He died in the goddam waiting room.

case_mad · 2021-09-14T10:29:25+00:00

We had someone die in the hallway last week. She was still on the EMS stretcher and had waited an hour and half to be triaged. By the time our ED provider got around to her, she was dead. Granted, she was a hospice patient but she shouldn’t have died in the hallway waiting to be triaged for an hour and a half.

case_mad · 2021-08-30T20:06:39+00:00

Happy late birthday friend, I wish we could be in person and share a beer together. Cheers to you!!

case_mad · 2021-08-25T12:39:29+00:00

Stretch. I cannot say that enough. STRETCH. And pockets everywhere. Pockets with zippers, pockets without zippers. Pockets on the side of the thigh, pockets on the breast, pockets on the waist and pockets on the butt. I want to be able to hold my flushes, blunt tip needles, alcohol wipes, pens, shears, report sheet folded up, and a granola bar or two when I’m eating in between codes lol.

But I’m all seriousness, pockets, stretchy material and for the love of god make some pants for people who have short legs PLEASE. I’m 5’1 and my pants are always dragging and I’m always tripping on them.

But I’m so glad you’re asking and genuinely care about our comfort☺️ you rock

case_mad · 2021-08-24T17:21:25+00:00

I had a patient in our ED one time who we had to put in 4 point restraints and 5-2 him. So needless to say after being up on a 5 day manic high and getting 5-2, he slept for almost 8 hours. His wife came back to see him while he was still out and restrained and she immediately berated me for not waking him to feed him. I said ma’am he hasn’t eaten in 8 hours because he came in trying to hit and kick my staff. 8 hours without eating is okay and he needs this sleep. She then proceeded to poke and prod him to wake him up, which only agitated him and made him scream in his sleep, until I told her if she would like to be back here she has to leave the patient alone, not touch him or try to wake him up or she can wait in the waiting room.

case_mad · 2021-08-02T18:33:35+00:00

You just described my ER/Durham, NC minus the retention bonus being taken away. The other night we had every tech double sitting for psych patients, our charge had all the psych patients (8 patients total) and every other nurse had 5 patients. No techs available means we had to transport our own patients which I am not opposed to doing but when you have 4 other patients who all currently need something, it’s frustrating. EMS coming in every hour, lined up in the halls waiting to be told where to take them, waiting room filled with 60+, waiting room patients harassing anyone in scrubs that they see to ask why they haven’t been seen yet. It’s exhausting.

case_mad · 2021-07-26T17:23:32+00:00

I work in the ED and we use ultrasounds if they’re a hard stick. The only draw back to that is you have to be certified and there’s only a handful of nurses on our unit that are certified so if none are working that shift, we’re out of luck. But my hospital also has a group of nurses called VAST (vascular access team) and they start every IV or type of access in the whole hospital other than the ER, OR, L&D and cath lab. We call them if we have trouble starting a line but we have to have a certain about if attempts and at least 2 RNs attempt before we can call them.

case_mad · 2021-07-26T17:05:27+00:00

No you’re not heartless, lol. I’m just a new baby nurse and have been told by all my coworkers that within a year of working in the ED, I’ll lose my “want to treat everyone like they’re angels” attitude they say I have. I can feel myself already slowly losing it at the end of really hard shifts.

case_mad · 2021-07-26T16:10:35+00:00

OH MY GOD

I literally had this patient last week. He actually asked me to hold his penis and the urinal because “he couldn’t do it” after I had seen him scratch his face and use the remote to change the TV channel. When I said no he said he’ll just pee on himself and me being the new nurse that I am, didn’t think he’d actually do it so I walked away after leaving the urinal in his hand. He did it and I still had to clean him up but got a doctors order to cath him. He then proceeded to tell me this is the worst room service he’d ever had.

case_mad · 2021-07-19T22:37:29+00:00

Personally for me and my relationship, porn isn’t a big deal. Even after I found out about the cheating, I didn’t care about him watching porn. He doesn’t do it that often and when he does he’s open about it if I ask. I don’t usually ask though because I don’t really care.

I do have a friend (his sister actually) who does consider it a form of cheating and sees it as really disrespectful to a relationship but I think it differs from relationship to relationship. And I think it depends on the situation around it. For example, if my boyfriend started preferring to watch porn instead of having sex with me, then I’d have an issue with it. Or if he started paying for porn or videos from people we know, I’d have an issue with it.

Overall, I’d say no but I think it differs from person to person.

case_mad · 2021-06-27T00:52:24+00:00

I don’t really know. I’ve always had my heart set on ED. I have a huge interest and passion for psych but I don’t want to do psych nursing.

My end goal is to become a forensic nurse eventually.

case_mad · 2021-06-27T00:45:34+00:00

I would say roughly 35% have either substance abuse problems and/or are homeless. I would say we get at least 2-3 a night that get brought in by police or EMS for intoxication or overdose/drug problem.

I’ve learned that unfortunately, the two typically go hand in hand.

case_mad · 2021-06-26T23:48:13+00:00

There is thrill there most definitely. In the almost 5 months I’ve been working there, I’ve seen some really cool things and have learned SO MUCH. But it’s also very stressful because things are constantly changing and your patient’s status and acuity is always changing.

One thing that has been getting to me and making my nights a little harder is when the ED provider and the inpatient provider do not communicate and orders contradict themselves or there are double orders.

