I'm really getting burned out very quickly with the life sucking force of non-urgent patients in the ER. I've been in ER for 3 years now (2 nursing NS as a tech, 1 as an RN). I'm not new to the obvious abuse of the system but lately I would rather hear nails down a chalkboard that listen to these people in triage with their c/o they've had for 6-7 months.
It seemed to plauge us Wed night something awful. Our entire ER filled up in 15 mins. with things that obviously could've been addressed at a PCP or Urgent Care. Which, BTW, those are abudent in our area. And, you don't have to wait to get into a PCP, most have same day appts. We even have a great Urgent Care that sees patients until midnight down the road from the ER.
How do others deal with this?
Let me give you examples of Wed night. URI s/s for 30+ days. It hurts when I insert a tampon. Back pain for 6 months. I hit a wall 3 weeks ago and I just now think it needs to be checked depite the fact I have full ROM and no swelling and/or pain right now. My child has a "fever" of 98.6. My child was exposed to chicken pox 3 days ago. A man with totally vague s/s during triage and later we find out, he just wants a physical and a work note. A woman with chronic dental pain, on ATB already, the tooth has been pulled AND she already had pain meds at home.
Our Urgent Care and PCP can all order labs/X-rays from their office and people can come to hospital for OUTPATIENT stuff. Our Urgent Care is open until midnight 7 days a week. Our lab and/or X-ray will see patients until midnight as well. We even have 2 PCP's that see patients until 7p.m. at night. Obviously they have bent over backwards to address the needs of working people here.
Usually I don't even mind people who come in with minor c/o and not really emergencies,. But for the last couple of months I find myself having this urge to just scream whenever I hear WEEKS or MONTHS in their sentences during triage. I can't even begin to describe the feeling I get when I hear "nothing" when I ask what they've done for the said complaint that has plauged them for WEEKS or MONTHS.
Then we have a staff meeting about the stupid PG and how we are slacking and how we need to improve customer satisfaction. I could come up with the ways, but I don't think the hospital would find my ways very funny.
I'm at my wits end I really am.
I need some great words of wisdom or some humor or something to continue this madness.
