Can't we all just get along

Since starting my job as a resource nurse and being all over my hospital I've seen lots of things from basically all prospectives.  I was never one that fell into that whole dept against dept thing anyway but now it annoys me even more.  Aren't we all here for the patients instead of to be against each other?

The other night I spent 7 of my 10 hour shift working in the ER due to them being so short staffed and so busy.  The only dinner they got was the tray of day old sandwiches, chips and coffee I got them from the cafeteria as no one had a chance to go to the bathroom never mind get food.  As I'm in the cafeteria I hear a tele nurse say something to the effect of "the ER needs to quit whining."  

I so wanted to say something to defend them as I knew firsthand how busy they were.    Ambulance after ambulance pulling up, multiple stabbings, chest pains, an acute MI, etc, etc.  But then I got to thinking of the nights that the tele floor gets 6 admissions from the ER in an 8 hour shift and they bring them up one after another without enough time to get the first one settled in and the next one is arriving.  I've been up on the tele floor helping them when this happens and overheard the ER later saying something about the tele floor nurses whining too.  

And it's certainly not just the tele floor...ICU was giving the ER a hard time the last night I worked too.  It's all around.  Basically on every floor.  No one understands what the other floors go through.  The floors don't understand that the ER cannot refuse ambulances and have to find room for them when they arrive.  And the ER doesn't understand that the floors have 6-9 patients apiece that includes confused, busy, rude, heavy, etc patients and their family members.

So, again I ask..........aren't we all here for the patient?  And can we all not just get along?

Why I couldn't be an ER nurse

I've been spending a lot of time down in the ED since starting my new job.  I like it in small chunks but couldn't do it full time.  Not that there aren't bad things that happen in nursing all over but the things I've seen in the ED seem to just top them for me.  Although I guess L&D would have worse but luckily I don't have to go there!!

A week or so ago I was down there about 2 am when a MVA came in.  It involved a woman in her early 30's and her 3 yo son.  The boy wasn't hurt too bad at all....just a few minor scratches.  The mom was fully boarded and collared.  And FREAKING out.  At first I thought that she was freaking because she and her little one had been in the accident as I would be.  I mean they would have to tie me down to keep me away from making sure my kid was ok you know!!

Well, turns out she was freaking because she was drunk.  Her BAL was .20!  Our legal limit here is .08.  And that was just the beginning.  Her DAILY meds included ativan, vicodin and percocet.  Yup, on top of the alcohol.  Wait it gets worse........

The carseat was improperly installed and had come loose in the accident so it was by the Grace of God that kid wasn't hurt more.  Think I'm done............

Her license had recently been suspended too!!

OMGosh!   I'm not sure if I could have taken care of her.  I know in nursing we aren't supposed to be judgmental and usually I'm pretty good about that.  But I was really struggling with it in this case.  The ED is definitely not for me!!

P.S.  Wondering how bad mom was hurt?  She fractured her lower back where the lumbar and thoracic vertebra meet.  And the kiddo went home with Dad who wasn't married to mom anymore.

I've been listed!

I got an email the other day that my blog has been listed on a top 100 list!!

Lots of others that I read are on it too.  You can check it out at rncentral.

Thanks for reading me!!