drollette

Are there practical measures (training/simulation/policies) in your hospital that have helped you to feel confident should you find yourself receiving an influx of critically injured patients? (i.e. mass shooting[Las Vegas, Orlando] earthquake, etc). Also, does anyone have any personal experience with mass casualty situations? The resources I've encountered in regard to disasters/mass casualty incidents seem to mostly talk about theoretical stuff, chain of command, and not necessarily hands on practical lessons, and I would like to hear anecdotal stories that I could glean tips from in order to foster mental preparedness.

I passed!

I look NCLEX this morning. Stopped at 75. I had one question about digoxin, another about psyche meds, hardly any peds stuff. Maybe 20 SATA. I had a handful about end of life care and ethics. I felt nervous because I felt like I would get like a straight forward content question, then I would get a few SATA, then another "easy" one. I guess I was expecting super hard questions the whole time if I was doing good :/ Not sure If I'm gonna try the PVT.

June 13th, Im knocking out my Kaplan Practice questions and going through a friend's Hurst review NCLEX study guide.

Depends, what is the patients BP? Where is the fracture? is there an accompanying ankle fracture? What is the patient's pain level? Is a trip to the OR imminent or delayed? If you've asked all the right questions and feel that traction is appropriate then be an advocate, say something and do something!

SMACC! Not strictly nursing, but lots of resources and perspectives.

p.s. Im not hating on NCLEX or BSN (I am actively pursuing success in both) I had a really good experience with becoming an EMT and I think the training I got was robust and distinct.

Definitely include it. Diversity of experience is valuable. If I remember correctly, one of the first things I did in EMT school was get my CPR cert, whereas one of the first things I learned in nursing school was about raising side-rails in beds and making sure the patient has the call-button close by. The person who completes an EMT basic course has been presented enough information and practice to be a BLS champion. BLS skills save lives, and I would say that BLS is a great foundation from which to build skills in ACLS, PALS, or any other kind of resuscitation standard practiced by nurses out there. You have a distinct advantage in caring for someone who is actively dying in comparison to someone who has only powered through a BSN and knocked out the NCLEX. Good luck to you!

Hello, I work as a Tech right now in the ED of a Level 1 Trauma center. I was a team member caring for a patient who came in intubated, multiple longbone fractures and weak pulses. After bilateral chest tube insertion, emergency thoracotomy and a run to the OR the patient passed away. After all was said and done we learned that the patient had unsurvivable head injuries and major damage to the great vessels. I remember being interested in learning how the code could have gone better or what could have been gleaned from the situation. The next day I learned that the patient was a friend (I did not recognize the face) that I had worked with in a different unit of the hospital the year prior. This person was a big source of encouragement for me in regards to pursuing nursing. It made me feel guilty considering that when the patient was a stranger I viewed the situation in an almost academic light (interesting pathophysiology/interventions), rather than viewing the patient as a person. I have never felt sad after seeing an adult pass away in the hospital, but learning that the dead patient was actually a friend was very painful for me. It was a reminder that every patient I have interacted with ultimately is someone's family member or friend. I think that the takeaway/reminder for me is that, while it is a blessing to take care of strangers, emotional distance should not be a means for me to forget that all patients are people with intrinsic value and I should never leave the scene of a code without being aware of that. Thank you for posting this, it is good to know that there are others who have cared for friends and seen poor outcomes.