Charge
I've been in the ER for almost 5 years. Its pretty standard for nurses to train in the trauma room after 6 months to a year and then charge and triage at about a year and a half to two years. As a new grad I had a little bit steeper climb. I started the trauma room at about a year and had to do a long ass orientation (because I'm a "new grad). About a year and a half ago I asked about charge and triage... the trauma room gets wearing every night. I was told that I wasn't ready... "you're a new grad". Ummmm.... yeah, about 3 years ago (at the time).
Thats one of the reasons I decided to go up to the ICU. I felt like I wasn't being taken seriously in the ER. So last night I started out in the trauma room, not bad same old same old. The CC walked in at 2200 and said "Kiddo, you're in charge at 2300." What the fuck?!?!?!
Everyone else has had to do several days of supervised orientation. I was BAM, dropped in. Let me tell you, thats some work. I had a great group of nurses thank GOD, and we were all working out asses off. There were several that were sick as shit and one that was trying to code on us. Another had a seizure (defined by the family as "foaming at the mouth and messin' with herself') and then had it coming out of both ends. She never did wake up all the way. But she did a hell of a job of counting from 1-18 over and over and over.... "14" was her favorite, she said that a lot!
Had a drunk, high loser who came in with the po-lice with a towel and hand over his mouth. "He spits like a water fountain" EWWWWWWW! There were a couple of GSW's in the trauma room....one ended up biting the big one. No surprise, he looked BAD when he got here.
Oh, and my favorite asshole of the night. Frequent flyer.... had chronic dry skin and vericose veins. Will pick at the skin over the veins until they bleed and don't stop. He's nasty nasty nasty and mean as hell. He was going to leave AMA until he found out that we wouldn't give him a cab ride.
UGH.... this charge stuff sucks! Went out with the nurses and docs this morning.... I think we needed it. Back tonight.... hope I'm not in charge.
Thats one of the reasons I decided to go up to the ICU. I felt like I wasn't being taken seriously in the ER. So last night I started out in the trauma room, not bad same old same old. The CC walked in at 2200 and said "Kiddo, you're in charge at 2300." What the fuck?!?!?!
Everyone else has had to do several days of supervised orientation. I was BAM, dropped in. Let me tell you, thats some work. I had a great group of nurses thank GOD, and we were all working out asses off. There were several that were sick as shit and one that was trying to code on us. Another had a seizure (defined by the family as "foaming at the mouth and messin' with herself') and then had it coming out of both ends. She never did wake up all the way. But she did a hell of a job of counting from 1-18 over and over and over.... "14" was her favorite, she said that a lot!
Had a drunk, high loser who came in with the po-lice with a towel and hand over his mouth. "He spits like a water fountain" EWWWWWWW! There were a couple of GSW's in the trauma room....one ended up biting the big one. No surprise, he looked BAD when he got here.
Oh, and my favorite asshole of the night. Frequent flyer.... had chronic dry skin and vericose veins. Will pick at the skin over the veins until they bleed and don't stop. He's nasty nasty nasty and mean as hell. He was going to leave AMA until he found out that we wouldn't give him a cab ride.
UGH.... this charge stuff sucks! Went out with the nurses and docs this morning.... I think we needed it. Back tonight.... hope I'm not in charge.
posted by jeepgirl at 15:29
2 Comments:
Charge is the nurse who runs one area of the department. As charge you are a resource for the other nurses, you make bed assignments and basically the shit stops with you. Instead of knowing "your" patients, you have to know ALL the patients. Its a thankless job.
The most critical jobs often are the thankless ones. It's part of the life you & your cop've chosen.
They're also the most honorable ones.
No surprise to me that you'd been tossed into charge.
shayla
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