New LPN: Help on dealing with emergency situations

[SAF2014]

I recently had an emergency situation while working my 2nd position as an LPN. I work in long term care and one of my residents fell while on my shift. When I came into the room, he was face down in a pool of blood. I panicked and yelled for my CNAs to come and stay with him while I called 911. I was unprepared when calling and felt like I panicked and wasn't able to function as a nurse. How can I respond and be more prepared for these types of experiences in the future???

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

No matter how prepared/experienced we are, there is always that surge of adrenaline when we are involved in an emergency situation. This is very different from 'panic'.

If that (calling 911) is the policy for your organization, you did the right thing. I'll bet you also initiated other actions - quick assessment, protecting airway, checking VS & LOC, didn't you? But, as an LPN, you should also have an RN supervisor that you need to notify whenever you encounter a situation that is beyond your scope of practice. It would probably be a good idea to clarify those expectations in order to be better prepared in the future.