Staff Nurse - Labor & Delivery

Purpose and Scope of the Job

The Labor Room Staff Nurse provides direct and indirect care for assigned patients in labor and delivery unit per scheduled shifts. The Labor Room Staff Nurse is primarily responsible for professional performance and safe patient care. The role encompasses nursing assessment, diagnosis, planning, intervention, evaluation, and coordination of care for patients and their families across the health care continuum and involving families. It includes but not limited to, assisting physicians during delivery, taking care of the neonates immediately post-partum and assists physicians during C sections. The Labor Room Staff Nurse is accountable for clinical, educational, quality, and fiscal patient care outcomes, in accordance with established institution's policies, procedures, guidelines, and standards of practice. Participates in PI projects, and collaborates with other professional disciplines to ensure effective and efficient patient care delivery and the achievement of desired outcomes. Carries out planned activities to promote Excellence in care. Utilizes knowledge of human development stages, and cultural diversity into the provision of patient care. Abides by accreditation standards and international standards. Supports the mission and vision of the Dar Al Shifa Hospital (DASH) and the Nursing Department.

Main Duties and Responsibilities/Performance Standards

1

Provide age-specific patient-centered care utilizing the nursing process:

• Perform patient assessment using appropriate, problem focused, and age-specific assessment techniques
• Involve the patient, significant others, and health care providers in the plan of care when appropriate.
• Collaborate with other disciplines through multidisciplinary meetings and care conferences to facilitate patient care and operations.
• Analyze the assessment data, derive nursing interventions, set priorities according to patients needs, formulate a plan of care, implement and evaluate the outcome
• Initiate appropriate transfer plan.
• Recognize subtle cues to anticipate potential problems.
• Document all relevant data in the medical record according to hospital/departmental standards.
• Ensure availability and maintenance of supplies and equipment needed for the unit and patient care.
• Accountable for the use of patients’ and hospital’s resources.
• Accountable for the patient, the organization, the profession and self.
• Perform clerical duties when needed.
• Assume responsibility for meeting required mandatory education, e.g., fire, safety, infection control and others.
• Ensure quality and patient safety practices are followed
• Provide or promotes patient and family- centered care.
Promotes inclusive health by providing equitable and accessible care to patients and families with special needs.

2

Perform major functions pertinent to a Delivery and Operative Suite-Staff Nurse:

• Demonstrate required assessment and therapeutic skills.
• Abide by the standards of care and practice.
• Provide basic life support when needed.
• Implement and monitor infection control measures.
• Administer medications, monitor for desirable or undesirable effects and intervene appropriately.
• Deliver pre-operative and post-operative patient care.
• Apply safety measures related to patient care.
• Operate all unit required equipment safely.
• Perform routine admission to Labor Room.
• Provide care to patients in labor rooms.
• Respects cultural and religious practices of patients.
• CTG interpretation.
• Identifies and manages life sustaining physiological functions in unstable patients
• Contacts anesthesia when /if patient is ready for epidural, contacts physician at appropriate time.
• Ensure patient is in proper position for delivery and monitoring equipment’s is functioning properly.
• Aids doctor with drapes, gloves gowns etc; hands doctor delivery instruments as needed during birthing process.
• Deliver immediate and regular postpartum care.
• Perform transfer of patients to postpartum unit(s).
• Assist physicians in special procedure pertinent to obstetric specialty: NST, OCT, laminaria insertion, epidural anesthesia, removal of shirodkar, tubal ligation, and artificial rupture of membranes.
• Monitor protocol of tocolysis, contraction and FHR (Fetal Heart Rate).
• Follow protocol for therapeutic abortion and placenta management.
• Provide care to patients during Caesarian section including functioning as a scrub nurse/ circulating nurse and baby nurse.
• Provide care for the high risk pregnancy patients including, care of the pre-eclamptic and eclamptic patients, care of patients with vaginal bleeding, care of the cardiac pregnant patient, care of the diabetic patient.
• Provide nursing care specific to labor room including, care of the mother, care of a full term newborn, care of the still birth or neonatal death.
• Abide strictly to the procedure of babies’ identification.
• Cover for Assistive Reproductive Technique unit after being trained and as requested.
• Implement and document patient and family education according to patient education manual.
• Provide emotional support and measures to alleviate fear and anxiety of patients and care givers.
• Participate in quality initiatives and quality improvement activities for improving the unit standards of quality provided.