continuing the care of a patient with all the important and necessary information inclusive to that particular patient), and very thorough. Usually an oncoming nurse gets more than one of these reports (because they have more than one patient to take care of during their shift).
That is why nurses will typically come in early for 'shift change', and will leave when it is over. This means you typically start a 7am shift at 6:30am and usually end the 7pm shift at 7:30pm (or whenever you are done giving all the reports to the oncoming nurses who will now take care of your patients).
The nurse also has to finish 'charting' on all of his/her patients before leaving the hospital, and hopefully this was done before shift change. Charting is when the nurse inputs everything he or she did, and everything that the patient has done, into the computer. Everything.
The nurse can go home when all of the patients have a new nurse to care for them, reports are done, charting is complete, and all other items are taken care of to complete the shift.
I hope this gives you a better insight into the wonderful world of nursing, and how nurse shifts, shift change, giving report, charting, and ultimately the continuity of patient care... works.
Good luck in your decision! Be the best nurse you can be when you get on the 'floor'- your patients deserve it!
Melissa
The 'report' includes all of the patients information (demographics), their pertinent medical, surgical, and social history, their treatment and progress, medications, discharge information and so on and so forth. It is quite a lot of information.
I'll make an analogy to explain more in depth. Imagine you are babysitting a baby. Before you babysit (for your shift) you ask pertinent questions. How old is the baby (may determine what you plan to do), Does the baby need to eat on your shift (Is he at an age with increased choking hazards)? What does he eat? Will he need a nap or will he be ready to play? Does he have any medical conditions (any inhalers you should know about, peanut allergies?). And when the parents come home (for their shift) they tend to ask questions regarding the baby. Did the baby sleep? How long? Did he eat? What and how much? Did he get hurt? Where and what happened? Did you give him medicine? Did he cry or was he happy?
The report is very important for continuity of care for the patient (continuing the care of a patient with all the important and necessary information inclusive to that particular patient), and very thorough. Usually an oncoming nurse gets more than one of these reports (because they have more than one patient to take care of during their shift).
That is why nurses will typically come in early for 'shift change', and will leave when it is over. This means you typically start a 7am shift at 6:30am and usually end the 7pm shift at 7:30pm (or whenever you are done giving all the reports to the oncoming nurses who will now take care of your patients).
The nurse also has to finish 'charting' on all of his/her patients before leaving the hospital, and hopefully this was done before shift change. Charting is when the nurse inputs everything he or she did, and everything that the patient has done, into the computer. Everything.
The nurse can go home when all of the patients have a new nurse to care for them, reports are done, charting is complete, and all other items are taken care of to complete the shift.
I hope this gives you a better insight into the wonderful world of nursing, and how nurse shifts, shift change, giving report, charting, and ultimately the continuity of patient care... works.
Good luck in your decision! Be the best nurse you can be when you get on the 'floor'- your patients deserve it!
Melissa
Mansi Sharma
Technical engineer
20
Answers
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Updated
Mansi’s Answer
The person that's their go-to is that labor and delivery nurse.” L&D nurses generally work 12-hour shifts, but because of the strong connection that forms, it's not unusual for them to stay past their shift change just to be there when the baby is born.
Thanks this helped a lot!
Sequoia
Jimavis Arnold
Nurse Case Manager-Team Leader
12
Answers
Detroit, Michigan
Updated
Jimavis’s Answer
The hours in L&D may vary. It really depends on where you work. Some hospitals are on twelve hour shifts. This could be potentially 7am-7pm or 7pm-7am. Other places work on a 8 hour shift that is similar to 7am-3pm, 3-11pm,11pm-7am.
Thank you!
Sequoia