Gynaecological surgery refers to surgery performed on the female reproductive system For the purpose of this essay, I am going to discuss the role of the midwife in the care and management of a woman who has undergone a hysterectomy. Hysterectomy is the surgical removal of the uterus (Oxford Dictionary of Nursing, 2014). It is major gynaecological surgery and the immediate post operative period is a very important time for recovery. As with every surgery, there are the associated risks attached. According to O'Connor et al, 2004, there is a 2% risk of infection, haemorrhage 0.5% and mortality 6-11 per 1000 regardless of which surgical method is used for the hysterectomy. Therefore, I am going to use relevant literature and guidelines to discuss …show more content…
But, while researching this assignment, I came across numerous articles and guidelines specifically addressing the nurse's role in the post operative period but none of them mentioned a midwife. The definition of a midwife according to WHO (2014) is “the care of women during pregnancy, labour, and the postpartum period, as well as care of the newborn. It includes measures aimed at preventing health problems in pregnancy, the detection of abnormal conditions, the procurement of medical assistance when necessary, and the execution of emergency measures in the absence of medical help.” Therefore, the midwife plays an essential part in caring for a woman post-hysterectomy but the guidelines do not fully outline the midwife's duty to the same extent of that of a nurse's position. It was difficult at times to read the guidelines as they just addressed how a nurse works in the post-operative environment and didn't outline the midwife’s role in the patient's care. Therefore, it may be harder for a midwife to follow some of the guidelines as her role is clearly not stated in them. Because midwifery is expanding and always changing, the midwife needs to be up to date with her skills and knowledge. The midwife has huge responsibility in caring for patients and as stated in my introduction, there are risks associated with gynaecological surgery and it is clear from this assignment and my research that the midwife has a vital role in minimising these
The Grand Midwives, a term we now wish to honor them with, are still among us. Some are with us in spirit, and a few are still with us today. Two midwives who told their stories before passing on were, Onnie Lee Logan in her book, Motherwit, An Alabama Midwife 's Story, and Why Not Me ? The story of Gladys Milton, Midwife by Wendy Bovard and Gladys Milton. One midwife of a few still living is Margaret Charles Smith from Alabama. You can read her story in her book titled Listen To Me Good: The Story of an Alabama Midwife. These three midwives have shared their story with us so that we can understand our history in Midwifery. Midwives can be found throughout the United States and across the sea. In many states Midwifery is still unlawful. Some states have managed to pass laws that have made midwifery a free state to practice in. Those who practice laid midwifery in restricted states do so because they believe that families ought to have the right to birth where they want and to be attended by whom they choose. They believe in freedom and exercise this belief as Harriet Tubman once did. Many midwives today believe they were called to serve the pregnant mother as the midwives of yesterday. They serve with pride and dignity, something that no man will ever take away. As long as there are mothers upon the stool, there will always be
"I had traveled much on the Kennebec, by water, by ice, and, during those treacherous seasons when the river was neither one nor the other, by faith" (e.g., A Midwife's Tale). Martha's diary is one of the few documents written by a woman that exist today and that describes the behavior, occupation, roles, and daily activities of a common society in the 18th century during and after the Revolution. Although she dedicates her whole life to help others and her family, the diary exposes a very different world with the very different community. Many other history documents lacked the problems of women and the lack of written documents by the female gender. Through this document, Martha gives the importance of women in the community and how they
Throughout history mankind has come up with some wonderful inventions and innovations, but out of all the creations by far the most beautiful and precious is human birth. I first developed an interest in nursing and in particular midwifery years ago. I believe it is a great service within the health profession because of the privileged position to assist in human childbirth. The word midwife means with woman. Centuries before obstetricians delivered babies, midwifes assisted women in having at home births. But it was only formally established as a profession in the early 1900’s. A nurse-midwife is a registered nurse that specializes in midwifery. The job of midwife is to assist in family planning and birth control advice, provide general gynecological services (such as pap smears and breast exams), aid women in childbirth, and help women by providing prenatal and postpartum care. Nurse-midwives are required to have a Master’s of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree and pass the American College of Nurse Midwifery (ACNM) board examination to obtain certification.
They are responsible for the total care of the mother and unborn fetus. They provide care to women during labor and childbirth. There are three stages of delivery: antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum phases. During the antepartum phase, the nurse provides support and pain control during labor, monitors the fetal heart rate and contraction pattern, and the mother’s vital signs and progress. The nurse assists with inducing labor as needed, monitors the mother and fetus for complications. During the intrapartum phase, the nurse assists with vaginal deliveries and cesarean sections. During the last phase of postpartum care, the (L&D) nurse assists and monitors the mother and baby after delivery. The nurse assesses the newborn with the APGAR(Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity, Respiration) score and monitors the mother and baby for complications by assessing vital signs and doing physical assessments. During this phase, the nurse is also responsible for providing education and support to the mother with breastfeeding, pain control, and newborn care after
Ever Since when I was a young girl I always admired to become a midwife.I believe in order for me to become a successful midwife I need to be well equipped and prepared for the midwife role. I currently have a bit of experience in a hospital settings such as Royal London Hospital where I did my work experience for two weeks at the audiology department as a health care assistant. During my work experience I worked with people of different levels and backgrounds,some with learning disabilities as well as some with
"The Role of a Nurse / Midwife." Irish Nursing Board, An Bord Altranais. N.p., n.d.
