Today is my transition day for switching back to day shifts. I'm not sure what to think of night shifts just yet. I'm on the pediatric side this month, which has its advantages and disadvantages.
Pros:
-Most kiddos are in bed by the time my shift starts at 10 pm, so there's a definite slow-down point at the triage desk.
-Kids are resiliant, and many show definite improvement in a few hours' time.
-The nurses on the pediatric side really know their stuff, and have saved me numerous times already when converting doses.
Cons:
-It's hard to be sympathetic with some of the stuff that comes in. Canker sores do not equal an EMERGENCY!
-Too often the problem lies with poop- there's either too much of it, too little of it, or it "looks funny"
-Parents don't like hearing that you can't find out what's wrong with their child in a few hours' time.
I'm actually liking working with the kids more than I had anticipated. Last night I saw a young boy who swallowed a metal marble. After confirming that it had passed into his intestinal tract with x-rays, we were able to send him right home. I like the quick cases, and it's much more gratifying to see relatively healthy patients that can go home, rather than spending hourse waiting for lab results and consultants, and still not knowing what's wrong with your patient.
Pros:
-Most kiddos are in bed by the time my shift starts at 10 pm, so there's a definite slow-down point at the triage desk.
-Kids are resiliant, and many show definite improvement in a few hours' time.
-The nurses on the pediatric side really know their stuff, and have saved me numerous times already when converting doses.
Cons:
-It's hard to be sympathetic with some of the stuff that comes in. Canker sores do not equal an EMERGENCY!
-Too often the problem lies with poop- there's either too much of it, too little of it, or it "looks funny"
-Parents don't like hearing that you can't find out what's wrong with their child in a few hours' time.
I'm actually liking working with the kids more than I had anticipated. Last night I saw a young boy who swallowed a metal marble. After confirming that it had passed into his intestinal tract with x-rays, we were able to send him right home. I like the quick cases, and it's much more gratifying to see relatively healthy patients that can go home, rather than spending hourse waiting for lab results and consultants, and still not knowing what's wrong with your patient.
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3 comments:
Did you warn the parents to wear safety goggles and to duck when the kid pooped? LOL
Chris
My Blog
Haha, that's funny. He'll just poop it out!?! Kids are so weird.
The correct terminology is defecate, Sarah:)
I'm really intrigued by all these snippets of story. Don't you think that would be a great short story collection--a night in ER? Or possibly a children's book. Nothing like pooping, I mean defacating, metal to get your book in the top 10 list.
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