lifsavER67

As someone else mentioned, Ultrascope is the way to go! I love mine!

12's aren't so bad! I've done 12 hour night shifts for 13 years. Just remember, there is always something that can be done for pts. Don't be the type of tech that has to be told everything. I agree that good shoes are a must! The most I have done is 5 in a row! That was to get 5 off. Many ppl work 7 where I work because the 7th is double time.

funny you should post this, i have worked in er for the past 13 years. i just recently put in for a transfer to our ob department. i will start monday. i just decided to take the plunge because it was something i always saw myself doing. if i hate it, i can go back to er in 6 months or when something comes open. we shall see how i like it!

thanks for the replies! i actually thought i'd be an ob nurse years ago. i am in the same boat as someone who replied...small hospital with the nearest NICU at least an hour away by ground. i love er and feel an intense loyalty there but on the other hand think a change would be nice. i love to get in on a delivery and have received babies several times. and we have had the occasional precip with no ob nurse inhouse. if they happen to be closed, ob is oncall.

Hi, I was just wondering if anyone has done this and what your experience has been. I have been an ER nurse for 13 years and had recently been thinking about switching to OB. There are several open positions right now. OB was where I always thought I'd be...but I landed in ER and there I have stayed. Any and all opinions will be welcome. Thanks, Wendy

Are you really an RN? If so you really, really need to pull out your books and review injection sites. I see many nurses giving IM's intended for the DG way to low. The "butt cheek". No wonder there is damage to the sciatic nerve. If you give dorsogluteal injections in the appropriate area, there is no way you are going to hit the sciatic nerve. Also, until a child has been actively walking for at least 6 months the dorsogluteal is off limits. Vastus lateralis all the way! I use deltoid for Tetorifice injections only for the most part, never anything irritating, and never over 1 ml. At my school of nursing, no graduate gets out without being able to properly landmark EVERY injection site. During checkoffs, not being able to precisely describe AND demonstrate the appropriate site is grounds for failure. Repeats are allowed after further study and practice, but I have seen students have to repeat a semester because of this type of thing. I usually approach nurses who I see not properly landmarking and review with them the appropriate sites. The ones that I have had to approach are NOT people who went to the same school I did. It's scary to me that people are not being properly prepared to function as a nurse.

I live in rural Eastern Kentucky and drive 30 miles each way to work. We have a Ramada Inn directly across the street from the hospital. Our hospital graciously lets us stay there when bad weather hits, two employees per room. Snow, ice, floods, whatever. They even provide a meal at the cafeteria for stranded folks. Any call in r/t weather is unexcused because accomodations are offered. The supervisor is usually calling each department to ask who is staying and I have even had them call when bad weather is predicted to have us come in early. They are really good about it.

in my ER we wear royal blue. each dept. has their own color. this color is pretty easy to match up prints with. khaki is a good color too, just about everything matches it.

my schedule goes like this: 2 on, 2 off, 3 on, 2 off, 2 on, 3 off. the 3 days are friday saturday and sunday. and, yes, the 3 is hard to do sometimes but i like being off every other weekend. i'd like your 6 off but i'd hate the 1 day off between the 2 on. i work nights and 1 night off is like nothing.

I always dilute Phenergan very well, give it very slowly through the highest port and flush well behind it. It is very irritating. I hate heplocks in general. And yes, I have seen the Reglan reaction several times, anxiety, chest pain, sweating....I hate when that happens.

it's always a butterfly, it's always 2 beers and it's always 6 hours. people have never eaten, after the 100th visit in a month, they still don't realize they have to have a ride home before they get a narcotic or anything that would impair driving, and they are not smart enough to take the bandaid off from the hospital they just came from. what is it about vomiting and diarhea that makes you want cheetos and coke? must be something because thats what i see all those n/v/d pts eating. i hate it when the pt has a f/m 3 states away that is a nurse/dr and they call q 15 minutes for an update. or, when telling the pt that you just triaged that you are taking them to a room/bed, they say...ooh, you are keeping me???? nooooo, you haven't even seen the dr yet... i think my number one peeve though is the parents of the infant that you are getting ready to start a line on. when they say "you've got one chance, one chance only" that kills me. its like they think we stick needles in babies for fun.

The same week we moved into our new ER, we had a brand new magnifying light that had the wire cut and just the lighted, magnifier part stolen. Also, we used to keep our crash carts in the trauma rooms, locked only with the little plastic tabs that break off. Those carts came out of those rooms fast when all the drugs were stolen...atropine, epi, everything on there was wiped out. Someone must have just wandered in there, at that time we didn't use those rooms except for emergencies. As far as half filled vials in the sharps box. I always draw the med out and waste what I don't need.

I personally do not like the practice of filling a bladder with a foley. The main reason is I think it is an unnecesary risk of infection. The second reason is i think the bladder does not have time to expand slowly and it is more painful. Also, that fluid is cold that is being instilled and I think causes the bladder to spasm. A good old IV on the other hand fills the bladder quickly enough I think. Now, our ultrasound dept totally disagrees and will do anything in their power to force us to put a foley in. I usually give the pt. a choice and explain the pro's and con's of both methods. The ones who choose the IV are then usually talked into changing their minds after US gets in there. In my experience, the foley cause more discomfort. On the other hand, you can just drain the bladder into the BSD when the procedure is done instead of the pt. having to try to make it to the BR. No pt. with abd pain or pregancy is allowed PO fluids to fill bladder.

I also work in a small ER. We are a 72 bed hospital, 11 bed ER. We currently see about 60-70 pts. each 24 hours. However, staffing has not changed in the 11 years I've been there, while the pt load has doubled. We are staffed with 3 RN's, an 11-11 LPN and a Dr.. On weekends we have a PA. 1 of the RN's is the triage nurse, this duty is rotated each shift. When triage is not packed the person triaging helps out in the back or triages pts to chairs that are non-urgent and they and the PA take care of these people. This sometimes helps with the flow thru ER. Otherwise, the triage person is out there constantly except for when they bring a pt back. She also prints out an extra triage form and gives it to the nurse whose room it is. That nurse then knows they have a new pt and goes and does their assessment. The 2 nurses in the back each have 5 beds, 6 beds each with an LPN that helps with orders, reassements, etc. We also just in the past few days have gotten a CNA for weekends. She keeps beds changed, helps with vitals at triage, brings pts back from triage, whatever. We also are very lucky to have an excellent House Supervisor to call on when needed.

i've worked 11 years in the ER with an ADN. i can't think of a one of my coworkers who have a BSN currently. like someone else said the pay rate is no different. the bonus with my hospital come with certifying in your area. CEN gets a $1000 bonus each december for those who have it. same with all the other areas.