...o find a balance between interventional and non-interventional birth. With this being said, I also understand that there are strict policies and protocols set in place, which I must abide to as a healthcare provider, in any birth setting. Unfortunately, these guidelines can be abused. Christiane Northrup, MD, a well recognized and respected obstetrician-gynecologist has gone as far as to tell her own daughters that they should not give birth in a hospital setting, with the safest place being home (Block, 2007, p. xxiii). Although I am not entirely against hospital births, I am a firm believe that normal, healthy pregnancies should be fully permissible to all midwives. However, high-risk pregnancies and births must remain the responsibility of skilled obstetricians. My heart’s desire is to do what is ultimately in the best interest of the mother, and her unborn child.
Pairman,S., Tracy, S., Thorogood, C., & Pincombe, J. (2013). Theoretical frameworks for midwifery practice. Midwifery: Preparation for practice.(2nd ed, pp. 313-336). Chatswood, N.S.W. : Elsevier Australia
As an UConn graduate, I strive to practice UConn School of Nursing PRAXIS – professionalism, respect, accountability, excellence, integrity and service. Two weeks following the orientation on postpartum unit, I knew taking care of four mother-baby couplets overnight was not going to be an easy job at a level I trauma center, where we care for the sickest of the sick. After a thorough plan of care for each patient and tailoring it to their needs for the night, I felt more confident in my skills and time management. It wasn’t until I got a call from a 14 hour post-op c-section patient at 0455 complaining of dizziness, lightheaded, blurry vision and “feeling hot”, who an hour ago was walking to the bathroom, breastfeeding baby and eating with no complains of pain. I left my workstation behind to discover a pale, diaphoretic patient with low blood pressure. I froze. Screamed for resident down the hall. Rapid response team and more professionals were there in no time while I stood by my patient holding her hand, echoing the story to residents and attending MD I’ve told previously. After twenty minutes of stabilizing the patient and diagnosing at bedside with ultrasound and abdominal x-ray, the patient suffered internal hemorrhage from tubal ligation site. She was rushed to operating room. Speaking to her husband was even harder. I froze again. I sat on my knee, held his hand and cried with him. In
The methods of both studies used in the purpose of this research are very similar. They both use databases to gather appropriate information on the patients being researched.
future career, that is to be an obstetrician, also known as an OB/GYN. Some of the topics that will be discussed in my paper are those pertaining to exactly what an obstetrician is and the requirements that are needed in order to become an obstetrition. These requirements will include the pyhsical and phsyschological personality traits of a potential obstetrician. The type of schooling that is nessecary, including the preperation that is available at Middlesex County College, and the average number of years that it takes in order to become an obstetrician. The demand for obstetricians will also be researched, along with the different promotional ranks that are available. Starting salaries, as well as potential salaries will be explained. The reasons as to why a career in obstetrics appeals to me and the other possible career choices that I may decide to persuade in the future.
The demand for high-quality, cost-effective health care in the United States is growing expeditiously due to the passage of the Affordable Health Care Act in 2010, the lack of physicians specializing in primary care and the shortage of graduate level educated nurses (Watson, 2007). The new expectations for access, quality and affordability within the health care system are creating opportunities for nurse practitioners to expand their roles as advance practice nurse specialists (Watson, 2007). This paper will examine the role of the perioperative nurse practitioner. This examination will define perioperative nursing, give a brief history of operating room nursing, and look closely at the role of the nurse practitioner in pre-operative, intra-operative and post-operative care. This paper will report the evidence-based findings that nurse practitioners in the perioperative setting, when compared to physician-only facilitated care, create an equally therapeutic and healing environment for patients and families, improve the efficacy of surgical procedures and increase patient satisfaction with surgical outcomes. Other topics that will be examined include educational training, the scope of practice for nurse practitioners within the perioperative setting and the application of the holistic nursing approach in perioperative care. The final area this paper will examine is The Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) Report on the Future of Nursing and how it’s recommendations have the potential to change perioperative nursing.
Osborn, K. S., Wraa, C. E., Watson, A. B., & Holleran, R. (2014). Medical-surgical nursing: preparation for practice (2nd ed.). Boston: Pearson.
Over the years birthing methods have changed a great deal. When technology wasn’t so advanced there was only one method of giving birth, vaginally non-medicated. However, in today’s society there are now more than one method of giving birth. In fact, there are three methods: Non-medicated vaginal delivery, medicated vaginal delivery and cesarean delivery, also known as c-section. In the cesarean delivery there is not much to prepare for before the operation, except maybe the procedure of the operation. A few things that will be discussed are: the process of cesarean delivery, reasons for this birthing method and a few reasons for why this birthing method is used. Also a question that many women have is whether or not they can vaginally deliver after a cesarean delivery, as well as the risks and benefits if it. Delivering a child by a c-section also has a few advantages and disadvantages for both the mother and child; this will also be discussed in more depth a bit later.
An obstetrician is one thing, and a gynecologist is another. The job is combined together, but the two branches can be worked separately. An obstetrician is a physician who focuses and is trained in the management of pregnancy, labor, and pueperium (the period following childbirth). A physician who has specialized and trained in the health of the female reproductive system is a gynecologist. The reason the jobs are combined is because they’re both all about women. Obstetricians and Gynecologists are physicians who provide general medical care to women. They equip medical care associated with pregnancy or childbirth, and they diagnose, treat, and help prevent diseases, especially those affecting the female