You experienced ED nurses will get a kick out of this.....

Published

You may recall that one of my last posts was concerning how patients were being treated by the other ED staff. Well, I've been in the ED now for 2 whole months. I promised myself that I would NOT become a mean ED nurse. Well.

I am pretty sick of people in general at this point. WHY are you coming to the ED at 3 in the morning with a cold you've had for 3 weeks??? You can't take it anymore? I think you can probably wait for 6 more hours and call your doc. And PLEASE don't come in here and lie to me about things that are perfectly apparent to anyone with eyes and a nose. It's obvious you have been drinking and yes, you DO smoke, and smell awfully of it, so why are you crying because your baby has an ear infection AGAIN?? Especially after I told you LAST WEEK that second hand smoke will cause your baby to have repeated ear infections?? My favorite is the guy who came in with hiccups x 10 MINUTES. We were slammed that night and the hiccups resolved after 5 minutes but he still wanted to be seen. Well, okay, but you will wait until after the truly ill are seen. Then he'd decided we were ignoring him, so he laid down in the middle of the waiting room. O...M...G I was livid. That story goes on, but you can see where I am going with it....

So, lately I've been pretty pi$$ed off at work, and am feeling most people are jackasses! I told one of my coworkers that I don't think I can work ED because I'm mad all the time. She just laughed and said I'd be mad for a while, then I'd just think it's funny. I'm hoping that part comes soon.

OTOH, the other night we had a chest pain come back, definitely an AMI and I was part of getting him better! That was awesome!!! That's what I want to do, NOT be a clinic for people that just don't get it. After reading posts here, I know that ED abuse is everywhere, so I know I'm not alone in feeling this way, just new to it. I hope I can balance myself soon. I can hear myself getting shorter and shorter with people. :nono: I really don't want to be that way, but good GRIEF sometimes these people deserve it!

PH

had a patient's very demanding family member come to the desk saturday night because "he's been here 3 hours and hasn't seen a doctor yet. when is the doctor going to be in. and he needs to eat." we had just gotten two full arrests in at the same time, and we are a fairly small er. we only have two docs on at a time. i just smiled and said "you've only been here 3 hours and you are already back here in a room? wow, thats pretty good. most people are waiting a whole lot longer than that tonight to get back here. the doctor will be in as soon as he can, he is tied up with another patient right now. and i can't get you anything for him to eat until after the doctor sees him. could i please get you to wait in his room? i need to be able to see what they want in those two big rooms behind you."

we have one er doc and he covers the floor in emergencies too. the resp. distress was a pt. i'd admitted from the er to the acute floor earlier.

on the flip side, i have had to wait to have a family member be seen in the er and while i understand, it can be frustrating.

you handled it very well - so nicely. kudos to you!:balloons:

steph

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatric Pulmonology and Allergy.

I really don't get all the stories of ER abuse. Who wants to spend all day (or all night) in an ER? My couches at home are a lot comfier and I get to choose what I want to watch.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in geriatric, hospice, med/surg.

I would like to take this opportunity to say a hearty and heartfelt, THANK YOU! to all you talented ED nurses! My SO had blocked posterior circumflex artery back in the summer, had an MI, I headed to ED after giving him aspirin and one of my BP pills, (his BP was elevated) and the ED nurses were on him like white on rice, but with very graceful, if you will, choreographed and meaningful purpose, to get him stabilized, properly diagnosed, sent to CCU, etc. I was very much impressed, even tho' I'm a nurse myself. I just could not do what you guys/girls do! I take my (nurse's) cap off to you in professional awe :bowingpur ...again, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

We all should remember that since we can't cure stupid, jusst consider these people job security.

Had someone tell me once that no matter which ED you work in, the same 100 come in over and over and over and over, then get on a bus and go aggravate some body else.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I really don't get all the stories of ER abuse. Who wants to spend all day (or all night) in an ER? My couches at home are a lot comfier and I get to choose what I want to watch.

i dont work in an ER but being devils advocate...perhaps some of those people dont have couches, let alone ones that are comfy....and perhaps they dont have a TV or have a wife who wont let go of the remote. dont assume everyone has the riches we call couches and TVs.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatric Pulmonology and Allergy.
i dont work in an ER but being devils advocate...perhaps some of those people dont have couches, let alone ones that are comfy....and perhaps they dont have a TV or have a wife who wont let go of the remote. dont assume everyone has the riches we call couches and TVs.

Are you saying that the ER abusers come to the ER because they find the surroundings there a lot more pleasant than their own homes? Sad.:o

Up Vote Up Vote ×

i dont know why the abusers go to the ER...sure it could be possible thats its better in an ER than their surroundings and its definitly sad, but dont think everyone has it as good as we have it and the things we can afford, thats all

Up Vote Up Vote ×

it's ignorance that fuels most ER visits...

it has nothing to do w/ couches, creature comforts, or whatever someone's home life is like...

Up Vote Up Vote ×

98% of all Americans have a TV...

They all came in to my ER this holiday weekend...

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ED, ICU, PSYCH, PP, CEN.

I love my frequent flyers. Great job security and great stories to tell family and friends. You have got to view the job as entertaining or you will drive yourself crazy. There are a million reasons why people come to the ER for stupid things and I'm sure bad couch and no remote are just one of many. Still I would never trade my ER job for any other. Where else do you get to work so closely with the MD, see so much, work with all ages and dx, all walks of life. No middle of the night calls to MDs. If a pt is crashing you yell 10 ft out to your ER doc. Mine are all nice but one. Great ratio.

I love my ER.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Tele, ICU, ER.
it's ignorance that fuels most ER visits...

it has nothing to do w/ couches, creature comforts, or whatever someone's home life is like...

Someone said this once in another thread... that it's the "fix me NOW" entitlement aura in this day and age. No one wants to wait for ANYTHING - they're entitled to what they want and right now! I don't feel good.. fix me now!

Had a young lady come in last night round 1am for "stuffy head, headache, feels bad" for 2 days. "Did you take any medicine?" I politely ask. "No" is the answer. "Are you an idiot or can I show you where the cold meds are in Walgreens?" I do not say but WANT to. She was still waiting when I left this morning at 0730. At least she didn't whine about the wait. Oh btw - we had SIX ICU holds in our small ER.

Gotta love it!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency.
i dont work in an ER but being devils advocate...perhaps some of those people dont have couches, let alone ones that are comfy....and perhaps they dont have a TV or have a wife who wont let go of the remote. dont assume everyone has the riches we call couches and TVs.

I agree with ya!

Had an elderly patient in the other day with complaints of nausea, and her adult sons were with her. Since I'm new to the ER, one of the nurses told me that this patient is here any time the weather goes sour with the same c/c; EMS explained that the mother's home stands no better than a few leaky sheets of plywood on 2x4s, and there is no heating or AC. At the ER, she gets a full meal and a few hours of a comfortable environment.

I've lived in a similar condition in my worst days of life, so had some empathy for her situation. Well, my feeling for her *sons* all changed when I wheeled her out to the lobby after being discharged. One of her sons pulled around in a nearly new shiney, loaded, red Ford pickup... and yep, it *was* his (I made a comment about how nice he kept that pickup looking, asked how long he had it, etc. just to test my theory). Grrr! So while their mother lives in a clapboard house, the sons are enjoying their comfy luxuries?

Grumble. All I can do is think that on the day of death, everyone has to answer to what less-than-nobel deeds they have done in their life. The only way to keep my sanity (if I have any left, lol!)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion