traumaokc

I have worked in the emergency room for over 6 years and this has always been a problem. I came from ICU and cannot ever remember telling anyone in the er that I could not take there pt. It did not matter what was going on in the unit. But once I hit the ER I had a better respect for what they really do everyday. I have always tried to be polite when calling report but when they tell you sorry that nurse is at lunch can you call back in 30 minutes? I didnt have lunch and I am still doing my job. I will never understand why the friction is so bad between ER and every other area of the hospital except for OR. No one realizes we are all trying to do the same thing, take care of patients the best we can, and if I have a bed assignment for someone that has been on a stretcher for hours, its time for them to get upstairs. One of my favorites is when you receive your bed assignment and you try to call report, the bed has changed and oh that one isnt ready yet? Who comes up with stuff. I have actually taken a pt to the icu and given bedside report because I was tired of the bed changing, or you have to wait until shift change or whatever the excuse is... ER is a whole different world.:argue:

The ER that I grew up in sounds very similar to yours. I left 2 1/2 months ago with regret but it will never change due to management and the things that they expect from the staff that they have. There have been a total of 12 nurses that also left since I did. Sometimes you have to cut your losses, the way I look at I worked really hard for my license and know that no upper management would not back me if anything happened. I feel that I lost my family I was so close to them and we did good work but it is just not worth it anymore. They need to change the system.

I have seen many new grads succeed in the ER but they come in with common sense and a good knowledge base. I feel that it depends on what the orientation package is. Where I worked, they gave you 8-12 weeks but they are doing everything that other nurses are doing because we were so busy. The resources were not implemented appropriately. When I went to ER 6 years ago from ICU I was put out in triage on the second day without ever being told what I was suppose to do and I also had a patient in the back. Not safe.... It just depends on the person and the resources that are available to you.

It does seem that every er is the same, no matter what state. I actually had my director come out on the floor one day walking thru while we were coding someone for the second time with 3 nurses along with RT and the doc in the room. They stuck there head in the room and said there are too many people in here someone needs to come out because there is a call light going off. What the hell has our society created that everyone that is not sick, that thinks the ER doc is there primary care physician and requests them in triage. Seems that no matter what you do for people, its not enough. Families that come in with someone with abdominal pain eating there cheetos and drinking strawberry pop want a meal because they have been there for hours along with a remote for the tv that is every room for there comfort. My favorite is the family member that stands at the door glaring at you cause because while you are charting from 4 hours ago on your 5 patients which include 3 admits and new orders someone sits besides you for the first time in a 12 hour shift and you laugh once. That is the one that rights the complaint that the nurses didnt do enough for them since they had time to laugh and have fun at work while they were waiting for the 10th blanket they asked for in the hour they have been there. Customer service is a joke, especially in the er. Never enough staff or rooms for the patients that are there. And yet everyone just wants more. Its not like Burger King, believe it or not you cant have it your way. And there is no sympathy for someone that doesnt need to be there that is hungry when you have been there for 12 hours and havent had the opportunity to feed yourself. I just dont understand nursing:banghead:

The only thing that I can tell you is start with talking to them, going thru the paperwork and where everything is so they will be a little more comfortable. Then start going thru the processes with them and really pay attention to what and how they do things. If you are lucky you will have a new grad that doesnt feel they already know everything and that is open to suggestions when you give them. The only thing you can do is let them know that you want to do a good job and that you are open to questions since there are no stupid questions when you are starting out. Hope that helps.. Good luck:confused:

:banghead:I was happy to hear that this has happened to others, sorry. This happened to me but was not a senator. It was a family member of someone that worked in hospital that would not listen. I ended up getting written up same as you and ultimately left my job due to the director and my conflict. I find this a very sad position to be in since as a supervisor my job was to care for patients in the safest manner possible with an average of 15-20 people waiting in the waiting room daily. This is on a good day. These are sick people that there is no room for that need care. I could not in good conscience take someone back with posible htn over a suicidal ideation and a chest pain. I am unsure how we as college graduates are put in positions that would not stand up in court, can you imagine saying that you took a family member back that you know nothing about over someone that could possibly die in the waiting with chest pain and a history or I am sorry that your loved one left and commited suicide because we didnt have a bed for you and we took someone back over you because my director said that I had to. I left this job but stayed with the same company and it is following me there. I also lost another position over this at the next facility. I will have to look for another job because I was trying to do the right thing.

As I have just done this I can tell you that it is difficult. I worked in 44 bed ER, the only Level 1 Trauma Center in OKC,OK for 6 years. I was a Supervisor and it seemed like you always got your butt kicked because most patients that came in were really sick whether trauma or medicine. The hospital didnt have enough beds for what we see including ICU so we held critically ill patients for days on end and never seemed to get everything done. I loved the adrenaline of trying to accomplish everything and save a few people. I now work in a 10 bed ER that is mainly a clinic. I have not seen that many sick people and they close floors down due to low cencus. It is a difficult transition. I felt that I had lost skills since I was a Supervisor but the new ER doesnt seem to be helping out with that. I have spent alot of time in triage which is not my favorite place. I am not sure what to tell you but this is my experience with it. Good luck on your decision. I continue to find somewhere that I want to go into everyday like my former job.