ER rotation

Specialties Emergency

Published

Aloha everybody

I am new to the forum and I need some advice. I am a nursing student in an accelerated program and I will be starting my last semester soon. My clinical will be in the ER of a small to medium sized hospital on the Leeward side of Oahu. I was wondering if any of you nurses have a good tip for me on how I could prepare for this experience. I was told that I really need to know all the normal lab values (CBC, UA and all that) very well. Normal patho and what the first treatment would be. Anyway, does anybody knwo of a good, small reference handbook to take with me if I need to look someting up?

Hoep you can help me out- I am getting very excited about this clinical since I do not like med- surg at all. Hope this is better for me!

Thanks for your help!

KIM

Sorry, can't help you all my books are in Dutch

I was recently offered a patient care technician job for the med/surg floor and turned it down b/c my gut told me not to go with it. What was the hardest part of med/surg in your opinion? I envy you for living hawaii!!! im down here in ole south carolina!!!

There's a little spiral-bound pocket guide, Called "Emergency & Critical Care Pocket Guide, ACLS version" by Paula Derr, that I found handy during my ED rotation, and I still use it to look up some of the more obscure lab values.

It's also got a section of some of the more common drugs used in emergency and critical care, as well as cardiac rhythms, and a quick and dirty guide to signs and symptoms.

I heard about it from some flight medics. It's a handy little thing. I got mine in our school bookstore, I've seen it in bookstores once in a while.

my suggestions for preparation to do a clinical in the ED are to know what you know but more importantly know what you don't know. also, maybe you could meet up with a couple of the RNs before hand and try for a good match with someone that can take the time to mentor you well. be prepared to be cast aside when things get hairy and everything must be done fastly. don't take it personally if in a tense situation no one has time to say please and thank you. it is implied if not always spoken. know your ABCs. a beating heart is not gonna do jackdiddley if the patient isn't getting air.

most of all, use this opportunity to practice any skills you have been prepared for in school. look at charts, read the nurses notes. and enjoy yourself. :)

Get a copy of Rnotes by Erin ???

It has every aspect of meds, calculations, labs, cardiac, etc...

I just purchased one as a gift for my SIL who is starting nursing.

I wish I would have had that through my studies.

Sarah

Thank you for all your replies. It sure helps to get some good info from you all.

I will check into the books/ notes you mentioned.

Amanda, I had really bad luck with some of the nurses I worked with during the Med/surg rotation and I hated the whole hospital setting and atmosphere- maybe the ER will be different- if not I migth try to get a clinic job or so instead of working in the hospital.

Aloha from Hawaii

go to http://www.emsguides.com and buy the "Emergency Critical Care" guide

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