Name: GENEVIEVE B.

MUNDALA Date:  June 24, 2022

Course, Year, and Section: BSN 39th Batch Rating: __________

“A Day in a Life of an ER Nurse”

Link: https://dailynurse.com/day-life-emergency-room-nurse/

Reflection

We usually do our RLE in the Emergency Room early morning shift from 7am
to 3pm. It is actually enjoying as it leaves the afternoon free earlier than we do
during our OR experience which is 12hour shift.

As what our orientation day tackled, emergency nursing is considered a

nursing specialty. It’s essential to regularly brush up on medical information and
keep current in your continuing education, because you have to be prepared for any
kind of patient to walk through the door.

We arrive at Leyte Provincial Hospital a few minutes early and immediately

start seeing patients.  The ER seems to be constantly busy.  LPH uses a triage
system, which means the patients with the most serious conditions get seen first.
They do get true emergencies such as heart attacks, strokes or trauma victims. We
can also see patients who just feel bad or can’t get in to see their primary care
doctor. They do this triage assessment when patients check in, but also a triage
nurse will do an “across-the-room survey” to see who needs to be seen immediately
and who can wait a little longer.

My first patient is a 45-year-old male with avulsion wound at his right leg.  I
pick up his chart, go into the room and observe him writhing in pain.  After
observing many cases in my previous experience in Rural Health Unit doing
emergency care situation I can usually diagnose (in my own nursing way) them
within seconds.

My next patient is a 62-year-old male involved in a rollover self-accident while

farming. He is complaining of right leg pain.  I remove the rudimentary splint the
paramedics have placed to examine his leg more closely with the doctor on duty.
His leg is swollen, bruised and seemed to move hardly.  I suspect a fracture and the
doctor order pain medications, Tetanus Toxoid vaccine and an X-Ray.

Then, I move on to my third patient, a 48-year-old female who were having

history of flank pain for month and now experiencing severe pain on her lower
abdomen and dysuria. I assisted the regular staff nurse in inserting Foley bag
catheter to drain her urine from her distended bladder. The doctor sent her off for
urinalysis to confirm her diagnosis.

In the ER, we’ll never know what each day will bring. We see patients with
chest pain, abdominal pain and orthopedic problems.  I do procedures such as drain
abscesses and suture lacerations.  Personally, I enjoy the variety and challenges my
career as future nurse provides.  I learn new things everyday.

We were amazed at the composure of the of the regular staff nurse and the
nursing aide the way they handled the toxcity around them. It was a busy time, and
as I observed patients in public hospital constantly complaining about how long the
wait was. Every nurse including other personnel was kind to patients anyway. They
are professional and focused. What the upset patient doesn’t know is that it’s
actually better to have a longer wait: that meant he/ she was stable. If we’re
rushing you back, it means you’re having a medical crisis.

It takes a special person to be an emergency nurse, a person who possesses

the ability to rapidly organize thoughts and prioritize tasks, a master multitasker with
a bladder of steel, a compassionate person who can hide her emotions well so that
patients feel her warmth and empathy – no matter what just happened in the other
room. If that describes you, you’ve got what it takes to be an ER nurse!