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Just another Day in the Emergency Room

A Saturday night shift in an emergency room can be very busy, and a great learning experience for a new nurse. Working in an E.R. will allow you to help patients in need of emergency care, critically ill patients entering the hospital, and trauma patients, some near death. It will also provide valuable experience and knowledge in the care and treatment of a variety of emergencies and conditions.

Example of a nurse diary: Start of shift 7:00 p.m.
-       A five-year-old boy was admitted to the E.R. with a burn on his forearm and upper leg.  The family was eating at a restaurant, and the server accidentally dropped the coffee pot, spilling hot coffee on the boy.  He was screaming, some from pain and some from fear.  Mom was crying, and dad was trying to keep it together.  The young man received treatment for the burns, his arm was wrapped, and after 4 hours he was released.
-       An 88-year-old woman was admitted after her neighbor found her lying on her kitchen floor.  The patient was not able to get up, and could not remember falling.  As the patient was interviewed, it was determined she may have dementia.  Because she lived alone with minimal assistance, she was admitted, and social services were contacted. 


8:30 p.m.
-       A 44-year-old butcher was admitted after slicing his finger on a meat slicer.  His wife and children arrived and were more upset than he was.  After an examination, it was noted that a portion of his finger was missing.  A call to the grocers and two hours later the fingertip arrived, and was successfully reattached. 
-       A 54-year-old man came to the E.R. with chest pains.  Because he was overweight and suffered high blood pressure he was treated as priority.  Tests later revealed no heart abnormality, however, he was admitted overnight for observation. 
-       A second man, age 61 was admitted with chest pains, and he in fact did have a heart attack.  He received a heart stint and was sent to C.C.U. for overnight observation. 
11:00 p.m.
-       A three car automobile crash sent five victims to the hospital.  3 were critical, and 2 were treated and released.  After 2 hours working to treat the patients, 1 passed away and 2 were sent to the surgical wing.  It was a difficult 3 hours with the accident victims, which involved informing the families upon arrival. 
-       A 63-year-old man arrived, in a very uncomfortable situation.  He took one too many sexual performances pills and was unable to stop his erection after 5 hours.  He was a very embarrassed man, however nursing made him feel comfortable, explaining he is actually a very common problem in today's world.  He was treated and later released.
-       A 17-year-old was brought in via ambulance, as no response.  She was attending a party and suffered a drug overdose, we were unable to restart her heart, and within the hour her parents arrived and were told the very sad news.
2:00 a.m.
-       A 22, year old female was admitted, suffering from pain from a tattoo on her back.  The tattoo was done by a friend, in his home, and the patient was unsure about sterilizing equipment.  There was a severe infection, and the patient was admitted for treatment.
-       Finally, able to take a break, I sat down to drink some coffee and make out a grocery list
So, I could stop on my way home. 


The following four hours brought a gunshot victim, a dizzy airline pilot, a woman that thought she might harm herself, an elderly patient with stroke symptoms, a domestic violence victim, who was under police protection, 30 minutes later the accused abuser was brought in under police custody after a physical encounter with police.  A 35-year-old female was admitted after severe vomiting for 48 hours.  She was severely dehydrated and was admitted to receive IV fluids.  These were the patients I had on my fairly typical Saturday night in the E.R.  Despite the sometimes very difficult scenarios, I do love my job.
7:00
Off work, ready to return in just 12 hours.



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