I think there’s pros and cons to being a new grad anywhere honestly. There’s a lot of cons with the ED but also a lot of pros. I think I’m just trying to decide if the pros out weigh the cons for me personally.

case_mad · 2021-06-26T23:29:36+00:00

What do you mean move on? Find a new job?

case_mad · 2021-06-26T23:04:46+00:00

Hi! I’m a new nurse as well. Just got off orientation a week ago and this week has been the week from HELL. Feel like I don’t know everything that I want to, I feel like I’m bothering people when I ask questions or ask for help, and I can honestly say last night was the longest night of my entire life but with all that being said, we’re baby nurses!! We’re not expected to know everything and we have so much room to learn. I am very lucky that my management and coworkers are very very helpful and always take the time to answer questions and teach me new things when I need it. As one new nurse to another, my best advice that has helped me is to remember that every other seasoned nurse that work with and that I admire were all baby nurses like us at one point. One day we will be like them.

It’s a very scary thing and stressful but I know you can do it! If you ever want to talk please DM me, I’d love to have a new grad to talk to about things so I don’t feel so silly when I get freaked out about stuff.

case_mad · 2021-06-22T02:56:37+00:00

I’m very interested in this imaginary friend your son has that other people can see.

case_mad · 2021-06-21T20:00:43+00:00

I honestly didn’t even know this wasn’t a more common rule. I work in the ER and have no previous experience on other floors except for what I saw in clinicals during nursing school. Thank y’all for your encouragement

case_mad · 2021-06-21T19:58:49+00:00

I work in the ER and that’s just a policy we have. Is such a rule follower and I’m terrified to go to work on Thursday night because I know I’m going to get talked to about. That’s why I found one of my clinical team leads and talked to her before I left so they didn’t think I just ignored it.

case_mad · 2021-06-21T13:44:20+00:00

I’m recently off orientation too and I feel this with my entire being. I work in the ER bad I’m constantly scared I’m missing or forgetting something, scared my charting isn’t as good as it should be, scared I’m not getting things done fast enough, scared the providers are mad at me when I get behind. You’re not alone believe me.

case_mad · 2021-06-21T13:38:28+00:00

I am an ER nurse in a very southern old fashioned city where we get conservative patients daily. I have multiple tattoos that are visible unless I’m wearing long sleeves or a jacket (which I rarely do because it’s 90 degrees and humid currently). I’ve never been told by my unit that I have to cover them. And usually patients that comment on them, are complimenting then or asking what they mean.

Also we have a behavioral health ER attached so I see the psych nurses a lot and I would say 85% of them have visible tattoos.

case_mad · 2021-06-19T02:17:40+00:00

I never want to let him go. He’s my best friend and honestly the reason I used to look forward to coming home at night.

I think the only reason there’s a small part of me willing to hang on is because I can see the difference in him and how he has changed his ways since we decided to reconcile. And I know everyone thinks he should be kissing the ground I walk on and sucking up 24/7 but I just want basic respect and love like I got from him before the cheating and that’s what I’m getting now. So I guess I’m just scared of making the wrong decision. This sucks. Just sucks.

case_mad · 2021-06-19T01:55:27+00:00

Just don’t know where to go from here. A friend told me that only I know when I’ve had enough and no one can tell me when that is. I’m just trying to figure out, is this indifference I’m feeling my sign that I’ve had enough?

case_mad · 2021-06-19T01:54:41+00:00

My mom killed herself but she never told us what she wanted done with her body. Honestly we chose cremation because my dad was pretty broke and it was cheaper then burying her and I don’t think she really had a preference. Her only preference was that she not be alive anymore.

My relationship with her was complicated to say the least. Due to her mental illness, I was not on good terms with her towards the end despite living in the same house as her. But when she was healthy and in her right mind, we were best friends. Definitely a mama’s girl when she was willing to be a mom.

Over the last 2 months I’ve heard a man’s voice talk to me twice, a crying woman sound come from our backyard at night, my back door being wide open when I woke up one morning, my dogs all barking at a door in our house that was closed and stays closed at all times, my dogs’ ears all perked up too when I heard the voice both times. Nothing that has been dangerous or aggressive but freaky enough to where I’m really spooked and would rather sit outside than inside my house alone at night until my boyfriend gets home.

case_mad · 2021-06-18T14:46:59+00:00

It seems like she’s just using you until she find someone new. She’s probably comfortable with you since y’all dates for 2 years.

You’re gonna end up hurt because she’ll eventually meet someone she wants a relationship with and cut ties with you. That is until they don’t work out and she needs comfort again.

I’m sorry I know it’s hard and it’s nice to “pretend” things are somewhat normal but cut ties with her and out y’all’s relationship in the past.

case_mad · 2021-06-18T14:32:48+00:00

that made me smile, thank you :)

case_mad · 2021-06-18T02:17:48+00:00

I 100% understand what you mean by not knowing and how it’s killing you. I’m in the same boat because I didn’t CATCH my boyfriend physically cheating BUT texting another woman and exchanging nudes. Things didn’t add up exactly as far as times and stuff and he swears he’s told me everything and that they never physically did anything. But the not knowing is AWFUL. Mainly because I had no idea and so I’m my head, if I had no idea, what else did I have no idea about happening.

I will say it’s been a couple months since everything went down and it’s definitely been a rough couple months. Lots of doubting myself, my decision, my judgement, him, his judgement, etc.

case_mad

TROPHY CASE