I'm a new ER nurse (but have worked in the ER for 2 years) and the other day my pt that had been pretty stable for like 4 or 5 hours crashed out of nowhere. My preceptor was nowhere to be found and I wasn't really able to think clearly. I knew exactly what to do, it just didn't come to me (the patient survived- I had already found another more experienced nurse who ended up taking over the situation). So, do you guys remember the first time a patient crashed on you and how you handled it? I assume it can only get better next time, but I was still disappointed in myself.