Imparting Knowledge, Skill, and Confidence to Rural Nurses

Poster PresentationPurpose for the ProgramThe labor and delivery (L&D) nurse manager of a small community hospital contacted our academic medical center and requested assistance to train two medical/surgical nurses who float to the hospital's L&D unit for the occasional birth. Located in a remote area of Northern California with a low volume of births, the hospital setting is not conducive to providing adequate L&D experience for the nurses. A partnership was proposed to better prepare these nurses to care for L&D patients.Proposed ChangeInformation provided by the community hospital indicated an extreme lack of resources for nurses who needed training in specialty areas. As a facility with less than 100 births per year located hours from the nearest city or major medical center, the hospital was not equipped to keep nurses current in L&D skills, knowledge, and practice. We were requested to provide a training opportunity incorporating 240 hours of didactic and practical instruction.Implementation, Outcomes, and EvaluationA contract was secured, and a training outline was developed and submitted for approval. Per UC Davis Medical Center (UCDMC) requirements, a day of hospital orientation preceded the nurses’ L&D training. This included mandatory safety training and the signing of a confidentiality agreement. When the nurses arrived on L&D, the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses’ (AWHONN) Perinatal Orientation and Educa...
Source: Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing - Category: Nursing Authors: Tags: Professional Issues Source Type: research