Traumsquad

The websites listed are great, and I think can be very helpful, but the best way to get back into the swing of nursing and brush up on those procedures is to take full advantage of the orientation program in your ER. Do not let anyone talk you into leaving orientation early. It is going to be the best way for you to get started again.

I am currently enrolled in the wright state online BSN course. I am very satisfied with it so far. I have 2 weeks left in this semester, and I will start the new semester the beginning of January. The program is perfect for me because I do not have time to sit in a classroom. You will do a lot of writing. In fact, it is almost all writing papers and submitting them by predetermined deadlines. The course is a lot of work and is not easy, but I think it is worth it.

Physical restraints in our emergency room our rarely used, although I would not hesitate to use them, as a last resort, after every other option has been tried, to keep the patient, staff, other patients or visitors from harm. The use of restraints, any restraints, in our facility require a considerable amount of documentation, including what measures were used before the deciding on restraints, the events leading up to the use of restraints, frequent monitoring of the patient, one - on - one if in 4 points or in seclusion, and frequent documentation while in restraints. We are required to document trial releases and get physicians orders for the continued use of restraints if needed after a certain time period. That being said, i would just like to say again, that restraints are a rarity anymore anyway, and are reserved for the truly violent patient. As far as letting a patient leave the emergency room after expressing suicidal ideation, especially when that patient has expressed a formal plan, seems to be irresponsible and is not in the best interest of the client. It is true that not everyone who presents with the complaint of suicidal ideation will go out and carry through with the plan, but as a nurse in the emergency room, I have no way of knowing which ones are serious and which ones are not, therefore I feel I must act on the side of caution. There is also the legal aspects of letting a patient leave the ER after expressing suicidal ideation and then, God forbid, they actually go and commit the act or worse, hurt another innocent person. That can open the professional and the institution up for legal action.

We do not have CNA's in the ER where I work, but we do have patient care techs that do a lot of the same things as well as place splints, do EKG's, work with the nurse in code situations, do compressions during cpr, etc. The patient care techs are a very valuable part of our team.

I guess the qualities needed for emergency would be tolerance of different lifestyles, the ability to work under pressure, patience in dealing with patients and family members, thinking fast on your feet, an inquisitive mind because you are coming into contact with patients at the onset of thier illness.

congratualtions on getting a job:) Don't burn brides:)

I have never used etomidate. We have always used meds such as succs.....versed.

We have 24 beds in our emergency department. OUr charge use does not usually take more than 2 patients during the day and sometimes none. The charge person does take a full load between 7p and 7a because our staffing decreases. We have a nurse stationed in triage between 7a and 11p. The triage nurse is not counted in nurse to patient ratio, but the charge nurse is.