deltapen

I've done E.R, for 6 years now and only see it getting worse before it gets better due to the nursing shortage. We have LOTTS of agency and now the main goal is to hire more nurses. Never mind they have no experience and as a PAST preceptor with many concerns about the skills of some of the nurses I've precepted they've gone unanswered and put into the schedule so us more experienced nurses get the critical ones all the time with an enormous amount of burnout. I just couldn't precept anymore...what's the use? I'm so discouraged. Our triage system at least focuses on acuity but with only one triage nurse, who is expected to bring back the patient, get them into a gown and do the initial assessment, goes back to the triage area to find 6 or 7 more patients waiting, you get the picture. We are staffed for 75 patients(supposedly) but see and average of 100-120 a day. And we are the trauma center!! We cannot pee and many times work our 12 hour shifts without a break or even lunch. Needless to say our marriages and families suffer.Our critical care area has one nurse for 4 patients who are ICU patients. We run our asses off doing the best we can hanging drips and giving RPA, getting ready for cath lab, etc. The "less acute" area, which includes overflow from the acute area, is staffed for 1 nurse for 11 beds until 11:00 when another nurse comes on. Gee thanks! Our trauma area has 5 beds for 1 nurse. Oh boy. If our patients had any clue what we go through for $16 and hour I think they would do less complaining and start writing letters of support to our office princesses to get more competent staff. Maybe they could get off their asses and at least do some transporting or something to help. We draw all the blood for labs too since our lab is short of phlebotomists. We have one tech who works harder than any of us to get pts to their rooms and CT, stocking rooms, etc. I feel more sorry for them!