ChuckeRN

In defense of the flight crew, they NEVER talk crap about anyone (maybe because 99% of the patients are really sick), but this time they were TICKED! I wish I knew how they got the call and if they even have a choice to refuse to transport once they are on scene. And had I known the in-house pharmacy refused her meds without her ID, I would have gotten them for her from the pharmacy (which I can do).

That's called Fatal Familial Insomnia. It's real. It's inherited and it's a prion disease. Very rare though.

I work nites in a rural Level 3 trauma center. One night, we had the rotor crew fly in a 22 yo F for BACK PAIN! No trauma, she just woke up that morning with a back ache, but called 911 sometime during the night and somehow a helicopter was dispatched to fly her in. Of course she was texting as she was being brought in. The next night, she was brought in by ambo (by land) AGAIN for the SAME ****. Her story this time, she didn't have ID for our in-patient pharmacy to dispense her narcs, so she didn't get the meds our docs wrote a script for the previous night. To top it off, she asked for a ride BACK to her house.

Yup Haldol.

+1 BSN Syntha-6. My fav is Vanilla Ice Cream. I carry a shaker bottle with a metal ball in it and just add water when I'm ready to drink it. I also carry 2 or 3 apples to eat during my 12 hour shift. Still, I have lost around 30 lbs and 4" off my waist during my 2 years on the floor.

I love it when they come in for dental pain at 6 AM when there's a FREE walk-in dental clinic that opens at 7AM.

We try out nurses from the different departments all the time: ICU, OB, M/S, etc. Whether they are able to keep working in the ED is entirely up that specific nurse. Most can't seem to or want to handle it. In their defense, if they are getting paid the same, why would they want to work harder for the same money? Whenever the census is low, we always encourage other departments to send nurses over to see how we work. Who knows, they may ask to come back for more.

#1. Ask LOTS of questions. All of the docs I work with love to educate and teach. Sometimes, our co-workers are too busy to explain everything, but Docs seem always willing to take the time. #2. Be enthusiastic and willing. You may not be the fastest or the best, but you WILL get faster and better. But the one thing Docs and nurses hate is slackers. So get off your orifice and hustle! #3. Be a team player. Always be willing to help out. Don't ever say, "That's not my patient!". #4. Ask to do things you suck at. Do you suck at infant caths or IVs? Ask to be the first to try it. As long as it's not emergent, most nurses will let you have the first poke or two, or the first try.

+1 I've lost 30 lbs since I starting working in our ED last year.

I work in a Level III Trauma Center in a Navajo Reservation. The closest Level I is 80 miles away so for obvious Level I's, they are flown directly from the event site. Otherwise, we get everything. In a town of 10,000, we saw 35,000 patients in our ED in 2013. We have 8 beds, with 2 trauma beds. We also have a Fast Track ED across the hall with a separate entrance with 10 rooms that closes at 1AM. For a Res with zero alcohol allowed, the majority of our major events are ETOH related. Plus, loots of diabetes related patients from hypo and hyperglycemias to patients coming straight from the dialysis center a mile away. And because Native Americans pay NOTHING for medical care, people have no qualms about calling 911 and getting an ambo ride for things like a sore throat.

I was a nurse in a State Max Security prison. Prior to the interview, I read the thread here that has the most numerous responses and most of the questions posted were asked. You should find and read that thread. In general, depending on the number of inmates, there can be three types of nurses: 1. Med pass nurses (usually LPNs) 2. Yard nurses - Where you see inmates by appointment inside the yard in a clinic type setting with or without a doctor/ 3. Emergency Room nurses. I was an ER nurse and on weekends, the doctors were not on site so I had a lot of independence. I now work in a Level III Trauma center and I know the prison helped me a great deal to prepare for a "real hospital".

A 14 yo girl brought in by ambulance from the next city's small clinic*. Complaint: "lost her tampon". Turns out she forgot she had a tampon in her for 3 weeks. The ER doc removed it and he had a look on his face when he got out of that room. *I work in a small Indian Reservation ER where we are the only hospital for 80 miles around. Though we are technically only a Level 3 Trauma Center, we get everything.

A monkey can start IVs. Don't sweat the small stuff.

We have 5300 inmates in our prison and TID for Watch Swallow meds are impossible for nurses and no go for Security so the meds are always divided into 2 doses.

Sorry guys, but due to the transition, people have been quitting and getting fired so we are extremely short staffed and so I've been working 4 days every week = 100+hours every 2 weeks. As a private company vs a State DOC, employees are much easier to fire, but just as tedious to hire so have patience if you have an interview or have received a call from Wexford. And if you have not heard from them in a timely manner, CALL, CALL, and CALL again - really. They (HR) are swamped right now so call and be the sqeaky wheel. As for how I like Wexford, I'm not impressed with their level of communication and organization. They seem to be very haphazard and have even more layers of paperwork than the DOC. If you'd like to chat and ask more in depth questions, PM me with your e-mail and we can chat in private. In the end, I really enjoy workng at the prison and could not imagine working in a hospital where I have doctors running around 24/7 giving orders. Where I am, if I have a question, I will call you otherwise, the doctors just stay out of our way or are not even on the premises. And yes they do hire new grads. IMO - as I was hired as a NG, if you do have what it takes to work in a prison, you will do great, if you need a lot of hand holding, you should work in a hospital.