How do you deal with the inconsistent pace?

Hi! I will be starting nursing school in May and am considering going into the ED. Currently I volunteer in my local ED every week. So far I really like what I see and think I would do well there, the only thing I haven't reconciled myself with is the inconsistency of the workload. I love being there when it's busy and hectic, but when it's slow I am bored out of my skull! How do ED nurses deal with down time? Do you get bored, or is the down time a welcome relief?

The "down time" is a welcome relief, when you actually get a chance to talk with your co-workers, clean up the department, do some restocking, etc. It may seem a little "boring" at first, but there is always something to do! And when you get used to running running running all day long, the occasional down time is a very welcome relief! Good luck to you!

Eat!....lol

That's when you get a chance to see what others in the "World" of nursing are up to and get onto All Nurses. No, but really, it's restocking, re ordering, some fun and games and wait for the next disaster to arrive.

Down time? What kind of ED do you work at? That will never happen in most large Level 1 EDs. Definitely not ours. The best our ED staff can hope for is time to actually sit down (not LEAVE the dept, mind you) at the nurse's station and eat and maybe even go to the bathroom.

I loved working in our ED as a tech, and my husband works there as a nurse. However, partly due to that reason, I went to the OR after I graduated with my BSN in December. I love it.