Crunchy Nurses '08 - Page 3

[amynbebes]

I'll be going back to school in January to begin my journey toward becoming a nurse, hopefully to work in L&D or psychiatric nursing.
The prereqs that are required for my 2 yr program aRE anatomy and physiology I & II, microbiology, intro to nursing, one math (4 to choose from), humanities, english, psychology and another psychology class that I can't remember the name of right now.

[fishface]

subbing......I just started my first quarter of my RN program. I'm going to need you guys!

[Betnybaby]

Hi. I've been a nurse for almost two years now. I work in operating theatre. I'm not hugely crunchy, but a bit more so than most where I live. I do all kinds of different surgery but because I live in a small city in New Zealand a fair part of our work is c-sections. I have no children yet but would really like to homebirth when I do. Whenever I mention this at work people all think I'm crazy and start bringing up all the 'emergency' c-sections we do. I think we do far too many for things like 'failure to progress'. It really annoys me as it seems to be more about the doctors timetable and the fact that the woman is strapped to continuous monitoring and can't move around.
I was thinking about doing midwifery and still might after I've had my kids, but I do love most of my job so we'll see...

[Night_Nurse]

It's so nice to see all the crunchy nurses and nursing students on here!

[thelocknestmother]

Hi from another crunchy nurse! Even though I am not currently working at the moment (SAHM). Before motherhood, I worked peds heme/onc/bmt and the public health department (where I am surprised I was ever hired because of my association with Dr. McKenna and cosleeping!!) Oh and I am in the process of interviewing for a per diem position at a local hospital to be the breastfeeding instructor. Although I am a little nervous that if I get it I will have to tow party-line if you know what I mean...So we will see...

[TeaghansMama]

hi!
i work at a level 1 trauma center in the operating room. i'm pretty crunchy and definitely in the minority among my co-workers. it's good to see so many of us here!

[~threemoons~]

:


Hi, my name is Nina. I've been a nurse for 5 years, although I've been SAH for 18 months now. My background is surgical.

Nice to see other crunchy nurses!

[layla2376]

Hi !!! I am a staff nurse working in urology and general surgery. I have been nursing for 12 years now and love it. Very glad to see this thread as new to the forum and trying to get to know people, nice to have something else in common xx

[LadyLuck]

LOVE this thread. I'm halfway through nursing school (pinning ceremony is Aug.1st, '09) and I'm planning on working L&D, at least for a year, then going back to school to become a CNM. Like many of you have expressed, the hospital culture is so different from my own beliefs on birth, that I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little worried about job satisfaction working L&D. I'm hoping that once I get out there, I can educate people and be that " "cool nurse" that the few natural birthers are hoping for, while letting the "rest of it" roll off my back. Yeah right, we'll see.
Thanks to all for sharring your experiences.

[activistamamacita]

Hellllooooo Nurse!

Hi ladies!

I'm Erin and I am a nursing student in (presently) cold Ohio. I am planning on becoming a Nurse-Midwife and opening a well family practice someday, but for the mean time, I doula and advocate for healthy families.

I am actually hoping to stay as far away from the actual beaurocracy that occurs in the medical community as I can, but I love science so I love nursing school! I love people and I love pathology so, I think, even though I could become a CPM, I will ultimately be happy for having my nursing education.

I am super crunchy and spend my days trying to convine my husband that I am not totally crazy. Funny thing is, he usually ends up agreeing with me and all my hare-brained schemes. Gotta love 'em.

Anyway, I am happy for this thread. What a great resource for all of us!:Lots of love to you, girls. Never forget the differences you make in peoples lives everyday.

Erin

[DiannaK]

another crunchy nurse!

Hey mommas! I've been a nurse for 15 years , mostly in critical care (ICU, CCU, OHRR), but now in ER! Woo hoo! Love it!!

I'm semi-crunchy, but much more so than the folks I work with, as well as the patients we see! I'm known as the BFing guru ... nursed my DD#2 until 20 m, and we are still growing strong with the boys!

Great thread!

[arioth]

Hi all! I definitely fit in the crunchy RN category! I'm a mom of 5. We full term breast feed, co sleep, baby wear, selectively vax and try to eat and live as naturally as possible and use as much if not more alternative medicine as mainstream. I work part time in an inner city hospital right now as a floater but I got my start in cards and it looks like I'll be moving to Women and Infants soon! My ultimate goal is midwifery. It always has been but I got a little sidetracked while I had my own kiddos.

