A DAY IN ED
Considering as an ED front-liner RN, in the midst of this ongoing pandeminc, I am proud to share a day that I have experienced in our ever bustling ED.
It happened, 4 days ago when luckily I am only assigned in the Resuscitation and cast room for the entire shift. I know some of you might think that I am mental for describing those assignments as lucky. Well, nowadays you wouldn't want to be assigned in our Pedia observation room (now PUI room) or Isolation room for it is 100% sure that you will spend the rest of your 12 hour shift facing patients with positive or suspected to be positive. However, despite of not having patient in my designated areas I decided to help my colleague who is assigned in Pedia Obs that day for non stop cases were coming to her room and I can feel that she is becoming helpless.
In line, I somehow felt helpless as well for I cannot decide and command 75% risk of being positive patients to be direclty transferred to the isolation room. Helpless and damned, I just prayed that the other 4 patients who stayed in that room will not acquire what that old man is having.
To my understanding, based on all that I am acquiring each and every time I will go to work in ED, that this pandemic will teach not only those people in the health care business but also the whole world to be prepared at all times and to be sensitive when a nation is having an increase of numbers from a certain viral or bacterial infection. To someday have a contingency plan when another pandemic strikes again. And let me quote, "prevention is better that cure", which should have been cautiously done before this viral infection went pandemic.
Summing up, God speed to us all nurses. Stay safe.
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Comments (2)
Hey Mylene! As a fellow ED RN, I also share your frustrations and fears. I think what I have truly gained from this pandemic is how time and efficiency affect our practice within the ED. In the ED we are forced to educate and discharge patients so quickly that preventative measures and personalized care have become an afterthought. Going forward I feel EDs as a whole need to shift their focus towards the discharge process and perhaps delegate RNs to specifically work as discharge educators to promote public health as well as save ED/hospital budgets. Stay safe, my ED sister!
Hi Mylene:
Thank you for joining our conversation and for your service. What do you think are the most important steps that need to be taken to leave us better prepared if/when this happens again?