Is this common? The new face of the ED

Specialties Emergency

Published

I have worked in the ED for 4 years. Anyone who works in an ED knows the current situation with ED care. Too many patients (esp with non-urgent complaints) and we are incredibly understaffed. The turnover is so high, like I said I have been there 4 years and I figure I am in the group of 10% of RNs who have been there the longest. I have seen waves of nurses come and go. Recently it has gotten even worse.

Our management obviously is lacking. Many of the patients are "entitled". The services at our hospital keep decreasing to cut costs. I have not had a raise since I started, they always find a way out of it on a technicality. I love taking care of most of my patients ;-P and of course we are supposed to rate high on surveys for reimbursement reasons. On the other hand we are supposed to be fast and turn over the rooms quickly. It is an impossible situation. Either "too slow" for management and the patients love you, or too fast for patients and they feel neglected, "treated and streeted".

I spend time educating my patients, making them feel comfortable understanding the care they receive, etc. Normally I do this while I am inserting and IV or some other task where I would already be in the room. To be honest, I can't keep up with 4 critical patients at once - literally as soon as a patient is out of a room they bring another one down the hall while someone is cleaning the room. I don't feel like I can give good care this way.

Maybe it is just me - doesn't seem like it based on the number of nurses who have quit working at my ED, I've talked to them of course. And it seems to be getting worse - we never have adequate staffing (I think it is a danger to the patients) - we are not "rewarded" - a 1/2 hour uninterrupted break in a 12 hour shift is supposed to be reward enough, if we ever get it!

I am wondering what your experience is like. The good parts of my job are that I love most of my coworkers, I get to chose my own schedule - hours and days worked. And it is close to home.

Is my experience common? I feel like with the current situation in healthcare it will not get any better and probably worse. Thinking of making a change.

Specializes in Dialysis/Nephrology.

At the hospital in my town, if your hired on in the ED then your stuck there for at least 6mos. But you can request to float around the hospital every 6mos too. So if you don't like the way things are going down in your ED, ask to float around your hospital until you find a spot you like, Maybe? If your hospital will allow it. Rather than losing your time you already have within your company...JMO

Specializes in Public Health Nurse.
I feel your pain. No raises here either, for 3 years (about to be 4) even though we were nationally recognized in Consumer Reports and US News, ranked in the top 20's in the state of Florida. We got cupcakes as a thank you. And no, we don't get our 30 minute break either.

The only way I can get a raise, is by graduating grad school. What a shame.

Where in Florida are you? Mind sharing the hospital? I

I am in Florida.

I don't work in the ED, so I don't know what it should be like, but I just wanted to say that if you're not getting an unpaid 1/2 hour lunch and two paid 15 minute breaks, REFUSE to clock out for lunch. That's illegal if you are paid hourly, and the reason that they continue to treat us that way is because we tolerate it. I'm tired of it. If I clock out for a lunch and I don't get my full one-hour throughout a 12 HOUR DAY I edit my time sheet so they can pay me for my "lunch" (during which I usually get interrupted with work stuff anyway.) I DARE anyone to call me on it, and they never have.

I have worked in the ED almost 4 years and there are many times that I don't get any breaks let alone 30 miutes for lunch. We aren't required to clock out for lunch; the time is automatically deducted and you have to remember to write it in a time book to get paid if you don't get your lunch. Even if I am getting paid when I don't get to take time for lunch, I would rather have the much needed break than the extra few dollars.

Sorry ER nurses. I have worked off and on in ER for many years and it is a much lighter job than working the floors. I am sure there are many times you get plenty of time to eat and someone goes out and picks food up. No one in the nursing field is getting giant raises. Is there some reason you think ER would be singled out?

Now as a patient on occasion in the ER I can say that I have found nurses and Doctors to be on the lazy side and very disrespectful to patients when they dont see blood and guts or compound fractures or chest pain. So I have a headache and it doesnt go away. The pain is what made me go to er in the middle of the night not an urge to get narcotics. I dont have to hear an RN say you just ran out of your prescription. It is really sad that you can go to an urgent care and get better treatment of staff with less training. So to make things clear I almost lost my life because nurses and doctors in the local er did not diagnose my subdural hematoma with all the standard symptoms and history.. ER people get your act together and treat all patients well.

This post is laughable and appears to be written to incite. That's all I can say and remain civil.

not to incite. It is the truth.

Sorry ER nurses. I have worked off and on in ER for many years and it is a much lighter job than working the floors. I am sure there are many times you get plenty of time to eat and someone goes out and picks food up. No one in the nursing field is getting giant raises. Is there some reason you think ER would be singled out?

