Triage sucks!!! Any tips??

Specialties Emergency

Published

Let me start off by saying I really do like my new position in the ER. It was a good move for me,....but how the heck does anyone spend 8hrs in triage w/out ending up feeling cranky, mean and down right nasty!!! It wears me out!! I'd rather stay on the trauma side a work back to back truamas all night than spend 8-12hrs in triage!! You just can't make most of those people happy!!! Last shift I worked was very busy,.rainy night,.lots of MVC's,..this adult woman walks in c/o abd pain, her Mom is with her,..I do my triage thing,.pt actually states she "feels much better now,.maybe I should just go home and see my reg Dr in the morning",.Mom says no,.you need to see a Dr. and asks me "how long is the wait?" Of course I can't really answer that question,..over the next hour a woman walks in with a 3wk old "help, help,.my baby isn't breathing",. sure enough I have a blue baby I rush back,..then a man who almost severed his arm w/a table saw,blood everywhere,.passes out in the floor in front of the triage desk,.rush him back,..a 6wk old "not acting right" temp of 104,.rush her back,..all of this in front of everyone in the waiting room,..then the Mom of the abd pain comes up and asks "how much longer are we going to have to wait?",.again I explain that this isn't first come first serve,.this is an ER,.we see the life/limb threatening emergencies frst,.she looks at me and YELLS "You mean to tell me that since my daughter isn't as sick as some of these other people, we could sit out her all night?!!",...uuuhhhh yeah,.pretty much!! Why is that such a difficult concept for people to understand???

ARGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH,....ok,.I'll stop now,..anyone have any tricks on handling the people?

Specializes in ED, ICU, PSYCH, PP, CEN.

For me triage is a break. It is very entertaining and you know what every pt is in the ER for, except for some of the ambulances that go straight back. I only have to put up with the jerks for 5 minutes and then they are gone.

I often check up on pts later to see if I triaged them right and guessed what was wrong with them.

I have just started using the "what is your emergency" line and like it alot.

It is true though that you can only take triage for so long before they start to get to you. For me it is 2 days in a row.

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Specializes in ER.

I do Triage on Friday nights - it's considered a "rest day" from doing charge. I do enjoy it.

We have a sign on each triage desk and several more in the waiting area that read "Your emergency is important to us. In order to serve you better, we have many special area within our department. You may notice others going in before you. Please be assured that we will address your healthcare concerns as soon as possible. If you have any questions during your stay, feel free to ask."

Basically, I tell people who are here for a sore throat, hangnail, or other non-emergent complaint that I can't let someone sit in the WR when someone else could die. They seem to understand it when I present it that way - always in a professional manner, never with a "you're here for something stupid" attitude. It is as much the message as it is the messenger.

Sorry for the rambling...I triaged two patients while trying to get this written!

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Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.
I do Triage on Friday nights - it's considered a "rest day" from doing charge. I do enjoy it.

We have a sign on each triage desk and several more in the waiting area that read "Your emergency is important to us. In order to serve you better, we have many special area within our department. You may notice others going in before you. Please be assured that we will address your healthcare concerns as soon as possible. If you have any questions during your stay, feel free to ask."

Basically, I tell people who are here for a sore throat, hangnail, or other non-emergent complaint that I can't let someone sit in the WR when someone else could die. They seem to understand it when I present it that way - always in a professional manner, never with a "you're here for something stupid" attitude. It is as much the message as it is the messenger.

Sorry for the rambling...I triaged two patients while trying to get this written!

If you have time to get on line for this at work while at triage. Life is one heckuva lot easier for you, there.

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Specializes in ER.
If you have time to get on line for this at work while at triage. Life is one heckuva lot easier for you, there.

Nah, just late enough that the bars are already closed and a Saturday morning so there's no "I can't possibly work today with my..." crowd.

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Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.

still sounds easer than my place. Down or quiet time here, just means I can get my admits done a little faster. maybe I need to go there for some relaxation.

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Specializes in Tele, ICU, ER.
I think about being on the golf course while at triage.

I'd be thinking about whacking them upside the head with the 9-iron. :idea:

Sorry - tired. Hate Triage - ick. Give me zone 1 any night of the week.

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Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.
I'd be thinking about whacking them upside the head with the 9-iron. :idea:

Sorry - tired. Hate Triage - ick. Give me zone 1 any night of the week.

I like my 9 iron, use my 2 iron instead

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Specializes in ICU,ER.

I'm one of the strange people that like triage.

I just don't let people get to me, plain and simple. I don't want another individual to have that much control over me. Especially the winners we see come through the ER.

They can be ranting and raving and I'm just in a monotone zone.

It drives them crazy.

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Boy, since sarcasm and laughter will only get you in trouble, and tazering a person would be battery, I would suggest silent prayer (don't want someone who is not religious claiming that you violated their rights by praying in front of them).

:rotfl:

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Specializes in ER, Pedi ER, Trauma, Clinical Education.

Unfortunately triage is one of the necessary evils of being an ER nurse. On my last assignment, I was assigned triage for 4 weeks straight because "you're the best at it and can move people through quickly." One phrase that works so well is "what has changed in this pain you've had for four years that made you come in tonight?" When phrased right, it has a two pronged approach. First it lets you decide whether or not if they are of a higher acuity (sometimes the answer is as straight forward as "nothing, just decided to come today"). And secondly, it provides you as a source of entertainment as to seeing what each person comes up with. Oh it can also help put the person back on track as to why they are actually here today. And yeah, I hate the people who constantly bug you about how much longer it is. So, I had to start making a game out of it. I would try to guess which one of my patients would be the first to come up and complain about the wait. I would also try to guess the diagnosis the ER MD would give the pt and the tx given. With computer charting it was easy to go back and take a peek at each person's tx and dx. So, you got a chance to see if your gut was right. Other than that, a sledgehammer to the head works well, too! HA!!!!

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Specializes in ER, Peds, Charge RN.

Just give out ativan and dilaudid in the triage room. That makes them nice.

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Specializes in ER.
Just give out ativan and dilaudid in the triage room. That makes them nice.

I have firmly believed for a long time that there needs to be an ativan lick in the waiting area.

And, the best way to get your Press Ganey scores up is to hand out crack at Triage!

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