Since My Wife Says I haven't Contributed...

Hello to all those who frequent our page or those just stopping by! I am the infamous "non-posting" husband of the phenomenal woman that you all know as MONICA... Yes I capitalized her name because it should always be spoken with zeal :-) So.....My week has been filled with nothing but work. As exciting as the world of ER nursing sounds to those outside of it, the reality is that we see a great deal of mundane "clinic" quality complaints from our patrons. On the average I only get to see truly sick or injured people about once or twice per shift. Those are what keep you going back for more. Even less often than that do we actually get thanked for our attention to details like those pesky heart rhythms or balancing our work load with the pt in the next room whose family member insists that their need for a blanket or something to drink superceeds the CPR occurring steps away from them. Ahhh yes... the joys of the ER. All kidding aside, I truly enjoy my job. The idea of uncertainty and the opportunity to help someone in what could be their darkest hour is what keeps us going. BTW we are the only profession that has to sign a contact waiving our right to a lunch break according to the labor board. As I am writing this I find myself climbing right up onto a soap box and firmly grasping my megaphone. There are some things that Iwould like to vent...

1) I have found an amazing amount of people that refuse their own PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY.
2) Many in our society have subscribed to a "microwave" philosophy. Everyone wants what they want, when they want it and have no concept of patience or acuity of situation. I seem to get quite upset when people can not grasp the fact that just because they think they are having an emergency doesn't mean they actually are and that they are not the center of the universe...
3) The ER is not your primary doctor! Despite the fact that we can not turn people away does not give folks the right to abuse the system.
4) If people are having an emergency I assure you, I/We will know it almost immediately. Call it our 7th or even 8th sense :-) People's vain attempts at wild stories of how things happened, their ability to dry-heave on command, falling in the floor and refusing to get up because you say you are too weak when I saw you smoking outside just before don't cut it.
5) Antibiotics take around 24-48 hours to reach peak effectiveness. If you got your first dose this AM in the ER, don't come back telling us that you "just don't feel any better" before the end of my shift. We really didn't expect you to be at full speed and neither should you.

I think this is enough for now, but I have lots of "pearls" to bestow on the world in the coming posts. This has been quite therapeutic for me :-)

I will start posting cool stuff as well regarding interesting injuries and illnesses and will try to keep my moaning to a minimum. Till next time!