PES Nursing

Specialties Psychiatric

Published

Can anyone help me in finding where i might find models of what the role of a psychiatric nurse looks like when working in the emergency room.

Such as how psych nurses and ER nurses decide on what responsibilities each have in thier roles.

I'm trying to find some specific models if possible.

Specializes in Psych.

I don't know of any written models out there, but I can tell you what I've seen in the ED. I'm an ER and Psych nurse. In the ER the psych patients are assigned to an ER nurse until they are medically cleared (stable). The ER nurse gets labs (BMP, CBC, TSH, urine drug, hcg, etc). Medicates as needed. If the psych pt is unstable, like an overdose, they stay under the care of the ER nurse until stable. If they have a medical condition requiring further medical monitoring (for example a PE and they need a heparin drip), they are admitted as a medical patient and go to a medical floor with a sitter and are under the care of the medical floor RN. The psych ER in the ED usually takes care of the medically cleared psych patients in a different section of the ER with security or a sitter with them at all times. The sitter or security is responsible for q15min checks and the RN is responsible for medications and also facilitating placement inpatient by faxing/calling facilities, and keeps track of when legals expire, when the patient will be be seen by the court etc.

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