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The Day In The Life of a Labor and Delivery Nurse

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     A Labor and Delivery Nurse is one of the most essential personnel on the day of a baby’s birth. They are the comfort, support, and so much more to the doctor and family. When it comes to a shift as a L&D nurse, no shift is the same. Each mom is different and no two births are gonna be the same. They must constantly be ready for anything, as childbirth is extremely unpredictable. They also need to be able to think quickly and clearly because anything can go wrong in a matter of seconds. But saying that, this is what they prepare for.  Labor and Delivery nurses need to be able to support a mom and whatever her certain wishes may be, but also factor in the need to do what is best for mom and the baby. A L&D nurse will need to have education in neonatal resuscitation as well as fetal monitoring to ensure the best care. This gives them the extra specialization as a nurse and allows them to help make the best care plan for the mom and baby.  There are man...

Workplace Violence

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       Nurse s deal with a variety of different types of patients, unfortunately, that comes with violent patients. Workplace violence is a major problem within a nurse’s career that is often not talked about because it can create a negative stigma surrounding the healthcare field. Workplace violence is described as, “violent acts, including physical assaults and verbal threats, directed toward persons at work or on duty.”   In the article “Addressing Workplace Violence and Creating a Safer Workplace”, it mentions that “healthcare workers are five times more likely to sustain a workplace violence injury than other professions.” This number is much larger, but many of the violent incidents that take place go unreported. There are several different reasons that there is so much violence in the healthcare setting. Some of these include families and patients who are under extreme physical and emotional stress and an unorganized and chaotic workplace setting tha...

All About Me

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Olivia Malzahn I am 19 years old and a sophomore at East Carolina University. I have gone through many different phases in my short life. I was born in Michigan but moved to North Carolina when I was four. I have lived a very active lifestyle and care a lot about health and fitness.  I love to travel and want to travel around the world one day. One of the places I want to see the most is Greece and I possibly want to have my honeymoon there! I haven’t left the U.S. much, but I have been to Canada quite a few times because my mom was born there. I have only been to 8 different states but I’m hoping to increase that number in the future! I have two younger sisters. Ella, who just turned 18, and Sophia, who is 11. They are my everything and the reason I work so hard at everything I do. I also have a stepbrother, Evan, who is only 6 days younger than I am. I have three dogs, Vera, Hank, and Tito. Vera is a mutt that we rescued, Hank is a lab, and Tito is a chihuahua.  I have many ...

Tying in Ethic Responsibilities to Moral Beliefs

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       Everyone has different morals and beliefs. People can fall into the same category of religion and still have varying beliefs. When it comes to nurses, they have to do their best to not let their morals and religious beliefs influence their decision making when it comes to patient care. Nurses have a responsibility to do what is best for the patient, other members of their healthcare team, and much more.  Everyone has rights and nurses have to ensure that their decisions grant patients those rights even if it goes against any moral and religious standings that nurses may have. Every nurse, at some point in their career, will have to make a decision that goes against what they believe is “correct”. They cannot allow this decision to impact them doing what is ethical. They often come across something called an “ethical dilemma”, which is when “a nurse is expected to pick between two different options. The nurse is conflicted because each of the opposing ch...

Nurses Need To Take Care of Themselves So They Can Take Care of Others

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       Nurse Mental Health is often overlooked. Nurses have such a heavy and difficult workload that it often takes a toll on them mentally and physically. Nurses should be able to prioritize their mental health to allow them to be on top of their game while they are at work. They often feel they have to be the hero because they are there in all the critical moments.       The article, "Why Nurses Need More Mental Health Days," states, “Most nurses are empaths and patient advocates; the first one in the room, the one holding the patient’s hand during those critical moments.” This shows the pressure that they tend to feel on an everyday basis that can weigh on them long after they leave the health care setting. There tends to be a lack of resources to help nurses ensure they are taking care of their mental health. If a nurse continues to feel this way, they will eventually end up burnt out, which can start to impact the care of a patient.  A p...