Registered Nurse Labor and Delivery

About This Role

Registered Nurses on the Labor and Delivery unit are responsible for the overall nursing practice, including assessing the needs of childbearing women and their families, developing and implementing care plans, and evaluating nursing care based on outcomes. This role involves providing comprehensive care throughout pregnancy, labor, and delivery.

Responsibilities

• Promote optimal outcomes for women and fetuses through ongoing assessment, including comprehensive health history, physical assessment, identification of risk factors, and evaluation of fetal well-being
• Provide surveillance and care for all patients presenting to Labor and Delivery, including ruling out labor
• Assess the need for referral to other healthcare professionals or agencies
• Evaluate physical, psychological, and emotional responses of women, fetuses, and families to pregnancy and impending birth
• Assess the developmental level of the patient and incorporate this information into the development of the plan of care
• Participate in the health education of patients and families in collaboration with other healthcare team members
• Secure a physically safe and emotionally satisfying labor and delivery experience for the mother, fetus, and family
• Assess and stabilize the patient and family
• Perform ongoing assessments and data collection
• Develop and implement a plan of care collaboratively with the patient, family, and other healthcare team members
• Evaluate and revise the plan of care based on patient outcomes
• Provide a consistent standard of nursing care during operative delivery and the immediate post-anesthesia recovery period if necessary, which may include scrubbing and circulating for c-sections, newborn resuscitation, fetal monitoring, and recovery care
• Provide neonatal assessment care immediately after delivery
• Accept responsibility and accountability for maintaining knowledge and skills in obstetric nursing practice
• Maintain an awareness of professional issues
• Update knowledge and clinical skills on an ongoing basis
• Remain current on concepts, trends, scientific advances, biomedical equipment, and ethics related to labor and delivery
• Assist with ambulance transports as needed
• Perform related and miscellaneous duties as assigned

Requirements

• Completion of an accredited registered nurse program
• Current Pennsylvania RN licensure
• Meets the American Heart Association’s standards for Healthcare Provider Basic Life Support (BLS) and renews BLS every two years
• Within one year of orientation to Labor & Delivery, meets the American Heart Association’s standards for Healthcare Provider Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and renews ACLS every two years