[mischievium]

*

Edited by mischievium - 11/13/10 at 1:37am

[cileag]

Another L and D nurse signing on. I'm pretty new to the Mothering.com boards, but am loving all the different places to poke my nose in. Let's see, so before L&D, I started in rehab for a year, then I worked in Med/Surg for 2.5 years, and have been a camp nurse for 5 summers, and did a month of relief working in Sri Lanka after the tsunami. So, I did a little bit of everything I guess.

I have to echo what the other OB nurses said. It is challenging to work in a place that you don't entirely trust. The place I work right now is very busy (approx. 12 births a day), but has a thriving CNM practice, and is pretty mom/baby friendly comparatively. Still, though, I plan on birthing at home. We're trying for our first child now, so hopefully 2009 will be an exciting year.

Glad to have a place like this!

[guestmama9917]

hi everyone! canadian nurse here! i just LOVE this website...just found it recently while doing some research for work. i am currently teaching in a BScN program. we just had a vaccination debate last week in class and, boy, what an eye-opener for some of our students.

as a side note, how nice that nursing students are in this tribe too. i just love inclusion, and these student nurses need our support and encouragement now more than ever! :

[wannaBmom_NICU_RN]

Hi All!
I'm a Neonatal Intensive Care RN in SE VA. I just recently started rethinking how badly I've been brainwashed by the healthcare industry...ironically I was encouraged by my husband who said why do we need all these vaccines? And I didn't have an answer for him! So I've been doing some research and stuff. I think we'd like to try for a homebirth when we're ready for babies and I'm trying to eliminate chemicals from our apartment (which is hard with all the nasty stuff in this place, can't wait for a house!).
I work in a relatively good family centered care NICU, of course there are the old school RN's who don't like to let parents hold. But I pretty much allow anyone to hold especially if they are will to kangaroo (skin to skin). And I've been given the job of sticking bows to little girls heads...what way to win angry parents over!
Anyway, just wanted to say hi to you all!

[BugMacGee]

Nice to see another NICU nurse here!

[Ceinwen]

I'm Melissa - last year of my consolidation.

I'm working with the acute pain inservicing team this semester, and in the ICU next semester. I'd like to work in critical care, and where you do your last placement, you typically get hired (around here).

Definitely at least semi-crunchy! Nice to meet everyone!

[larels]

My people!!

Another Someday Mama NICU RN here. I have been a RN for 4 years now, all of which has been spent in a wonderful 20 bed, level three NICU in S.F. I am also 6 months from finishing my MSN to be a NNP. It seems like 6 years right now!!

So, like many of you, I thought about doing L&D and becoming a CNM. I don't know how I would have handled the interventions and insanity of L&D. Certainly, there is plenty of western medicine and technology in the NICU, but it is a little easier to swallow then its for a sick, tiny preemie rather than a normal, healthy mama.

It is definitely hard being "crunchy" in the NICU: tons of plastic, antibiotics for all, immunizations, disposable diapers, johnson's baby wash, etc. I definitely try to focus myself and my babies' families on the breastmilk, breastfeeding and kangaroo care, whenever possible.

I try to be smart when I talk to coworkers about my desires for a homebirth, selective vacc'ing, etc. It's not always easy to have faith in nature when I see things going wrong every day. I manage to read/talk/think enough to keep my convictions strong, but I don't really need a bunch of half-educated naysayers pooping on my parade either!:

If they do, I have no problem letting them know that one of our very well respected neonatologists researched the topic of homebirth himself. His family had asked him to convince his sister-in-law to go to the hospital to deliver. After reviewing the literature, he determined that since she was healthy with no risk factors, it was safe for her to homebirth and that he had no business telling her otherwise......so there!

Anyway, it's good to know we're not alone. As natural, holistic health becomes more of the norm, our patients will need us more and more. Those with similar values can tell who we are and I think they benefit greatly from our caring!

[lah7]

I just started reading this thread and haven't finished it yet.

Some of the problems you guys have are the same concerns I have. I'm in school right now, and I'd just SO much rather be a physician than a nurse, because I want to BE the person in charge so I can make some changes in the medical model, but that isn't in the cards for me right now, as a single mom. I would want to be an OB, but don't think I can handle being a L&D nurse. And that's as someone who had 2 inductions, 2 epidurals, and vaxes. I can't imagine how the crunchier nurses here feel.

I do thank GOD that the circs aren't done in the hospital here. From my understanding, since they aren't covered by the provincial system, you have to make a separate appointment later to have it done.