Registered Nurse RN- Maternity

MyMichigan Health•Midland, MI

About The Position

The Registered Nurse in Maternity provides nursing care to maternity patients and has basic knowledge of neonatal care. The role assesses, plans, implements, and evaluates care for maternity patients, including labor, delivery, and postpartum care, as well as monitoring antepartum patients and newborns. The nurse coordinates with physicians, nurse midwives, nursing staff, patient care technicians, families, and other health care providers to support patient and infant safety and achieve optimal outcomes. The role includes maternal-fetal assessment throughout labor, recognizing normal and abnormal findings and emergency conditions, providing or assisting with delivery and newborn care, and updating plans of care as patient or infant status changes. It also includes documentation, patient and family education, support for bonding and breastfeeding, participation in care conferences and performance improvement activities, and compliance with established policies, procedures, and professional standards.

Requirements

Associate degree in nursing; a bachelor's degree is preferred.
Active Registered Nurse credential in Michigan (RN: Registered Nurse; qualification source: MI).
Basic Life Support (BLS) certification through AHA, required within one month of hire or transfer.
Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) certification, required within 12 months of hire or transfer.
Techniques for Effective Aggression Management (TEAM Advanced) certification, required within six months of hire or transfer, with an extended 24-month completion period for employees in the position on or before December 31, 2023.
Interpersonal skills to communicate clearly with individuals and groups and interact with people at all levels.
Competency in Microsoft Windows and willingness to participate in further learning opportunities offered by MyMichigan Health.
Ability to manage multiple tasks, work independently and with others, maintain regular and predictable attendance, and stay awake while on duty.
Ability to move about the facility and perform job functions, with or without an assistive device; adequate vision, hearing, and dexterity, with or without assistive devices.
Ability to wear personal protective equipment, including latex materials or an appropriate substitute if required, and to comply with bloodborne-pathogen and TB testing requirements.
Ability to meet the stated medium physical demands, including occasional lifting or carrying of 21–50 pounds, frequent handling of 20 pounds and walking, standing, pushing or pulling, and constant handling of 10 pounds.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's degree in nursing.

Responsibilities

Assess patient needs and provide skilled nursing services according to the authorized plan of care and accepted nursing standards.
Provide direct resident care, including medication administration, treatments, responding to call lights and alarms, and assisting with transfers.
Evaluate treatment effectiveness and collaborate with team members on treatment-plan updates or revisions.
Process physician or provider orders accurately and promptly; follow up on medication changes and order clarifications.
Interpret clinical information and report pertinent data, significant changes, and abnormal findings to physicians and appropriate team members.
Assess patient and family learning needs and provide individualized education.
Participate in assigned care conferences and coordinate care provided by patient care technicians.
Organize and prioritize care for individual patients and groups of patients; manage routine unit duties and assignments.
Instruct other team members when appropriate and implement care in accordance with established policies and procedures and clinical pathways.
Document care accurately and clearly, participate in regulatory surveys and performance improvement activities, and assist with orientation and ongoing competencies.
Maintain a safe care environment and understand emergency preparedness procedures; remain current on regulations, guidelines, and professional standards through professional activities and learning.
Obtain prenatal history and antenatal care information, identify risk factors, perform physical assessments, and assess fetal heart rate and maternal-fetal status.
Assess labor, including fetal position, contractions, cervical dilation and effacement, station, labor progress, and suspected rupture of membranes; distinguish true from false labor and report abnormal findings.
Assess family support, birth plans, coping mechanisms, and childbirth preparation; explain labor diet and activity orders and communicate admission information to appropriate personnel.
Prioritize and deliver care based on maternal-fetal assessments and identify high-risk patients who may need consultation or transport to a tertiary center.
Monitor patients during all stages of labor, including vital signs, fetal heart rate and patterns, and amniotic fluid; continuously update the nursing care plan.
Recognize analgesic medications, contraindications, dosage parameters, and routes, and promptly intervene for medication side effects or complications.
Prepare sterile delivery or operating instrument tables, ensure emergency and resuscitation equipment is ready, position the patient, and perform perineal or abdominal preparation using sterile technique.
Document the time of birth and assess Apgar scores; assist with stabilization and resuscitation of at-risk newborns, perform preliminary newborn assessments, and notify the physician of abnormalities.
Identify mother and newborn and apply identification bracelets; obtain cord blood samples and other indicated specimens; initiate newborn eye prophylaxis according to protocol.
Support initial parent-infant bonding, answer family questions about the newborn, and assist with initial breastfeeding.
Document placental delivery time, placental condition and integrity, and umbilical cord vessel count.
Assess maternal vital signs after delivery, intervene for uterine or perineal needs, assess discomfort and bladder distention, and explain postpartum procedures and routines.
Prepare patients for postpartum transfer or provide discharge instructions for mother and infant care.
Administer and document oxytocin for induction or augmentation when indicated and after the required examination; continuously monitor fetal status and discontinue oxytocin if maternal-fetal intolerance occurs.
Develop and revise nursing plans of care based on appropriate data and changes in maternal or infant status; monitor antepartum patients, fetuses, and infants and collaborate with other providers.
Perform neonatal resuscitation when needed and carry out other duties as assigned.