Weekly self-exam

Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of NURS 320 the student should be able to:
1. Apply the ANA Code of Ethics to care of families including client rights, dilemmas between
individual rights and the common good, identification of choices and possible consequences.
5. Practice as a member of a multi-disciplinary health care team.

This week in clinical I was assigned L&D. I felt that it was very eventful and I was
able to observe a lot. I had a labored mother with late decelerations. She was
counseled by the MD that it would be best to deliver via c-section instead of
vaginally. The procedure should take place sooner rather than later. The laboring
mother did have a difficult time deciding whether to have the c-section or not. We
did make the patient aware that she does have the right to choose how she
delivered-in this case the c-section was incouraged d/t the poor recovery and
extended time it took for the baby to recover from each contraction. The patient
was also given the risks of prolonging the procedure. Despite the encouragement
from the physician to start the c-section, the patient wanted a try at another
attempt to deliver vaginally. Unfortunately the baby was having difficulty
(prolonged late decelerations, with prolonged recovery time extended after each
contraction) being delivered vaginally. We ultimately ended up performing an
emergency c-section where the neonatal team was called to assist with the child. I
assisted the primary nurse with laboring efforts (holding the mothers leg, coaching
with breathing, acted as a runner for the MD and nurses). I instructed the father-tobe with gowning up for the procedure. I helped with the counting of sterile gauze
(at the end of the procedure). I also acted as transport when needed. I felt that a
lot happened in one day and it was just after lunch when it finally slowed down.
Fortunately-eventually a healthy baby boy was delivered to a happy recovering
mother.