Life in the ER

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What is your favorite part :redbeathe and the worst part :banghead: of working in an ER?

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Specializes in Emergency.

Best part: autonomy-there is no waiting around for an order. You get to do an assessment in 20 secs, diagnose, decide how to treat and do it or people die, fast! Worry about making someone write orders for your treatment later.

Worst part: Absolutely no one understands what an ED nurse does and how ED nurses work and think but other ED nurses. This can make your job and life HARD.

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Specializes in LTAC, Med/Surg..
Best part: autonomy-there is no waiting around for an order. You get to do an assessment in 20 secs, diagnose, decide how to treat and do it or people die, fast! Worry about making someone write orders for your treatment later.

Worst part: Absolutely no one understands what an ED nurse does and how ED nurses work and think but other ED nurses. This can make your job and life HARD.

Eeeeeek.

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Specializes in ER, TRAUMA, MED-SURG.

Definetly, the best part of working in the ER is the autonomy and also the variety of patients. You really don't know what you will see during your shift, and it always makes your day interesting.

The part I don't like is the fact that just because someone sees you at the nurses station, they automatically think you are loafing around. Just because we are at the station doesn't mean we are messing around.

I wouldn't leave the ER - I love it!!!

Anne, RNC :yeah:

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Specializes in ER, SANE, Home Health, Forensic.

Best part? Not having to deal with "special" patients or their families for the month they are admitted...

Worst part? Often no idea of treatment outcomes on critical patients transferred/admitted.

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

I love the blood and guts in ER

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Specializes in ER, Trauma, ICU/CCU/NICU, EMS, Transport.

I love sometimes dispo'ing a pt in as little as 20 minutes.

I love having mutiple resident specialties that I can refer stuff to for a dispo.

I love not having to do follow ups (like in an office).

I love not having to be on call for the office; when I check out at 7, I am DONE.

:wink2::wink2::wink2::wink2::wink2::wink2::wink2::wink2:

I hate; people not knowing their policies on what to do/not do

I hate; people not knowing basic nursing tasks

I hate; the bickering about who gets the next patient

I hate; the backbiting and gossiping about people

I hate; feeling unempowered to do things to get the psych pt's moving along

:crying2::confused::sniff::crying2::confused::sniff:

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I love my co-workers and the team work saving a life.

I love getting Thankyou from my patients and families.

I love that I only work 2 8 hour shifts per week now.

I love getting a chest pain,stroke,trauma,ect....and the legal buzz (when the endorphins kick in)

I love brain-storming with the docs, and when they take our advice.

I love getting everything done before the orders are written (minus meds of course)

I love our new high tech ER.

I hate:

Know it all newbies

Nurses who aren't team oriented/laziness

Entitlement mentality

Management that doesn't verbally thankyou for a job well done

Mandatory CEUs that you're supposed to get done on your breaks!:banghead:

Stupidity

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Specializes in Emergency Dept, M/S.

Agreeing with TraumaRN here: I LOVE getting a sincere "thank you" from my patient or their families. It is sometimes those really nice patients and feeling appreciated that carry me through the nasty, "I was here first!", gimme-gimme-gimme ones.

I hate that I can't go out in the waiting room during flu season and say to the 20 and 30-somethings "If you have a sore throat, fever, runny nose and body aches, you most likely have the flu. You may be waiting in that seat you're in for upwards of 8 hours to see a doc, who will tell you to go home to bed, drink lots of fluids, take Tylenol and rest. And for those that will ask, you will not be getting a script for Percocet for body aches." Or wonder why none of them stopped at the 4 Urgent Care clinics they had to pass to get to the ED, who will tell the same as above but in an hour.

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Specializes in ER.
Best part: autonomy-there is no waiting around for an order. You get to do an assessment in 20 secs, diagnose, decide how to treat and do it or people die, fast! Worry about making someone write orders for your treatment later.

Worst part: Absolutely no one understands what an ED nurse does and how ED nurses work and think but other ED nurses. This can make your job and life HARD.

DITTO!!!!!!!!!:yeah::yeah::yeah:

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Specializes in Emergency.

RFWB, EEKK? What's so EEEKKKY?

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RFWB, EEKK? What's so EEEKKKY?

I suspect this is a nonmedical.....:down:

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