Do you think nurses aren’t taught enough about general emergencies/basic info about emergency medicine?

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Random question, do you think we don’t get enough training on basic emergency medicine/situations? For example, when you’re in a focused speciality, you know so much about your particular specialty but when a patient comes along with another issue do feel like you know enough basics to provide proper care? For example, I’m a peds cardiac nurse and I know a lot about my specialty but if someone is my family is having neurological issues, I’m almost no help. It feels kind of pathetic to be honest. Because of it, some family members like to make rude comments saying nurses don’t know anything and I’m useless when someone is having a medical issue because I don’t know anything. It’s so frustrating to be so belittled all the time, especially because I’m the only one in the family who is in medicine.

Specializes in Psychiatry, Community, Nurse Manager, hospice.
On 9/24/2019 at 7:22 PM, Sorentomax said:

As Nurses we are not educated enough on emergency situations and it's not your fault. The way Nursing school is set up we spend a lot of time studying out dated nursing interventions and theory's that are useless.

In other countries in a 4 year nursing program they train and shadow with ems while we waste out time with pointless bsn courses that don't extend our scope or help us to be more comfortable and competent health care providers.

Either way in most cases solid bls will help until als can come or a person can be brought to a hospital. Forget you're relatives everyone criticizes nurses but few could actually do the job themselves!!!

Not true for me. I learned the most up to date info, and more importantly, how to find the latest info.

The stuff I learned was highly focused on how to save life and limb, mostly in the hospital setting. The idea was to become a "safe" nurse. Competence is attained after school.

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I think the most important emergency care you need is to not delay calling 911. Too many times families drive a stroke patient to ER when it was in the best interest to call 911 so an ambulance can take them to a stroke centre.

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My background is post partum. I never knew how much I don't know until I became a school nurse! The kids aren't near as bad as the adults that think I should know EVERYTHING! It is so frustrating and made me feel insecure my first couple of years. Not anymore..I tell staff they can google just like me.

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Specializes in Psych,LTC,.

All classes taught in nursing school are an introduction level, not an expert level. Including general practice. So, its safe to say to them 'nursing, like medicine, has become, by need for intensive study and knowledge, a field of specialty. If, for example, you go to a pediatric cardiologist about your neurological issue, the pediatric cardiologist won't even see you. Also, I think you misunderstand what nurses do.' Also, if you feel like you would like to be knowledgeable in another area, there's nothing to stop you from reading. Bear in mind, I think proficiency is obtained by a combination of both knowledge and experience.

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Specializes in School health, Maternal-Newborn.

Do I wish I knew more ems type stuff, yes. However I learn by doing and observing so I know more about post-partum and school nursing. I have so far only once called EMS and it was the right decision all around. The public tends to think we ALL have a deep EMS background, which scares the crap out of me.

I was at my daughter's Soccer game last week, She's on modified, There was a varsity game going on on the next field over and a player suffered a concussion. People expected me to go running into the middle of the situation. I went over and sniffed out who was tending the girl, (coach, local EMS and school resource officer.) knew she was in safe hands and also sniffed out who it was. I knew I wasn't needed and I sat down and watched the game, there's somebody who thinks I'm a b----. I just know I wasn't needed. If I wasn't there it would have gone down the exact same way...

The double edged sword in my state is that I don't have to involve myself off duty but if I do involve myself I have to act as a reasonable and prudent RN and if it lands in court will the jury understand the difference between random RN me, and a seasoned ER nurse? A seasoned EMT?

Not a chance I'll take lightly...

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Specializes in ICU.
2 minutes ago, AutumnDraidean said:

The double edged sword in my state is that I don't have to involve myself off duty but if I do involve myself I have to act as a reasonable and prudent RN and if it lands in court will the jury understand the difference between random RN me, and a seasoned ER nurse? A seasoned EMT?

Not a chance I'll take lightly...

This right here. A jury (comprised of people who might get their healthcare information from grey's anatomy) may not be able to make the distinction between the different acute care RNs.

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Specializes in Community health.

This is not a problem with nursing. This is a problem with your family. They are being rude and disrespectful.

My husband is a lawyer. He works in corporate litigation. Frequently, someone will find out he’s a lawyer and ask him for advice on a will or a divorce. He always says “That is not my area at all, so there is no way I could be helpful. I know zero about family law.” That’s not because law school somehow failed him, or doesn’t teach enough! That’s not his specialty.

Same with nursing. If you need info on hypertension or t2DM, I’m your girl. Broke your leg? Not so much.

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Specializes in EMT/Medical Assistant.

In the state of nj you can run on an ambulance as a third with a cpr card. Some fire/emt squads will pay for training. In my experience if you dont know and want to learn more research free training and go for it. You will never know EVERYTHING but who says you cant try.

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Even as a trained EMT, I'm not too helpful without my ambulance full of toys.

Regardless of knowledge, without my tools, all I can really do for someone is stop bleeding, heimlich, start compressions and operate an AED (if one is close by). And the first thing I do is call 911.

This is precisely the reason that orders for a first responder include "call for assistance" as one of the first things you consider when you get to a call.

Tell your family they can talk crap when they have their RN.

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I feel like I’m trained to help in emergent situations. I’m in a specialty icu. But, I know that of someone is having a heart attack to chew aspirin. I know all the signs of a stroke. I’m certified in ACLS but that’s useless on the street. That’s where my BLS comes in. I can tie a tourniquet and splint if needed. I could deliver a baby I guess. If delivery is on the side of the road, you catch the baby, wrap it up, clamp the cord. If the mom is in labor and the cord is protruding, you push it back in and hold it.

All of these interventions are UNTIL EMS arrives. That’s the most important thing.

But can I answer random questions about a specific illness or injury that’s in another specialty? Of course not. That’s why we specialize.

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Specializes in Geriatrics.

Many nurses and people look down on LPNs, but I told my daughter to do the LPN program, then do the RN fast track program. She wants to get her Masters. Idk yet what she wants to specialize in for her BA. Anyways before I get off track I told her to do the LPN program first because you get experience in all areas of nursing in that program. I am assuming you have your BA in nursing and you specialized in Peds! I only made it to LPN before my health failed me and I had to retire because I couldn’t do the physical work. So, I started going to school for Healthcare Administrator and found out it was mentally and cognitively effecting me also. Anywho, back to subject no nurse is going to know everything. You’re always going to continue to learn. Never feel pathetic or like your not a good nurse because you don’t know something! It’s too much information out there. Even the best Doctors out there learn something new everyday! I’ve worked with peds to geriatrics and everything in between! There no way in H E double hockey sticks any medical professional can know even close to everything thing they NEED to know! If you hey did it would be so many return visits lol! Always say, you know I’m not 100 percent sure about that so let me check and get back with you! The fact that it bothers you let’s me know you’re an awesome caring nurse! We need more nurses like you! That you for your services!

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Specializes in school nurse.
On 9/25/2019 at 10:12 PM, murseman24 said:

I once had a GI doc ask me what MAP meant (mean arterial pressure). You can't know everything. Maybe an emergency med doc has the most training for any general issues you might come across on the street. But then these are the same people the rest of the hospital pokes fun at because they always seem to be grasping for straws and missing things. No one's perfect. Your family doesn't have a clue.

And of top of that, things change based on where you work and what you do. In my practice area, MAP is mostly known as Medication Administration Program, the nurse-supervised, non-licensed medication administration system used in my state...

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