Surviving Your First Job in the ER
The emergency room is a crazy place. You’ll just have to trust me on that. Some people love it and some people hate it. I happen to love the chaos. I love that it changes all the time. I love that I see new and different things always. I love to learn, and you definitely learn in the emergency room.
Here are some tips to survive your first ER job.
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Know your job. Lines are blurred in the ER. The learning curve is high. If you hear something you don’t know, look it up. Study it so that you know it next time. It will take years to know everything that you need to know. There are always people to help. If you have an education coordinator, ask them, they can give you education on certain topics.
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Sometimes you get a crappy assignment. They alternate people a lot if you work somewhere good. Just keep this in mind when you don’t have the crappy assignment. I used to feel like I always had a bad assignment, but then I looked around and realized that my coworkers were suffering just as much as I was, which changed my attitude. Develop an all-for-one attitude. It makes your work life happier.
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Do not abuse your techs. ER techs are amazing. They are responsible for a lot and they have about ten nurses asking them to do things. If you have the time to do it and can do it by yourself, DO IT. Don’t delay care so you can pass it off. In other words, know when and how to delegate. When you need them, ask them if they have time first. Sometimes they really don’t.
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Make sure you know where everything is. My manager told me once that knowing where everything is in trauma can save you from feeling like an idiot and she was right. If you don’t know where it is or if it wasn’t where you thought it was, ask. Do not waste time running around each storage room to find something. Minutes are important. Just ask.
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If you call your clinical lead for help, have specifics. Don’t just say “I need help.” Say “can someone please give my Toradol in room 15?”.
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Time management is what it is all about. Well…time management and acuity. Treat the sickest patients first. If you have more than one sick patient (it happens), know when to get help. Everyone needs help sometimes. They get fifty calls a shift for help.
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