A Labor and Delivery (L&D) Registered Nurse at Johns Hopkins Medicine provides specialized clinical care to patients during the antepartum, intrapartum, and immediate postpartum periods. This role focuses on supporting physiological birth, managing high-risk obstetric complications, and ensuring the safety of both parent and newborn within a premier academic medical center.
Job Summary
The L&D RN is responsible for the assessment, monitoring, and nursing management of laboring patients. Working in a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment, the nurse utilizes advanced fetal monitoring and clinical judgment to provide personalized care. The position requires a high degree of technical skill in assisting with vaginal deliveries and surgical interventions, while maintaining a compassionate and supportive atmosphere for families.
Key Responsibilities
- Performing comprehensive admission assessments and ongoing physical evaluations of obstetric patients.
- Monitoring maternal vital signs and performing continuous or intermittent electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) to assess fetal well-being.
- Identifying and responding to clinical emergencies, such as fetal distress, cord prolapse, or postpartum hemorrhage.
- Managing the administration of medications, including oxytocin for labor induction and various analgesics or anesthetics.
- Supporting patients through natural labor techniques and assisting with the administration and monitoring of epidural anesthesia.
- Acting as a scrub or circulating nurse during Cesarean sections and other obstetric surgical procedures in dedicated OR suites.
- Assisting physicians and midwives with vaginal deliveries, instrumental deliveries, and the repair of lacerations.
- Providing immediate neonatal stabilization and care, including Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) interventions if required.
- Educating patients and families on the labor process, pain management options, and initial breastfeeding techniques.
- Maintaining detailed and accurate documentation of labor progress, medications, and delivery outcomes in the electronic health record.
Qualifications and Requirements
- A valid and unencumbered Registered Nurse license in the state of Maryland or a recognized compact state.
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from an accredited program is required.
- Current Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS), and Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) certifications.
- Minimum of one to two years of recent experience in an acute care Labor and Delivery unit is preferred.
- Certification in Inpatient Obstetric Nursing (RNC-OB) or Electronic Fetal Monitoring (C-EFM) is highly desirable.
- Strong clinical intuition and the ability to act decisively in fast-paced, high-acuity situations.
- Excellent interpersonal skills to support patients during a highly emotional and transformative life event.
Working Conditions
- Work is performed in a high-acuity Labor and Delivery unit, which includes triage, labor rooms, and operating suites.
- Requires standing and walking for the majority of 12-hour shifts.
- Physical ability to assist with patient positioning, transfers, and the movement of heavy medical equipment (up to 50 lbs).
- Potential exposure to bloodborne pathogens and bodily fluids, requiring consistent use of personal protective equipment.
- The unit operates 24/7, requiring flexibility for day, night, weekend, and holiday rotations.
