ER Nurses Blog

A new report conducted that surveyed 6000+ ER nurses has determined "eyeballing" patients in the waiting room was more effective in determining patients who needed the most urgent care. https://emj.bmj.com/content/36/2/66 Simply eyeballing a patient may be more effective than using a formal structured assessment (algorithm) to prioritise those who are the sickest and therefore most in need of urgent medical care, finds research published online in  Emergency Medicine Journal. A basic clinical assessment seems to better predict those most at risk of death, even in the hands of healthcare professionals with relatively little emergency care experience, such as phlebotomists and medical students, the findings indicate. More here:  https://www.bmj.com/company/newsroom/simply-eyeballing-patients-may-trump-formal-assessment-for-prioritising-seriously-ill/ Of course, why would there be a test to eyeball in the first place? It has to do with costs, and ways to reduce inta...

The current rage in art therapy models is the coloring book craze, particularly the adult coloring book market, which has exploded over the past couple of years with new titles. Some coloring books are marketed with 'art therapy' label suggesting coloring is a viable means to not only calm the mind, but offer therapeutic benefits as well. Art therapy is a useful tool to help caregivers, therapists, and other health care providers. Certain patients who do routine mindfulness exercises have been reported to experience benefits. Whether that's  directly because of self-identified 'art therapy' coloring books, is debatable. Mind you, the Mayo Clinic has noted the benefits: Nobody can discount the craze that is the current norm. Coloring books benefit both the patient in a therapeutic way, but also help anybody de-stress. Given their popularity, eventually there may be something to color for everybody. The top coloring books on the market right now, apart from the...

Health care reform in the United States is a notion long in the making. Growing concern over medical costs and availability of care has led to large-scale debate over the future of the American health care system. Eyes have turned north to Canada to compare their universal system of health care with that of the U.S. The question is, can the Canadian model improve care available to all citizens, while keeping the costs down? The Canadian and American health care systems are worlds apart, from their acquisition of funds and government involvement, to the costs, delivery, and even outcomes of the systems. The Canadian system is funded through a single-payer system (the government), through tax revenue. The government pays for almost all of the medical costs. The benefits of this system include accessibility to services for all residents and lower administrative costs. The drawbacks of the single-payer system include long wait times and staff shortages due to lack of fun...

A Reader's Digest article was posted and has an interesting list of 10 things you didn't know about nurses. What would you add? Do you think it's accurate? The list includes  Nurses are expected to know everything   You don’t always know where you stand with patients   Sometimes nurses have to disobey orders   Nurses are taught that patients are their primary focus.  Nurses handle an abundance of bodily fluids (Duh) Families are demanding Nurses do a lot of heavy lifting profession  Nursing school doesn’t prepare you for everything   Nurses often work beyond their scheduled time   Nurses may be responsible for a lot more than patients Although not specific to the ER, these are generalizations that include ER nurses. Here's the link for more. https://www.rd.com/advice/work-career/surprising-things-about-being-a-nurse/

Emergency room nurses earn a median salary of $63,443 per year in the U.S., according to Payscale data. (These numbers are likely higher in a union setting.) Here are eight notes on annual ER nurse compensation: 1. ER nurse salary ranges from $41,688 to $92,098. The wide range varies based on experience, location, union, and public vs private setting. 2. They can earn up to $7,851 and $12,480 in commission. 3. Profit sharing for ER nurses ranges from $102 to $9,787. 4. ER nurses can earn anywhere from $47,825 to $94,818 in annual income before overtime (if you're eligible for such compensation). 5. ER nurses with less than five years of experience receive around $57,000 in annual salary. 6. Nurses with five to ten years of experience, earn on average $64,000. 7. Average salary for ER nurses with 10 to 20 years of experience is $73,000. 8. Late-career ER nurses, with 20-plus years of experience, receive on average $77,000 in pay per year. These are all in USD. How do you ...

As one could imagine, ER doctors and nurses see a fair amount of patients with items stuck in their rectums.  One man  came in with an apple up his rear, claiming he’d fallen into a fruit basket while vacuuming … naked.\ A collection of must reads that are sure to split your sides. Or make you cringe. https://www.cheatsheet.com/health-fitness/emergency-room-horror-stories-thatll-make-you-cringe.html/?a=viewall

https://theweek.com/articles/693145/5-things-er-workers-wish-knew Which should really be an article on "5 pieces of common sense on being human." Yes, if you have the flu, don't clog up the ER. Or heck, anything that's not an emergency, don't come.

From the sleepy small city ER, to the inner-city $hit-show in a major metropolitan area, what happens in your ER is a glimpse into the might and plight of the city. Neighborhoods and cities are all different, but some are systemically disadvantaged, and that means different problems and different stresses. Working in violent areas of the city puts healthcare professionals in a tenuous place operating between violent factions. one such city and example is in Chicago. Here's more. https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/kass/ct-met-chicago-violence-kass-0509-story.html