karrncen

Very sorry to read that the nurse misspoke, but also conveyed incorrect information. As a number of members have stated, presence of bile is not unusual when there is no food present and the (likely) narcotic medications can cause abnormal persistalsis. Sad that a "professional" would choose scare tactics over facts and supportive care.

I have to say I do believe it's unprofessional to leave after only one year. The first year of nursing for new grads is a difficult learning experience for so many. Clinical in many programs is limited and doesn't give the experience needed to deal with "the real world". It's easy to get frustrated, frightened, and disheartened as you adapt to a new role. I think 2 years would give a better gauge of where you are career-wise and what your needs are. My first job was over three years and had it not been for a bad divorce and moving cross country, I'd likely have stayed much longer. I loved it. I had supportive colleagues and I learned a huge amount. It was a wonderful experience! Of course, I'm an older nurse and had a luxury of "graduate nurse" status until I took the boards.

Hi perbd, Glad to hear you're doing well. ED isn't for everyone and I hope you enjoy your new position.

We also restrict access to the ED with a visitor policy (one except in special circumstances) and access requires swiping our IDs at doors. Security assigns a dedicated officer per shift. We are not a trauma center, but have had trauma victims, fire victims, etc arrive at our facility followed by police and press. We have also required police assistance to remove individuals when they don't leave when asked. Discuss policy development with your manager. Once written, it must be posted clearly, placed in patient brochures/info sheets, and enforced. If access to the hospital proper is gained through your ED, I suggest you have serious safety issues and they need to be addressed by your administration. Good luck.

Good for you, Mike. I got a laugh.

perbd, Sorry things aren't working out. Don't be discouraged. The pace is difficult and some just aren't able to adjust to so many different scenarios that can occur in a shift. You'll find what works for you. Maybe ICU is a better place where you have assigned patients and can concentrate on just those individuals. I'm assuming critical care isn't the issue for you. Not being able to work ED isn't the worst thing. If you recognize it's not for you and continue in it; that's where you'll run into trouble. Good luck.

Very sad to read the vitriol. This wasn't supposed to be a political debate, but obviously the comments reflect a lot of anger, fear, and disrespect. I thought we as nurses could rise above that.

There are approximately 46 million uninsured or underinsured people in our country, many who receive no healthcare at all due to the cost. If all our citizens are insured, disease detection and preventative care they can receive because they can afford going to a doctor, could ultimately decrease costs. The bill is not ideal, but I cannot see how this country can call itself great when 1/6th of the population cannot get the healthcare they need.

As LunahRN stated, lavage is no longer recommended. Even if you retrieve pills and fragments, there is significant risk of trauma to the oropharynx and esophageal mucosa. You will still be administering charcoal and monitoring because there is no way of being certain you will remove all of the ingested material.

I'm thinking I 'd want to avoid ending up as a patient in that ED. I do believe that new nurses need some experience prior to working in critical care areas, and especially as triage nurses. A new nurse needs experience in the nursing process and becoming familiar with decision making in a less acute environment. You need to be comfortable in your nursing role before you tackle such an experience. I'm not saying it can't be done, but is highly stressful and likely to be overwhelming-----especially with just six weeks orientation. My ED has hired new grads and they are on a 6 month orientation and partnered with an experienced ED RN, and still, a number of them left as soon as their first year was over to find positions in other nursing areas.

I, too, have a BA in Psych, but earned it after my ASN. I've been an RN for many years and though I considered earning my Bachelor's an accomplishment, it meant nothing on my pay scale because it isn't a nursing degree. I am exploring options for an MSN without the BSN. Many of the larger Boston hospitals are hiring only BSN nurses to try for Magnet status and must have a certain percentage of their nursing staff with that to qualify, but there are hospitals hiring new grads with Associate degrees, so I don't think you need to leave MA to get a job. If you can, try a job as a tech in a hospital to get your foot in the door. It can't hurt.

Your own thought of trailing the IV team is an excellent idea. A lot of hospitals no longer have IV teams, so try to take advantage of the opportunity. I agree with numerous others that state most ICU nurses deal with central lines, so don't necessarily have peripheral IV skills. In our hospital, it's the ED nurses who get called for in-house pts needing a new line. I'd also think if you're starting a new position, you'll have an orientation, and hopefully, an opportunity to develop some skill before you're in a crisis situation. Good luck!:)

"Sexy" is a state of mind. Have to say it doesn't work for me at work. As I do work in an emergency dept., one must take care not to dress or act in a provocative manner because it attracts the wrong attention. Save the sexy for off hours...........:wink2::wink2:

Hey, you're new and you're trying to do your due diligence in performing a med reconciliation. I wouldn't have called the doc at that hour, but made a notation that the dosage was unknown. It is up to the physician to order the meds. As for the rude yelling, report him to the chief. There is no excuse for treating colleagues in that manner. I would also suggest you have your manager discuss deferring calls about meds on night shift to only emergencies. Med. reconciliation can be done when the doc's offices are open if you can't get the info from another source. Hang in there.

As an experienced ED nurse, I've heard some of the most ridiculous requests from patients and families. We have a policy of 1 visitor per patient at a time, though do allow for exceptions, such as a dying patient so family might see them once more. Some colleagues don't follow those rules and then when the new shift shows and tries to enforce the 1 visitor policy, we look like lousy enforcers. We have small, outdated, and cramped areas for patient care and cannot work efficiently or safely while literally stepping over visitors to draw bloods, start IVs, give meds, or, in one case, defibrillate a patient. My primary duty is to ensure patient safety and care, and to educate the patient and family about their condition and care. I am not a waitress or gofer. If that affects the Press-Gaineys, too bad. I have been punched, spat upon, sworn at, vomited on, and had filth thrown at me and still provided excellent nursing care. However, you may not always get "service with a smile".