codes in the ER?

[aroRNBrooke]

I'll likely cross post this to ER sub board too...maybe Peds.

If you work in the hospital is there a protocol in place to call NICU/Pedi nurses and doctors in an infant/pediatric code?

If not, are your ER staff NRP/NALS/PALS certified?

TIA!

[ScrappytheCoco]

In the ERs where I've worked, everyone is required to become PALS cert within 6 months of hire, and we run all of our own codes no matter the age. We do STABLE as well, NRP is not required but is a bonus. We rotate ACLS and PALS certified RNs on the code team who accompanies ICU to run the codes through the rest of the hospital, since our doctor goes to intubate anyway. The youngest code pink I've worked in ER was a 6 week old preemie.

[That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

We were required to, which we hated.

Our ER everyone had to have PALS or ENPC. Which I thought was wrong, you need both but that is another story. And NRP was a class you could take if you wanted to, but weren't required. I made a huge push for everyone to have all 3 and even started teaching PALS because I thought it was so important for every ER nurse.

[RN403, BSN, RN]

Our ER staff is PALS certified, however, a pediatric code blue is paged overhead and the pediatric hospitalist and a pediatric nurse have to respond to the code per facility policy.

[zmansc, ASN, RN]

Who would we call again? We don't have anyone that is more experienced or knowledgeable that can take over or advise us.

Sometimes someone will call a code in the ER throughout the house, like when we get multiple GSW in at the same time and it's basically just so we can have multiple gawkers watching us. Usually by the time they get there, they tell us good job and head back to where they came from. If were lucky the nurse who is suppose to take an admitted patient will come down and we can just tell them to take the patient upstairs with them on the way back to their unit! (only happened once)....

[aroRNBrooke]

Thanks, everyone. We had an incident last week where a four week old coded in the ER. A RT called up and said they needed us (NICU nurses and neonatologist). The ER doc was ticked off because he apparently hadn't been planning on calling us and told us afterwards that we weren't wanted or needed. In those exact words. I've never worked at a hospital where it WASN'T protocol to call NICU/Peds for a coding child, especially that young, so I wanted to see what everyone else does.

Add to that the fact that they were pushing meds without measuring them correctly and it was just kind of a cluster.

Thanks again!

[NICUmiiki, DNP, NP]

We run all of our own codes. Nurses here have ACLS/PALS/NRP. My hospital is adult only.

[RN_Sara]

My hospital is an adult hospital, however we do have a NICU in the hospital. Thank goodness I have not been at work when we have coded a baby or a child. I have PALS, however my unit does not require it. I will renew mine next year when it is due. People do bring children to our ED if we are closest. I am not sure what our protocol is but I am guessing we would handle it. We have both a peds and neonatal crash cart in our trauma rooms.

[Altra, BSN, RN]

I've worked in 3 hospitals - ER staff have been required to be up-to-date in PALS and NRP in all three, and I've never seen PICU or NICU called during a pedi or neonatal code.