SO Exhausted

Published

I swear when i started in the ED, i NEVER thought i would have to work as hard as i do. I'm sitting here, my feet are THROBBING. I work 11a-11p, and i didn't get lunch until 930pm. AND it was a 15 minute one to boot. One bathroom break. And i had an average of 5-6 patients ALL night, some very critical, some not.

No wonder burnout is a major problem for ER. I HURT ALL OVER!!!!:p

ok am over it. i'll shut up now. :rotfl:

Specializes in Emergency.

I agree with all of you. I work four 10 hr shifts; and it's very tiring. I've been in ER since 1972 when we started with 4 rooms and a bath. Wow, have things changed! Are there any ER's that don't have folks waiting in the waiting room for 4-6 hours or more? We are doing EKG's in the triage rooms, starting lines, drawing blood and ordering x-rays! Also, are all

ER nurses doing their own labs and EKG's? We are. Thanks.;)

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Personally, I would NOT want a nurse working on me, with a serious medical condition, at 10pm, who has had one 15 minute break the past 11 hours. I work 12 hour shifts myself, and I know I can get pretty tired out. You can't be sharp and alert by then; relying mostly on instinct and training. Public awareness is the only way to change this.

I'm a nursing student, and an older one at that. I've spent the last 4 years living in a small town, and volunteering as a EMT-B in the BLS ambulance service in town. While we didn't work 12 hour shifts, we did get called out in the middle of the night quite often.......after working regular jobs all day.

I found that to avoid making mistakes when half-asleep, it paid to develop and stick with a routine for each pt. Not that every pt had the same health cocerns, obviously, but to make sure I had ingrained as much as possible the critical things I needed to look for. I would also make sure I double-checked myself.

My question to the experienced folks here is how to work out something similar that will work with several, rather than one or two pts at a time. Is it possible?

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TD: Make sure you do a head-to-toe assessment on each pt. Then focus on the pts area of concern and/or illness. This way you have a set routine with each pt and you won't forget a certain area. Sometimes you find things other nurses haven't found in a pt, just because you did a more thorough exam. Good luck with nursing school!;)

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OUCH!!! Just reading your post made me hurt. I'm not sure I would want to be your patient at 0600 after 15 hrs on, but you gotta do what you gotta do :)

My husband works as a pilot for an medical helicopter company and brings me a lot of my criticals/traumas. They do 7 12s on and 7 12s off, but they aren't working the whole time they're at work (something I never let him forget when he says "you shouldn't be tired....I do 12s too).

As someone who was 50 miles from a hospital, I was always so happy to see that helicopter land on the hiway, and turn our critical pts' 1 hour ambulance ride into a 12 minute flight.

I found the professionalism and skill of the pilots and RN/paramedic staff something to admire and be thankful for.

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Thanks for being there. I know all about those aching feet, no breaks and holding your urine. I can understand a nursing shortage but why are there such waiting lists for this torture type of work? Is there any dept. that is kick back, where you sit on your butt and surf the web while listening to talk radio? Enlighten me : )

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TD: Make sure you do a head-to-toe assessment on each pt. Then focus on the pts area of concern and/or illness. This way you have a set routine with each pt and you won't forget a certain area. Sometimes you find things other nurses haven't found in a pt, just because you did a more thorough exam. Good luck with nursing school!;)

Thanks, "Bluewater."

Our medical director stressed with us that often times the best thing we could do for the people higher up the medical food chain was send a good hx and assessment along with the pt.

Besides putting the pt on a backboard, so the ED could get the grateful thanks for taking them off the rack. :lol2:

I'm glad to see that has benefits in nursing, too. I won't have to start entirely from scratch. Whooohooo!

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Thanks for being there. I know all about those aching feet, no breaks and holding your urine. I can understand a nursing shortage but why are there such waiting lists for this torture type of work? Is there any dept. that is kick back, where you sit on your butt and surf the web while listening to talk radio? Enlighten me : )

Beats the heck outta me! lol I'd love to know why all my area hospitals DON'T have waiting lists! lol:lol2:

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Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.

welcome to the wonderfull worls of ER nursing hahahahaha

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so tireddddd

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At my ED I am the lowman on the totem pole with 2.5 yrs seniority with the company and 8 months in this facility, thus I get the short end of the stick. For the past month I work 3 on one off 4 on 4-5 days off ( my normal schedule is two 12 hour shifts and 2 eight hour shifts one week and 2 12hour shifts and one 8 hr shift the next. Sounds great in theory, only the end of the week is sunday so it is ok to work the 3 on one off 4 on because it "really isn't 76 hours in 8 days". I work nights so there is NO scheduled break. If it is crazy busy like it has been lately, you are luckey if you get a pee break. I have been doing this 7 months and have been frequenlty sick and my boss had the nerve to give me warning for too many sickouts (4 in 5 months). I explained to her that I am 47 and cannot take this pace she said she would let the scheduler know this and change it yet here it is 5 months later and I am still in the same boat.

I feel all of your pain guys, ER nursing is tough any way you look at it but it is so unfair that in our state, if they pay you for your break on nights you don't have to have a scheduled break (They figure you have down time in the ED on nights so you can take time off). Whereas on days, everyone must have a scheduled break. Darwin thinking at it best

Ours is a 20 bed unit with 3 nurses at night. 6 during the day

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I have 16 years experience as an RN with most of those in the ER. Just left ER 3 weeks ago for administration. I love the ER but I just had to take a break (who knows, maybe it will be permanent). I am 46 years old, in good physical condition, but I can't take the 12-hour night shifts anymore. Our ER has staffing shortages like you wouldn't believe, but how many people are crazy enough to put up with the crap you have to? Sorry, just needed to vent!!

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Specializes in CT ,ICU,CCU,Tele,ED,Hospice.

i am glad you vented .i hhave been rn 20 yrs have worked all shifys day/eve /nights 8 12 and 16's .in er last 3yrs after ccu/icu 12 yrs and other in b/w i work 3 12's and 1 8 or 12 hr shift extra most weeks and thats 48 hrs thats my max now i am 41 have some health issues and take cre of sick mom (who lives with me) as well i am exhausted and thats all i can do.i sympathize and agree try ne shoes and see what works for you.but this is er today (as well as other units).

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