Saturday, September 19, 2015

New Outlook. Same Great Nurse!

It's been a while since I updated my blog.

Mea Culpa. I got busy. I had great things happen in my personal life and then not so great things and some downright ugly things. Stuff you wish had never happened to you and yet wish had continued to last... It is complicated.

Nevertheless, I'm still in the same State I moved to from my previous job working med-surg. I'm still an ED Nurse working within the same hospital system - just at a different hospital campus as of June 2014.

I left the former hospital in the system for more reasons than one. Suffice to say that I'm quite happy at my new job - warts and all.

One of the biggest adjustments I've had to make is with my current ED: the implementation of a new method of patient flow, in order to expedite patient throughput and try and reduce 'wait time in the waiting room'. This is achieved by revitalising and reusing what is called "Fast Track" in most EDs. While this does place an extraordinary burden on the Nurses and the Doc/PA/NP assigned to the section - it does seem to have an impact by lowering waiting times in the ED. I've had numerous patients tell me that 'I've never been brought back to be seen this fast before".
There's still lots to be tweaked in the system, IMO. But it's early stages yet. I'm sure improvements will be incorporated (I've already passed on suggestions to management.)

The other BIG adjustment I've had to make with my current ED over the old one is:
Cameraderie (i.e. Recognising your team). That includes the big, giant role our secretaries play in our day-to-day.

To give an example, while I was in the midst of transferring a critical patient to a specialty hospital. I went about it based on my prior experience at my old ED - I was calling x-ray, CT scan to bring copies of the studies, I was trying to set up transport for the patient while trying to get the EMTALA done and. ... that's when the secretary called me out and admonished me! To quote "What are you doing??!! That's my job. You worry about EMTALA and giving report and your nurse duties! I'll worry about the chart, transport and everything else!"

STUNNED ..... doesn't even begin to describe my reaction. Never mind the fact that the secretaries also take calls - from labs to family members to weirdos - and KNOW ENOUGH to either address it with the level of appropriateness to the right party (nurse, doc, tech, family, lab etc.) but also handle "family calls" appropriately - instead of the standard at my old ED; pretty much no matter what the call, the response was "talk to the nurse."

Yeah, there are changes. I'm sure I'll revisit this post soon. Till then....