first things first, most of my postings will be based off of the things i see/hear at my job in the emergency room and they will contain medical short hand and adult content. enjoy!!
Everyone thinks its so easy to have a job in the medical field and they tell me how "rewarding it is". really? cuz ive felt rewarded like 4 times in the past 4 years... excuse me but what happened to common sense and decency!
my top 10 pet peeves of working in the ER:
1.phone calls about chest pain on your left side radiating down your arm.
all i want to say is, do me a favor. hang up the phone. google symptoms of a heart attack. if you have them call 911.
2. phone calls about flu like sx.
since i was old enough to understand i knew that if i had a fever and was freezing, i had the flu. so tell me why people call the er (not their docs office even though its still office hours) to ask what are symptoms (sx) of the flu.. really? again. webmd, google, the freaking cdc website, disney channel... all of them will tell you what symptoms of the flu are and how NOT to spread it. rule number one on not spreading it, DO NOT GO OUT IN PUBLIC!
which brings me to
3. People who come to the emergency room for non emergency things.
some say its job security so we shouldnt complain, others say its money. i say its a waste of space. why do you need to come to the er for a fever of 99.2? a. thats barely a fever b. take tylenol, thats what its for. c. really? or when people come to the er for a toothache. not many ers have dentists on staff and when you come in complaining about your toothache you sound like a drug seeker. (we really try not to judge people but we have to because if not the world would be full of ridiculous drug addicts.) i just really wish people could understand what the emergency part means.
4. If you think your back pain is gonna trump a guy with chest pain, cold sweats, and is turning blue, your out of your mind.
the ER is not first come first serve. we will get to you. but we have to triage you first which means we have to see who needs to come first. someone who is having stroke or stemi sx, or! comes in with a gunshot wound, they come first!
5. Please do not call and ask how long you'll have to wait to see a doctor.
like i said before, they come first and so do ambulances... we dont know when there gonna come in. cant plan it..
6. DO NOT CALL THE AMBULANCE FOR NON EMERGENT THINGS!
medics and emts, like er staff, are here to save lives. we cant do this if you call us because you woke up and have a fever of 98.2 (thats not a fever..) and seriously! please do not call the ambulance, have your friends/family drive behind the ambulance, complain when they cant come back to see you right away, and then ask how your gonna get home. i dont think people realize that ambulances cost 500+ for the ride alone. the visit to the er is more. why you wouldnt want to cut that cost is beyond me..
7. if your child has an actual fever, and youve checked it correctly (by mouth or rectally for kids under 3 years) please give them tylenol or motrin.
that is what these medications are for. to lower fevers and help with the aches and pains of being sick. if you bring your kid to the er with a temp of 105.2 and didnt give them anything, we will look at you like your stupid. because you are. they could have a febrile seizure and you shoulda gave them something anyway!
8. when you come to the er, whether you drove or you came by ambi, dont ask for food or water.
you cant have it because of testing and i really think its funny how you feel like your gonna die/puke/pass out from the pain but you are soooo hungry NOW?!
9. the call light is not a good way to get someones attention.
we all have heard this sound so much we learned to block it out and we didnt do it purposely.
10. causing a scene, trying to fight us, and! my favorite, throwing things isnt gonna get you seen any faster.
especially when your drunk. thats only gonna piss us off more and make us take care of the pts who are being nice and calm about there stay.
so let me explain myself. i love my job. i find it absolutely fascinating actually. ive wanted to be a nurse for ever and right now im going to school for my nurse pract specializing in peds. ive been working in the field since 06 and dont plan on letting anything steer me away from it.. but sometimes, i worry because i get things like what i said above and it scares me becuase i would like to have some sort of faith in society, but really??
i just wish people could use common sense when seeking "emergency" care. we will never turn people away. its not in our nature. we're healers. but we cant heal or help if you dont try..
as much as i hope people will get a laugh about this i really hope it helps people understand how we feel because like i said, we are there and we do care, but you, well, have to see it from our point of view too...
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