Dempather RN

Hi all, Just wanted some advice from y'all about the difficulty I've had finding a new position in the ER. I have a couple assignments already under my belt + 5 yrs nursing experience (almost 4 in the ED). Is anyone else having difficulty finding p...

Hello! I've been interested in working on a Native American reservation. To boot, I've discovered that in certain situations, some of my nursing school loans can be paid off in the process. I'm curious to hear about other peoples' experiences. ...

::sigh:: Five years into nursing and I found that we have plenty things to blame ourselves for (i.e.: our OWN mistakes, how we respond to certain things, etc) and we work hard to control how often they happen and how we can do better next time (ofte...

Hi, I had a large male patient (~120kg) with a dx. of PNA/sepsis who went into respiratory failure. He was on a dopamine drip prior to this episode for hypotension. Normal RSI took place and he was intubated. Once his respiratory status was stabilize...

"The fact that a lot of us have to do our learning on the job, in the moment, is unfortunately the nature of the beast. Better clinical education would help immensely! " I agree with this! I spoke with a couple nurses from the hospital regarding...

This forum is a great educational tool for the person presenting the case, as well as the people contributing to the discussion. I feel compelled to add that identifying what's "wrong" serves absolutely no purpose, and is quite frankly, irritating. ...

Somethings just have to go unexplained... we went three months without one motorcycle accident off I-95 and then separate incidents three show up in one shift. For the full moon theory, I had a well-seasoned ER doc explain it to me in such a matter-o...

You know what? Once you're a nurse, your patients and colleagues won't respect you less for it. You sound solid, so do whatever you have to do to finish with little worry about what you need to do to get it done -- as long as you feel confidant in ...

In the most impressive show of verbal diarrhea that I can recall in recent history, I thought I'd share this-- So I was trying to fuzz up my cover letter and was brain-storming things to throw in. I asked myself what the heck I've learned in the ED ...

Great-- thanks for the advice and laughs! :)

Hello All! I'm currently a nurse in NYC. While it definitely has its charm, I just can't shake the unnerving feeling of how much I'd rather be outdoors.. exploring.. horse back riding.. skiing. And believe me, it's hard to ski down Wall Street with...

I originally posted this message at N.Y. Nurses -- maybe somebody here can put light on this: Does anybody here have experience at/with Bellevue? As a level one trauma center - is that one of the bigger ERs in the Metropolitan area? I'm coming right ...

I'm really desperate for a shoe with good support. I've tried Danskos and running shoes, but my arches ache when I'm on my feet all day long. Does anybody have experience with crocs? I heard they're good. Any other tips would be great! Thanks!

I'm currently an ER nurse with some experience on tele. I'm considering a shadow experience in the OR or an eventual change over. Can somebody explain some of the tasks one would experience throughout the day? Do you perform assessments (lung soun...

A GI doctor once told me to place an NG tube in warm water for a couple minutes before inserting it. Simple enough, reduced patient discomfort, and made the whole process a whole lot easier. What's yours?

When I used to work on the floors, it was free water flush q 6 hrs to lower sodium, like Suzanne said. The amount doesn't seem so concerning - usually they would say 200cc or something of that sort. Think about it. Would you drink normal saline (o...

We had a patient come to us a while ago who was injured after a particularly gruesome accident. After the incident, word got out and people have called me about it, including well-intentioned family members of mine. What makes this wider-scale for ...

Okay, let's talk a bit about this protocol. I had a young patient come into my ER s/p fall approx 20ft with impact to back Upon arrival, pt with no sensation below waist, no rectal tone, absent reflexes. Airway patent. Confirmed damage noted on CT...

Thanks much. That's what I needed to know. :)

Hi Guys, I'm new to the ER. I've had experience in other specialties.. but have been on a slightly prolonged orientation since my transition to the ER has taken longer than I anticipated (as the manager put it, "I"m greener than we thought.. but tha...

A close friend of mine is a medical student at Johns Hopkins. They recently created a new show called "Hopkins 24/7", which follows around the residents well... 24/7 :). He said everybody needed to sign a release to be on the show. I'm assuming th...

And oh lordy. I got a week longer than anticipated. A prolonged orientation sounds more like a crime on this post than what it actually is... the identification that one needs more help and actually comes forward and SAYS it without shame. How sad. ...

I leave the post for a couple days and it goes.. a little haywire. I don't wish to bring down management or complain about older nurses.. so nobody needs to get upset or feel like they need to defend one group or another. But I also can't control ...

Thank you for all the wonderful responses! Of course, these are things that I one day will pursue (and consulting you all further about!).

Do you think working in the ER has helped thicken your skin? Or is that something that's a pre-req for being in such a high intensity place?