Registered Nurse, Obstetrics

Hours: 24 Hours, Days/Evenings, Every third weekend, Every third holiday, Temporary

Essential Functions

• Assesses (and reassesses), plans, implements, and evaluates nursing interventions/plans of care/patient goals
• Provides patient care based on standards of care, standards of practice, protocols, and established policies and procedures.
• Respects each patient as an individual; provides care that fosters the patient’s sense of dignity and positive self-regard.
• Provides patient/family teaching based on identified learning needs, readiness to learn, and barriers to learning.
• Collaboratively plans and prepares patient/family for discharge incorporating support systems/resources as necessary.
• Appropriately delegates and supervises nursing interventions performed by others
• Appropriately prioritizes patient care (e.g. seeks assistance as needed from appropriate resources, reassigns personnel as necessary, recognizes need for emergency intervention, etc.).
• Provides thorough, timely, and accurate documentation of all pertinent data, therapeutic interventions and patient responses according to established standards.
• Provides timely and thorough report on assigned patients to other health care team members to ensure integration of services and continuity of patient care.
• Promotes learning for colleagues and self (e.g. functions as preceptor, instructor, trainer, attends professional development programs, etc.).
• Proactively identifies risk to patient safety and identifies opportunities to reduce medical/health care errors (i.e. appropriate reporting of errors/incidents).
• Identifies ethical issues in care and develops plan to address.
• Safely administers medications and intravenous therapy in accordance with physician’s orders, protocols, policies and procedures.
• Assesses patient pain level upon admission and as necessary, depending upon diagnosis utilizing the numerical pain scale.
• Reassesses effectiveness of pain control and notifies physicians as needed, as well as, documents assessment and patients’ response to medication.
• Provides appropriate care to the postpartum and gynecological patient.
• Safely cares for surgical and postpartum patients, recognizes complications and initiates appropriate nursing interventions in collaborations with physicians.
• Provides appropriate information and education to patients and families based upon individual needs so they may effectively care for themselves during hospitalization and following discharge.
• Ensures new mothers and families have the basic understanding of newborn care and resources available after discharge.
• Demonstrates knowledge of medications and the correct administration based on age of patient and their clinical condition.
• Demonstrates proper technique for assessing fundal height, and uterine massage.
• Demonstrates ability to assess lochia, perineum, breast, bowel, bladder and emotional status.
• Responsible for obtaining supporting information and completing required documentation related to medication reconciliation for use by the Attending MD.
• Provides assessment and planning for individualized patient care in collaboration with physicians and other disciplines.
• Assesses the normal stages of labor, delivery and recovery, as well as, identifies any deviation of the normal pattern and progress and takes appropriate action.
• Utilizes fetal monitoring equipment, correctly interprets FHR patterns and initiates appropriate nursing interventions as needed.
• Assists in the stabilization of high-risk patients and accompanies them during transfer to a level two or tertiary care center as appropriate.
• Communicates with physicians about changes in patients’ clinical condition.
• Safely administers and demonstrates knowledge of medications used in labor and delivery. Including but not limited to MGSO4, terbutaline, cervidil/ prostaglandin.
• Implements appropriate procedure for cervical ripening,induction, augmentation, NST, external cephalic version and epidurals.
• Able to articulate care for patients with fetal demise based on perinatal loss protocol and appropriately provides care when applicable.
• Performs a systematic and thorough newborn assessment based upon knowledge of expected adaptation to extra uterine life so that deviation can be recognized

• Communicates appropriately and clearly with physicians concerning any changes in newborn condition and/or abnormal diagnostic test results.

• Performs neonatal resuscitation, assisting physician as necessary.

•  Identifies newborn problems, initiates appropriate nursing interventions, and assists in the stabilization of a critical newborn.

• Provides care and support to mother in her chosen method of infant feeding so that learning is enhanced.

• Demonstrates to new mothers appropriate feeding techniques using literature and teaching video as appropriate (frequency and symptoms of adequate intake).

•  Provides teaching to new mother on newborn care based upon individual patient/family needs so that new mother is able to care for newborn upon discharge.

• Utilizes informative discussions, videos, handouts, and one on ones, teaching class to individualize newborn teaching.

• Utilizes appropriate nursing interventions for infants experiencing difficulty adjusting to extrauterine life.

• Applies pulse oximetry, and photo therapy according to policy and procedure; demonstrates proper technique for administering CPAP via mask or RAM cannula

• Demonstrates knowledge of medications and their correct administration based on age of newborn and his/her clinical condition.

Statement of Other Duties

Job Requirements

Minimum Education

• Graduate of an accredited school of nursing

Minimum Work Experience

• Minimum one year med/surg experience required
• Maternity experience preferred

Minimum Licenses and Certifications

• Current MA license
• IV competent, 
• CPR required
• NRP certified or ability to obtain NRP certification within 90 days of hire.
• AHA-ACLS required or obtained within 60 days of hire.
• For nurses working L&D, must have/complete AWHONN’s Introduction to Fetal Monitoring and also must have/attend AWHONN’s Intermediate Fetal Heart Monitoring within 1 year

Required Skills

• Demonstrates mature professional behaviors, (i.e. tact, empathy and diplomacy). Promotes a positive working environment.