Nursing Observational Experience

When I think of the emergency department (ED) I think of chaos, blood, trauma, and death. The emergency department experience was something I was not looking forward to. When I think about fields of nursing that I would like to try, the emergency department was not on the list. I am glad to report that this clinical experience has changed my feelings about working in the emergency room.
The emergency department is a fast-paced environment where people are constantly moving. Many of the patients coming into the ED have problems that are solely addressed in the ED. The ED has a quick turn over rate. This type of an environment requires nurses to be quick on their feet and be knowledgeable in many different areas. I had the pleasure of following Phillip and Jim during my observational experience in the ED. …show more content…
When a patient comes into the ED the nurse assesses the patient for breathing and level of consciousness. If the patient can advocate for themselves the nurse talks to the patient and asks them “what brings you in today”. By doing so the nurse will know the patient’s chief complaint. The first nurse that patient sees has a very important job. This nurse will decide what number the patient is on the triage score. A low number like a one or two are the most critical patients. These patients are unconscious or are not breathing. A number of a four or five are nonemergent issues. Some patients have nonemergent issues. While others need to have immediate attention.
During my observational experience, I saw a varieties of patient diagnosis. I have seen a greater variety of medical diagnosis in the ED than in my whole clinical semester. The nurses in the ED could quickly adapt to each patient. I noticed that the nurses are quick and flexible, but they are also