So I just finished a 10hour overnight shift in the emergency department and it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It was fairly quiet, slow but steady, and starting off, I did forget to ask a few of the questions I should have, although I saw patients in a reasonable amount of time.
Before going in, I was pretty nervous since I would be the only one there besides the attending to take care of anyone/anything that walked through the door,and as confident as I am on the inpatient unit or in the neonatal ICU, the ED and the primary care settings really get me nervous. It’s partly a matter of efficiency since the inpatients will be there for you to get to when you get to, whereas outpatient, you have to get the data you need and give the answers you’re supposed to give within a set period of time; you have to be comprehensive within that limited time frame.
For a detail-oriented person such as myself, although the patients, in general, are healthier in the outpatient setting than the inpatient setting, I get caught up in trying to ask ALL of the questions. I also tend to be a little too patient-centered and let them lead the discussion, instead of asking the questions I need to ask to have a working knowledge of the situation. Thus, I usually come away unsatisfied because I took forever and still missed things.
However, all in all, I did reasonably well, and have gained a little bit of confidence. Now just 2 more nights and then a brief respite for Thanksgiving!
Related articles
- Uninsured trauma patients are more likely to use the ED for follow-up care (eurekalert.org)
- Pediatric emergency department visits for psychiatric care on the rise (eurekalert.org)
- How staff perceptions of their roles impact patients experience in the emergency department (eurekalert.org)
- Graveyard Shift (ourpoetrycorner.wordpress.com)
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