Nursing 2000 was held at Porter hospital this past Thursday. Students from Hebron, Washington Township, and Chesterton attended to learn about the different areas of nursing and what nursing entails today. At 8 am was the Emergency Services demonstration and at 10 am was the Labor and Delivery demonstration.
Charlene Pluta, the OB Educator at Porter, led the Labor and Delivery demonstration. Set up in one of the delivery rooms was Noel, the birthing mannequin. Charlene discussed the various tools used in the delivery process and talked about the labor process, “hours of boredom followed by panic.” OB Tech Anita Rosenfeld was there to give her perspective on assisting the doctor in a c-section, if things go wrong with a natural delivery, because “when things go wrong, they go wrong fast,” and the nurses need to act quickly. Karen Williams, the day charge nurse, also answered questions and shared stories throughout her 30 year career, including assisting in the birth of quadruplets, the largest multiple birth at Porter.
Using the mannequin as an example, Charlene talked about the correct position the baby needs to be in for birth, the umbilical cord and its importance, and the necessity to pass the placenta after birth. She also discussed the strict security in the unit and the tags put on the infants immediately after birth, which will set off an alarm if taken out of a designated perimeter. Two VU students were also on hand to give students an example of what they could expect while studying nursing in college.
Nursing 2000 is a not-for-profit educational organization founded in 1990 as a collaborative effort between nursing practice and nursing education to promote and support nursing careers. Registered nurses and colleagues from health care agencies, universities, professional nursing associations, and communities work together to advance the mission of Nursing 2000. The organization is a catalyst to more broadly unite nursing practice and education with issues related to workforce development.