Emergency Nursing

from traumaRUs - Burn out in the ER or why its been a long time since I wrote in this blog…. I always loved the ER from the very first day in 1996 when my preceptor told me not to worry, I would get the hang of having patients that were very ill from who knows what, had some unknown object in some weird oriface, or died and no one knew why. She was right, I...

from traumaRUs - We've all been there: you get an ambulance call that EMS is bringing in an elderly patient who had a ground level fall and now their leg is shortened and externally rotated. Oh and by the way, they have dementia. Ugh...could your night get any worse? Here are some tips for dealing with the patients who are demented: 1. Enlist family...

from traumaRUs - Hi there, come on in, kick your shoes off and make yourself welcome. There's coffee brewing! The idea for this blog is to address issues in emergency nursing. I have been a nurse for 16 years: 2 years as an LPN, 12 years as an RN and 2 years as an APN. I have 10 years experience in a level one trauma center and 9 years as a pre-hospital...

from traumaRUs - What certifications are needed/desired in the ED? This is a question that comes up often. I work as an APN in a community hospital ED and we were discussing this last night. All of the ED RNs are required to have BLS, ACLS and a peds certification. Trauma certification, i.e., TNCC or TNS (Trauma Nurse Specialist – an IL-only certification)...

from traumaRUs - Per IL scope of practice, an adult health CNS can only see pts over the age of 16. So, those of us that see patients in an ER or urgent care setting need a second APN certificate to see children. Since its been 4 years since I got my MSN and my classes are going to be expiring soon so now is the time. There are multiple routes you can choose: ...

from traumaRUs - Families are the basic unit of our society. One of the most stressful events in a family occurs when a member has a health crisis and comes to the emergency department. Family presence is often the only comfort these families can provide to their loved one who is seriously ill or critically injured. Families should be allowed to remain...

from traumaRUs - What is a Critical Incident Stress Debriefing? A Critical Incident Stress Debriefing is a meeting involving mental health providers, peers, perhaps a religious representative that try to make sense out of something senseless. What is a critical incident? They are typically sudden, powerful events outside the range of ordinary human...

from traumaRUs - ER orientation - how cool. The day finally arrived for the start of your orientation. However, what should you be learning in orientation? First, your ER should have a standardized length of orientation and it should definitely be more for the new grad RN. An orientation of 6-16 weeks is the norm, depending on your particular ER, number of...

from traumaRUs - EMS is our partner in crime so to speak. They bring us the good, bad and the ugly. The care that EMS starts is the care that we continue. What they do on the street directly affects what we do. I've been an IL-licensed pre-hospital RN for almost 10 years now on a rural EMS squad. I'm also an advanced practice nurse in a community ER. Along...

from traumaRUs - References Medstar. (2001). Family presence in the emergency room. Retrieved April 29, 2005 from http://www.medstar.com Midwest Values. (No date). Midwest values. Retrieved May 1, 2005 from http://www.midwest-values.com/M_BnC.htm American College of Emergency Physicians. (2005). Family presence. Retrieved