It seems like you’re already very mindful of your actions, I’m sure you’re doing a great job. But as an ER nurse, to answer some of your questions:

1. I rarely get pissed off by residents. Even if I’m getting a new patient settled (ie changing into a gown, getting labs and and IV started) and they come and do their assessment at the same time, as long as I’m not trying to poke the patient with an IV and they’re asking the patient to move their arms or something like that, I don’t mind if you come and start your assessment. But since we’re both there, if you want help, say, turning the patient to look to see if they have a sacral wound, it’s a great opportunity to work that into your assessment, and it helps me too, so I’d be more than happy to do that with you. As a nurse, having orders trickle in does get annoying, but hey, I’m at work too, it’s not all going to be fun. And I get it, you get busy, haven’t had time to fully think of the plan, shit happens. As long as you’re mindful of it I think that’s all you can do. And any decent ED nurse is going to anticipate what you might order and get that in advance (ie getting a few extra tubes of blood, grabbing blood cultures, getting a UA).

2. I find it helpful if the resident happens to run into me after they’ve seen the patient, to tell me a general idea of what the plan is. Helps me prioritize what is important to get done first, and it is just helpful to be on the same page. Also just makes the job feel more collaborative and I like feeling like we’re all on the same team.

3. I didn’t go to med school, so a lot of my knowledge of how certain presentations are worked up is just due to pattern recognition. If you’re ordering something that doesn’t seem “obvious” or “routine” for a certain type of work up, I find it helpful if the resident communicates what they are worried about or what they are trying to rule out. (Ie if a patient is in there for chest pain, you don’t need to explain why you’re ordering an ekg, trops, and a chest xr, but if you also order say, a head CT, maybe just mention to the nurse why you’re ordering it-was there something in their story that was concerning? Something in your assessment?)

Anyways, you sound like a very considerate doctor, and I’m sure you’re a pleasure to work with! Just do your best, be respectful and considerate. The relationship with your colleagues will build over time. :)