ER Nurses Blog

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

The common cold? Hangnail? What are some of the most ridiculous moments you've encountered of grown adults coming into the ER, tying up resources, you've experienced?

Well worth the read. It's lengthy but part of a growing conversation that we need. https://bluevirginia.us/2017/11/im-an-er-nurse-from-charlottesville-lets-talk-about-nazis

Have you ever been in a circumstance where you lied to a patient or their family? There may come a time when you are trying to relay information and the family doesn't comprehend what's happening, and you may, say, save someone's feelings with a white lie. Are there instances where it could be for the better, to help families or patients cope with loss. here's a story from Allnurses.com worth reading. Warning, it's a tear jerker. I got the call on the EMS radio around 5 am. This is the usual time we get calls from EMS responding to nursing homes- The nurses are rounding on their patients to give am meds, and they find their residents dead or in distress. An 87 yo female, febrile, and in severe respiratory distress coming in. Pt is a DNR, but family is very involved, is aware, and will meet them in the ER. I'm alerted that family is in the waiting room before the patient even gets there. I go out and introduce myself, tell them I will be her nurse, and that ...

Nursing is by nature a profession based on caring compassion and the desire to alleviate suffering and facilitate healing. The nursing profession has and will play a vital role in the response to any disaster. This fact has been acknowledged by the Institute of Medicine(IOM) in their report The Future of Nursing Leading Change and Advancing Health. The IOM has also created the report titled Guidance for Establishing Crisis Standards of Care for Use in Disaster Situations. The nation has coped with disasters such as the 9/11 terrorist, hurricanes, and pandemics. Some disasters require an all out immediate health care response, other disasters require a more planned response over a longer period of time. The IOM has distinguished disasters by calling them pervasive or catastrophic. However, every disaster requires a different allocation of resources, and maximum output of health care personnel. Care decisions are made in a compressed time frame and the standard of care will change. Th...

It's mental health awareness month in the US , and mental health awareness in Canada . There's a noticeable increase in mental health awareness. For example, it's helpful when celebrities step up and share their struggles. It normalizes what has largely been either hidden or stigmatized. Mental health is something many health practitioners know intimately. Both in what they see on the job, but also what they what they have to deal with themselves. If, as a health practitioner, and especially a nurse, you don't take care of your own health, you're going to suffer. Faced with acute issues normal in a healthcare setting, like a hospital, increases the likelihood of mental illness. High stress environments are a normal part of the job. However, the consequences of that environment need to be treated as normal too. Often, the results of losing work time and employees to issues such as anxiety impact the healthcare delivery system as a whole. What's both disa...