Men vs. Women

Dave123 · Sep 5, 2001

I can only speak for myself but in the ER I feel like I get the independence and respect I've earned. I do not have to ask to do many things and in many cases the doc's and PA's expect it to be already done. By the time they hear about a CP, the ekg, line, labs,o2, is done and PCXR is coming and if need be i am already prepping the drug lines depending on the ekg. I get to suture, splint, cast, order-entry, if I see a fx or infiltrare on a film I just tell what I saw and they always are greatful, if someone needs a film I just send them. They are greatful for input and ideas concerning diagnosis and tx. I like it that its fast paced and always changing. One minute its a impaled fish hook (that I took out) and the next its bacterial meningitis or a GSW. I like that you have to be able to do many things at once and to be always thinking. Plus as an added bonus (at least in the facility I work in) no matter what, they either go "OTD", transfered, admitted, or get "T&B", but they don't stay in the ER. Another thing is I do think that male nurses get more respect in the ER than thier female peers and usually when its an all male crew on, the ER really rocks. Sometimes it gets to be alittle too much fun.......but that all just a part of it. As for the short staffing, does anyone here have a full one? I know we have paramedics (which is a problem in its self) as well as aids or medics working on the team and it really helps out.

ERguru · Sep 5, 2001

I know where there are 3:1 ratios and I will share! In an ER in Metairie, La [adjacent to New Orleans] the staffing is set for 3:1 ratios, now certainly sometimes you have a set of siblings in one room, or we double bunk a trauma bay because we get 5 spineboarded pts in. But our staffing is based on 3:1. Check us out online here: http://www.eastjeffhospital.org/

AND put in an application online. :cool:

YukonSean · Sep 10, 2001

Why is it that male nurses tend to gravitate to the ER?...

We do? I thought that we went in for psychiatry and forensics!

Actually, I do the triage for mental health, AODA, and psychosocial presentataions in our Emerg department, but I work out of the medical ward, where the psych patients are cohorted along with general medicine. I also see surgical patients, if say, ETOH was involved in the MVA which brought them into hospital!

The majority of male staff at our hospital do ICU or medicine, and the two mental health nurses are male, but we have no men in Emerg. I do agree that the "no touchy, no feely" theorem would explain the ICU crowd!

Sean