Trauma!

Trauma nursing information for someone interested in that field. Last edit by Frazzled_One on Oct 12, '10
You ended up with a GSW and a stabbing victim on your med/surg floor, and you call that boring??

It only seems boring to you because you are not doing the complete job of the nurse. You are only a student, and as a recent grad, I know for a fact you are not completing all the work of the nurses, nor do you have the caseload they do. Working trauma or emergency room is a high stress job with a high turn over rate and the excitement of a GSW, MVA or anything else becomes routine after a while.

Stabbing and GSW boy that must be a really boring shift. lol

Nursing generally isn't about the grandeur, excitement or romanticism of our encounters; it's usually about dealing with people who are sick and need our help. The majority of everyday bedside care can be considered mind numbing grunt work; that is, it will be boring if you fail to look at it with the importance it deserves (eg. try considering it from a patient's perspective). However, if you're a committed rush junkie and "need" some sort of extreme stimulation in order to remain focused in your work place, perhaps you should consider the venue when you graduate. There are currently two war theaters active, and serving your nation in uniform might be just the type of romanticized "nursing" that you crave. And if I may, just one word of getting what you wish for; remember that the patient with half his guts hanging out, bleeding his entire future onto your BDU's is still a human being, and not your adrenaline fix. Good Luck!

Quote from Frazzled_OneShe gets no public access. I was like...darn it! So I took a stab wound victim, but shame on me because a patient who has a PCA morphine is no good to talk to, and when she did want to talk to she had her guards up.

Quote from OttawaRPNYou ended up with a GSW and a stabbing victim on your med/surg floor, and you call that boring??

Quote from GreyGullRemember these patients may be true victims of a very violent crime. They are not there just for your excitement. Keep in mind that you can be called to court if they disclose too much about the crime to you whether they are a victim or a prisoner. Also remember that people coming through the doors of a Trauma Unit may have just had a life changing event and one that they may never fully recover from either physically or emotionally. You will also get your share of those who inflicted a violent crime on someone else such as raping or mutilating a small child but you will have to treat them professionally as you would any other patient. To work in an ED or unit like this you should be very grounded, experienced and comfortable around patients. You may need experience on other floors before tackling a trauma unit. And remember, whatever cool and exciting things you see during your workday, you should be careful not to discuss them with anybody else who is not directly involved with that patient. High profile cases and those that come with legal issues or handcuffs attached will have a way of flushing out those who can not maintain the highest patient confidentiality and professional standards. Its great that you want to be part of an exciting unit but remember all the medical stuff and patient care aspects of the job.

"She wasn't bleeding and she had surgery and wound dressing...that's about it. No fun there""she was sleep for most of the day so yeah...no excitement there at all"Please god, let me never have this person as my nurse. I likely won't be any fun either, being in the hospital and all. Goodness knows, I want my nurses to have a fun, exciting time on their shifts. It's what I live for.

Quote from Frazzled_OneHave you ever heard of a SAFE nurse? (Sexually Abused Forensic Nurse) or do you know anyone that works in that field? I heard of it on television and I was like wow, the things you can go into with nursing.

Oh yeah, a while back when I was a bit younger I worked at a psychiatric facility, the largest in this state, and there was this patient that was said to have raped his 8-month-old daughter. I was a service assistant, that's almost like a CNA on the adult psych unit where I worked, and I still can not figure out why all these other service assistants were going to look at his chart and the nurse allowed it. They were passing judgment on him so badly and treated him like dirt! When he was assigned to be anyone's "close-ob" they all refused but I didn't because he was just someone who needed help and had he not been sick he wouldn't have done that. I am hoping that I can at least be one of the nurses that will keep patient's chart what they are supposed to be...confidential. I am interested in psych as well because observing the psychiatric patients I always wondered about the inner workings of their brains and what exactly happened and what we can do to further understand it so we can treat and hopefully cure it so they don't have to live that cycle of being treated and having their problem return.

Quote from GreyGullSexual Assault Forensic Nursehttp://www.amrn.com/faq.htmlYes but it is a very patient focused job full of meticulous assessment, data collection, caring and compassion...not fun.

Quote from Frazzled_One I am hoping that I can at least be one of the nurses that will keep patient's chart what they are supposed to be...confidential.