Somehow the horrors of the previous housemen seem exaggerated. The night was fun with little tension, and thanks to an overdose of coffee, I messed around more than sleep/worked. Initially I did get a little confused, but take a breath and the nrp training kicks in. The mo on-call will be there most of the time anyway. The nurses are-as always, extremely helpful.
Like I said before, labour room rocks. Still, i've only done the night shift so far, and my night shifts are almost always free. And now it's even better as I'm provided with my own room.
What do I do as the paediatric houseman on standby?
Obviously we are on standby round the clock for resuscitation of any and all deliveries. Babies with high risks/probability of needing resuscitation are singled out and attended to by the mo on call and extra personnel if needed i.e. the houseman.
Some cases at risk of needing resuscitation include a gestation of less than 35w,>
To be on standby you need to have successfully completed the newborn resuscitation programme (NRP) and at least a month's experience at the neonatal ward or NICU or both.
It's scary but that's what makes it exciting. The labour room is always like that. Like the job itself, you'll either like it or hate it.
