Out of the frying pan....into the delivery room.

[chameleonknight]

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Hopefully, someone here can give me some advice, tips, motivation, etc.

My school has a program wherein first year med students get some clinical exposure. As luck would have it, I'm one of the first to get to experience this. I have to report to the L/D unit on Tues. and observe a delivery. I've been given very little instruction other than "find the resident on call" Hm.

Anyway, any advice? Also, do I have to bring my own scrubs or do they have some available on site? Is there anything I should definitely know ahead of time? Despite being mostly observational, I may have to assist the staff at some point.

Thanks!

 

[Clair de Lune]

I just got off L&D rotation myself, so maybe I can help you out a little. If you are just observing, there shouldn't be too much to prepare for. Here, and in most places, they have scrubs in the L&D department that you have to change into. When you are observing, just make sure you don't contaminate the sterile field by bumping into something. If they are letting you scrub in, I'd suggest you wear old shoes, things can get messy in the delivery room. If you want to be a true gunner, you could review the 7 cardinal movements of labor and delivery, otherwise just show up & enjoy the show 🙂 Seeing a delivery is an awesome experience--let us know how it goes!

 

[Mumpu]

L/D is terribly messy. Old shoes and someone else's (preferrably the hospital's) scrubs are the way to go. Another key is a mask with a face shield or safety goggles. Body fluids in the eyes is not the way to start off your medical career. Review the 7 cardinal movements -- nothing looks worse than "don't expect anything from me, I'm just a med student" attitude. Also, reviewing the basics will make the experience much more interesting and educational because you will actually have some idea of what's going on.

And don't forget about the machine that goes "bing!" (it is, after all, the most expensive machine in the hospital). 🙂

 

[kornphan]

Another key is a mask with a face shield or safety goggles. Body fluids in the eyes is not the way to start off your medical career. Review the 7 cardinal movements --

I will be starting this rotation in few months, questions :

1) Are the "face shield or safety goggles" provided or do I need to buy them myself ?

2) " 7 cardinal movements " what / when / where ?.. any recommended reading ?

Thanks so much..

 

[Winged Scapula]

I will be starting this rotation in few months, questions :

1) Are the "face shield or safety goggles" provided or do I need to buy them myself ?

2) " 7 cardinal movements " what / when / where ?.. any recommended reading ?

Thanks so much..

Masks with shields are found in all delivery rooms and ORs. You do not need to provide your own.

The cardinal movements refer to the movements the infant makes as he moves through the birth canal . These can be found in any book with Obstetrics content but as I recall they are: engagement, descent, flexion, internal rotation, extension, external rotation and expulsion. Looking at some pictures will help clarify these movements for you.

 

[chameleonknight]

Masks with shields are found in all delivery rooms and ORs. You do not need to provide your own.

The cardinal movements refer to the movements the infant makes as he moves through the birth canal . These can be found in any book with Obstetrics content but as I recall they are: engagement, descent, flexion, internal rotation, extension, external rotation and expulsion. Looking at some pictures will help clarify these movements for you.

Thanks for your help, everyone. I am looking forward to this experience; looking like I actually have a minor clue will be nice as well!

 

[Sohalia]

See if you can check out OB-Gyn Blueprints and take a look at it. If your school has nurse midwives and you're interested in OB-Gyn, you might want to try to hang out with them when you can, because they often let you do more. Don't worry, all the safety stuff (gowns, masks, shoe covers, etc.) are in the delivery rooms. You might want to page your resident prior to Tuesday* to find out if s/he wants you to do anything in particular, like wear scrubs.

Should be a fun experience!

*Oops, looks like you might already have started, but this practice of paging your intern prior to starting a rotation is common at my school, and may be helpful for you in the future. It gives you a chance to find out when you round, etc.

 

[chameleonknight]

Believe me when I say that NOTHING about this experience was slightly organized.

I'm not really interested in OB-GYN, although the experience itself was good. The tension around that department was pretty high, so I tried to stay out of the way as much as possible.
Thanks anyway. 🙂

 

[Diane L. Evans]

Let us know how your month has gone.

 

[njbmd]

Hi there,
Since you are just observing, Kimberly's suggestions are right on. You may also want to observe the bonding between mother and child; how the midwife/OB doc gets the mother focused on delivery; timing of labor, timing of epidural anesthesia; placement of epidural anesthesia etc. Read a simple review text and try to get the most out of your experience. You don't have to be interested in OB to appreciate the wonder of this experience. Try to pick up as many professional pearls that you can incorporate into your future practice.

njbmd 🙂

 

[Fro]

My school has a program wherein first year med students get some clinical exposure. As luck would have it, I'm one of the first to get to experience this. I have to report to the L/D unit on Tues. and observe a delivery. I've been given very little instruction other than "find the resident on call" Hm.

ahaha
"find the resident on call"
classic

 

[HiddenTruth]

ahaha
"find the resident on call"
classic

sounds like my entire FP rotation--it was hOrrible

 

[chameleonknight]

Let us know how your month has gone.

Actually, it was just one night; I was only on the ward for about 7 hours and learned very little--except where the supply room was. 🙂 Overall, it was fun, absolutely nothing was expected of me other than fetching one or two things and staying out of the way.

And everyone: from the nurses to the residents to the secretaries, seemed either ticked off, upset, or stressed out. The third years were the only sane ones there If my OB-Gyn rotation during third year resembles this experience, I'm pretty certain I won't be setting my sights on that speciality.

Thanks again everyone for all of the advice!

 

[crazy4MD]

Ah! i gotta say, i'm in the middle of my OBGYN rotation and I can't wait till its over! This is my first rotation and its been so hard trying to find my way around and dealing with the residents. Some of them are nice but some just totally ignore me. Even my chief resident, I mean what is a person to do if even their chief ignores them and pretends they don't exist. Its very irritating. Plus the attendants feel its their obligation to scold me for really silly things. I mean really...I hope my other rotations aren't so bad. I'm sorry, I'm just taking this opportunity to vent my frustrations. Being a med student just plain sucks sometimes. 🙁