Emergency Nurses Week on October, 2024: Pediatric Emergency Room nurses?

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Seeing that you are already a Nurse and you just want to move to a different department. I would ask if there is anything that is expected of you that is not within the job description. Most times when working in a hospital, we wear many different hats. When patients come in for help for themselves or for loved ones, "they" in their eyes are the only ones that matter. Depending on your qualifications you should ask:

1. Will the role of charge nurse during my shift rotate among all staff?

2. What is the turn over time for stats in the ER?

3. Which shift hours are available? ie: 8 hours 5 days a week/ 12 hour shifts 4 days on 3 days off?

4. Current status on the unit you are currently on... will that transfer over? ie: vacation time of already requested and approved.

5. Am i aloud to take a look around and shadow someone first? This is to make sure you know where eveything is. In an emergency the last thing you want to do is yell out, "I can't find it!" or "Where is it?"

and if you know Dr.'s like i know them, they love it when you are at the top of your game.

The ER.... rather ED ( once i moved south they got me to say ER) has it's own rules. Find out what they are. What we have been taught not to do on the floors is diffrent than what you can do in this department.

Last but not least...........................

#6. Find out when the next cap inspection is, if the HIPPA guidlines are any different for outpatients than inpatients. Sometimes there is just a little bit of a difference. Remember, until the patient is actually admitted to the hospital and is in a bed with a room number they are still an outpatient. OSHA's guidelines are the same throughout.

ok one more..........

7. Depending on what staff you have and if you are not the one doing the blood draws.. (you've probably done PKU's) Never, never, never....allow anyone to stick(blood draw) a baby in the middle of it's foot. The right or left side working from the outer areas of the foot(heel). I have seen it over and over again.

8. If the baby is a really hard stick and your going for a vein for an IV... please try the feet first. Babies really do not have great viens to begin with. But they have easier ones to fet on the side just below the ankle. PLace a heel warmer on first.

Good luck i hope i helped.

Is it worth becoming a registered nurse? please read and help.?

ER nurses make the same amount of money as any other area of the hospital. Specialty areas (ER, OR, med-surg, L&D, psych, etc.) do not make more or less money based on the specialty. Nurses make more or less money depending on their level of education and their years of experience on the job. RNs generally make more working in a hospital compared to an out-patient clinic or nursing home.

Where I live, starting salary for RNs in a hospital is around $30 per hour. If you are working full time, that works out to $62k+ / year. Most nurses do not work full time because so many hospitals these days give full benefit packages to RNs who work less than full time - my hospital pays for benefits if you work as little as 16 hrs per week!!! (This is not common, most start giving benefits at around 75% of full-time). There is overtime paid for anything over 8 hrs (or anything over 12 hrs if you normally work 12 hr shifts) and holiday pay is usually double pay. In most hospitals in urban areas, they remain pretty busy and chronically short-staffed and extra hours are easy to pick up to supplement your income.

If you can't support yourself on $50-$70k per year then you're doing something wrong and you're not spending your money wisely and you are trying to live more like a rock star. You should also be able to support a family even if you're the only wage earner, and you'll live a typical middle-class lifestyle if you have a kid or two. If you get an advanced degree, or move into leadership positions (charge nurse, manager, etc.) then you can make even more. Advanced Practice Nurses (Nurse Pracitioners, CRNAs, etc.) can make a starting salary of around $70-90k per year. CRNAs make the best money, starting salary is over $100k per year. So while you're never going to get rich as a nurse, you certainly won't be living in a shack and driving a 30 year old car. You should be able to live quite comfortably.

ALL doctors do not hate nurses, and such a generalization is stupid to make. There are good doctors who really value the expertise and knowledge that nurses hold, and then there are bad doctors who have over-inflated egos and take their frustrations out on nurses. Part of being a professional nurse is knowing when to stand your ground, being assertive if someone is treating you inappropriately and setting boundaries for acceptable behavior. Doctors don't hold the power to fire nurses, so there is no reason that any nurse should have to put up with verbally abusive behavior. I personally work in a place where I have daily contact with no less than 7 clinic groups that each have probably 6-10 physicians in their practice, and I can think of maybe two of those doctors who have attitude problems and have been inappropriate to nurses. There are maybe 5 more that are cocky and arrogant and rub me the wrong way, but they aren't necessarily "mean" to the nurses.

Tips for college: Do your research into the various nursing programs offered in your area. There are basic, universal pre-requisite courses that you will need in biology, chemistry, anatomy & physiology, and then there are general ed courses like English Composition, Speech / Communications, Psychology (both basic and developmental) that pretty much are the same no matter where you go. I wouldn't go taking a bunch of extra things that are not required because it will just cost you more money and more time. Just go with the courses that are required of you according to the program's admissions department.

Good luck to you.

Is anyone here a nurse and do you like or enjoy your job?

It is a highly stressful job. I am not a nurse however, I am a certified nursing assistant and a student nurse. I start nursing clinicals at school in 1 week. Shifts typically last 8-12 hours. During these shifts, you are responsible for the lives of patients. These people are usually VERY sick (in a hospital setting) and require round the clock care. Some people can take care of themselves however, others will need full care. Many patients are incapable of moving themselves, communicating or doing anything for themselves. They need people to feed, bathe, clothe, medicate and help them in any way shape or form...When you have around 12-20 people you're responsible for, the work load adds up.

Nurses and nursing assistants routinely deal with obsessed family members of patients. These family members will hound you until you're insane. But you must NEVER break your calm. Nurses are trained to take a beating and come out with a big smile.

The job is also dangerous...As a nurse you are exposed to many dangers...Viruses, bacteria....countless forms of infections diseases...Depressing working conditions, being over worked, and even being attacked. That's right...I have been attacked as a nursing assistant on many occasions. Nurses are no exceptions. On many occasions I have had to avoid physically violent patients. But I repeat...you must never break your calm.

Nurses are to take pride in their ability to take a psychological and possibly physical beating. You must be resilient, have a strong stomach, and a personality as tough as nails. Nursing is not for the faint of heart. It is difficult and grueling work.

A few months ago I was in the emergency room for an illness I caught at work. I caught a norovirus. I spent so much time vomiting that I lost way too many fluids. I was so dehydrated that my blood pressure went down to 70/30. I was hospitalized for a night with severe stomach bleeding.

However, despite all the shortcomings of nursing, it is a very emotionally rewarding job. Most people go home from a 9-5 job with no emotional satisfaction. A nurse however, goes home knowing they changed the lives of people for the better. I wouldn't be able to get out of bed every day unless I reminded myself of that.

I don't mean to bash nursing...However, I have seen too many people go into it thinking it will be passing out a couple medications and getting paid. These people couldn't be more wrong. You have to be prepared to work hard and LOVE your job. You must LOVE what you do and LOVE helping others to be a respectable nurse.

Good luck...I know zip about dental hygiene so you're on your own there.