lunabellevoix

PS - I agree with "babynurselsa", cops in my town would laugh their butts off if I asked them to drive a patient home for that reason. Surprised your force allows it.

Just hearing your dilemma makes ME ill, you poor thing. My hospital used to be non-profit and gave pt's "cab vouchers" to get home. Maybe you can suggest your hospital make a deal with one certain cab company for a break in fees, in exchange for long-term use of their service, and include it in the pt's bill - or even write the cab voucher off. We have stopped this practice because we are for profit now, and it was being abused. That may be an option? People never cease to amaze me, though. Our Paramedics tell me people call an ambulance just to get a RIDE to the city! They sign out AMA before any tx - makes me sick. Personally, since pain is not really an emergency, I would refuse to give them narcs at all until someone was called and was there to drive - and sign as driver (not sure the legalities of that, but it has never failed to produce a driver within a half hour, either). I usually move them into a hall bed to wait and also to free their room up. We have one MD on nights who will make non-emergent ambulance pt's be sent out to triage to be assessed, then wait in the waiting room like everyone else. Personally, I think it's great. To answer your question about heartlessness...no, it's not heartless. If you let these people run you and abuse your services, you will burn out...quickly. Further, I think it's heartless of THEM to take an ambulance just because they know they will get seen more quickly, when they must know there are people sicker than them waiting. I have zero sympathy for non-emergents taking ambulances. Heartless? Maybe. Realistic? Yes.

Thanks everyone for your replies.

Yeah, I just make an extra line and write "driver" under it. I'm not certain how legally binding that is, but it most likely looks a lot better than nothing if something were to happen. I wonder if it then places the liability in the person who signed as driver's hands? It sure gives the defense something to hammer them about if it went to court though, huh? -Dianne

In a perfect world, all ER pt's would actually be EMERGENCIES - then I'd never leave ER. The non-emergents, drug-seekers, non-paying-wants-everything-for-free, whiner types are the kind that make me want to quit. I can deal with bitchy and rude patients quite easily IF they are really sick.

I always make another person co-sign the d/c paperwork as "driver". This isn't required where I work, but I do it anyway. If they say they are taking a cab, I hold onto their pain Rx until the cab driver comes in and signs. Works like a charm.

Hi everyone, I am a fairly new RN working in an Emergency Room. I have been on my own as an RN for 8 months now. Is it fairly common at my experience level to not get to take care of many high acuity patients? My small-ish hospital's ER doesn't get a great deal of that anyway, but at what point should you be able to run codes, etc? Thanks