Now as a patient on occasion in the ER I can say that I have found nurses and Doctors to be on the lazy side and very disrespectful to patients when they dont see blood and guts or compound fractures or chest pain. So I have a headache and it doesnt go away. The pain is what made me go to er in the middle of the night not an urge to get narcotics. I dont have to hear an RN say you just ran out of your prescription. It is really sad that you can go to an urgent care and get better treatment of staff with less training. So to make things clear I almost lost my life because nurses and doctors in the local er did not diagnose my subdural hematoma with all the standard symptoms and history.. ER people get your act together and treat all patients well.

billyboblewis, I had to write to tell you that when I read your post I smiled and shook my head in sympathy with you. I had a similar experience as a patient in the ER (I am an RN), and to this day I'm not sure if the doctor was looking at me with an expression of disappointment or disgust, but he did treat me with what I considered to be disdain. I waited for a long time in a virtually empty waiting room while the nurse who appeared in the triage area from time to time studiously avoided making eye contact with me. And yes, my history and symptoms were significant. Why shouldn't nurses be able to express their negative experiences of being patients or family members?

billyboblewis, I had to write to tell you that when I read your post I smiled and shook my head in sympathy with you. I had a similar experience as a patient in the ER (I am an RN), and to this day I'm not sure if the doctor was looking at me with an expression of disappointment or disgust, but he did treat me with what I considered to be disdain. I waited for a long time in a virtually empty waiting room while the nurse who appeared in the triage area from time to time studiously avoided making eye contact with me. And yes, my history and symptoms were significant. I am sorry some nurses on this forum seem to find it so offensive when nurses complain about receiving poor care, and seek to label the nurses complaining as wishing to cause trouble. Why shouldn't nurses be able to express their experiences of being patients?

It's not the espressing of experiences that I take issue with; it's the way it's expressed.

Thinking people understand that one nurse's/person's (assuming that billybob is a nurse since nothing in his (presumably) profile identifies his profession) experience does not constitute reality for the entire profession/patient population.

To make blanket statements that imply that all ERs are light duty, that we often get plenty of time to eat and can even send someone out for food, and that all ED docs and nurses are lazy is just plain ignorant, even if that is one person's experience "on occasion."

thanks and I really complain more for the patients who are not nurses who dont get proper treatment because they are viewed as drug seekers or other prejudices of er personnel. I do love working in er or any other discipline.I have been in pt care since 1967 and thru good and bad I cannot imagine doing anything else

o btw I am an RN and have been for the last 36 years of my career. I have worked in all types and sizes of hospitals and will tell you that the majority of er nurses are fantastic and I believe the ones complaining may be a very small minority!

Specializes in Med/surg, Quality & Risk.
I have worked in the ED almost 4 years and there are many times that I don't get any breaks let alone 30 miutes for lunch. We aren't required to clock out for lunch; the time is automatically deducted and you have to remember to write it in a time book to get paid if you don't get your lunch. Even if I am getting paid when I don't get to take time for lunch, I would rather have the much needed break than the extra few dollars.

Yep me too, I'd love to have the breaks; however if I don't get to sit down uninterrupted for 30 minutes and eat, I write the edit.

Sorry ER nurses. I have worked off and on in ER for many years and it is a much lighter job than working the floors. I am sure there are many times you get plenty of time to eat and someone goes out and picks food up. No one in the nursing field is getting giant raises. Is there some reason you think ER would be singled out?

Now as a patient on occasion in the ER I can say that I have found nurses and Doctors to be on the lazy side and very disrespectful to patients when they dont see blood and guts or compound fractures or chest pain. So I have a headache and it doesnt go away. The pain is what made me go to er in the middle of the night not an urge to get narcotics. I dont have to hear an RN say you just ran out of your prescription. It is really sad that you can go to an urgent care and get better treatment of staff with less training. So to make things clear I almost lost my life because nurses and doctors in the local er did not diagnose my subdural hematoma with all the standard symptoms and history.. ER people get your act together and treat all patients well.

Well shucks, sign me up for this amazing ER with the light workload and people going out to buy lunches for everyone's 30 minute breaks! Why am I suffering through saving lives when I could be doing that?

o btw I am an RN and have been for the last 36 years of my career. I have worked in all types and sizes of hospitals and will tell you that the majority of er nurses are fantastic and I believe the ones complaining may be a very small minority!

You have the right to your opinion, but that doesn't make your opinion right!

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