[lunabellevoix]

Hi everyone,

I am a fairly new RN working in an Emergency Room. I have been on my own as an RN for 8 months now. Is it fairly common at my experience level to not get to take care of many high acuity patients? My small-ish hospital's ER doesn't get a great deal of that anyway, but at what point should you be able to run codes, etc?

Thanks

[Tweety]

Hi Diana. Welcome to Allnurses.

At this point you should be able to do those things. You need to start asking to be a part of those things. Next time you work, speak to the charge nurse and say "if a code comes in, I want to run it", etc. You have to jump right in and do it yourself, rather than wait to be asked.

The orientation here is different. Before a person can be off of orientation, they have to do so many traumas, so many chest pains, so many CVA, and so many codes, etc. In fact the old folks complain that the newbies get to have all the fun.

Good luck. Welcome!

[traumaRUs]

Hi Diane...what Tweety says is how we did it in the level one ER where I worked also. However, I do understand that if you don't get a lot of codes then that might not work.

You have to just jump right in - especially with peds traumas and codes. In order to feel comfortable you just have to do it over and over again.

[TazziRN]

It would be understandable to not assign you the high acuity stuff if you were on your own without backup, but with 14 beds I know you're not the only nurse there. You should be able to take the sicker pts by now. Best way to fix this is to ask.

[lunabellevoix]

Thanks everyone for your replies.

[JBudd]

All new employees should get orientation, no matter how long you've been a nurse. You need to be shown how your new place does things. How long yours will be depends on your experience and needs.

Most people I've ever talked to agree it takes at least a year to be really comfortable in the ER, I try to get my newer people in on codes and things. On my shift, everyone wants the front rooms as well; all I can say is, talk to the charge nurse and try to get assigned up there.

[nursebearfeet]

You will get a new orientation at a new hospital. Every ER is set up a bit differently. I work in a level one trauma center with 41 beds, some times more . you need to let your new hospital know your experiences were limited due to short time there and the fact that it was a small ER. If you tell them up front they'll understand more than if you just keep saying " I don't know how to do that." or " i've never done that."
good luck from one adrenaline junkie to an other!