Summer lull?

We've been busier than I remember in the past, however being one of two level 1's in the NW Ohio area, it's to be expected.

That being said, our census has necessitated opening not one but two additional units and staffing accordingly by pulling from everywhere to do so... it's been heck, but amen to "job security". Love the OT, too

My boss has said that for the last 20 years she's been a manager she has had a conversation with staff about floating. In my area (upper midwest), the hospital census is usually down, it seems. She attributes it to lots of docs going on vacation and not admitting patients for surgery, and patients leaving on vacations too. Maybe all our patients are going to your hospitals...who knows.

"I got called off for an entire 12 last Saturday -- wacky, that never happens." You must have been happy to have an extra summer saturday off!

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Our small (just under 200 beds) hospital has seen a sharp increase in admits in the past few weeks, our unit is 42 beds, primarily surgical with some med-surg. The scary thing is that last week we had six attempted suicide pts admitted over a few days time... these almost never come to our unit, but the other floors were full and there were multiple attempted suicide admits on the other floors as well. In my opinion, the fact that the unemployment benefits for hundreds of thousands of people in this area ran out a few weeks ago may have something to do with it.

Usually in the summer I get put on low census 2-4 shifts per month. This summer I haven't been on call at all and we're usually working short. It sucks. I was really looking forward to the surprise vacation nights with the kids, and it hasn't happened.

You are experiencing a lull because all your patients are summering in my ER on Martha"s Vineyard. Please put a return address on your folks so we can send them back to the correct point of origin when they are done here. Have a great summer, where ever you are.....

Awwww. I miss going to Martha's Vineyard every summer. I miss being a kid. Now I am an ED nurse @ a very busy one in NY. I will switch with you!!!! Lol. I haven't seen a lull here. It seems like all the crazies come out of the woodwork in the heat and humidity.

Our ED census has been somewhat odd. It has been low, which has been really odd for my region and isn't normal for my region (north-central FL). I've heard that it's not normal for this time of the year. I'm new since I just graduated. I'm just waiting for the ball to drop. Everyone seems to think that it's related to the heat. I'm not sure. But there have been nights where we have had no one in the waiting room for a few hours. I have a feeling things will pick back up once the students come back into town and the football season gets kicked back up again. Who knows...it's just been odd this summer.

Wow, my feet sure would appreciate a lull in my DEM! I work in Detroit and with warm weather comes morons with guns shooting each other, or the motorcyclists being speed demons because they couldn't ride all winter. A couple of weeks ago we had a few straight days that were >90degrees and with Detroit being such a low income area, most people don't have any air conditioning and come in "because its too hot at home" lol, but we did have two patients two days in a row with core body temps >108 degrees!

Christy1019: We've been having hot fun in the summertime in the suburbs, too - our census has been running average to high all summer. We don't get so much of the Knife & Gun Club like you do downtown, but EtOH-related complaints and falls on Coumadin have gotten a lot more popular lately.