What is it like to be an ER nurse? … Where do I begin?

You are dealing with people on, possibly, one of the worst days of their lives

You see cardiac arrests, toe pain, overdoses, lacerations, strokes, vaginal discharge, difficulty breathing and everything in between

You have had every bodily fluid you can think of end up on your shoe
(whether you know it or not… but most times, you know it)

You never get used to the terrible feeling of doing chest compressions on a frail old woman with broken ribs

You know how to put up “the wall” to keep from crying

You wash your hands before AND after potty breaks

You don’t really get potty breaks, so you’ve learned to hold it

You put the needs of others before your own

You bribe kids with suckers, stickers, and anything else that you can think of, but almost always end up holding, wrapping, and tying them down to get the job done. It sucks

You bend over backwards for those patients who treat you with respect

You clean up a lot of poop, but you’re used to it

You wish you had more time to spend with each patient

You can keep a straight face while your patient explains how they “fell” on the object that is now stuck in their colon

You swap stories

You understand that some people are just jerks, no matter what you do for them

You will always get the feeling of your stomach dropping when you hear the call that a pediatric code blue is 5 minutes out

You get slapped, pinched, scratched, kicked, and called every name you can think of
(and more, people get very creative with their name calling)

You can make your dinner companions throw up after being asked, “How was your day at work?”

You laugh, a lot

You know to ask the heroin addict patient what veins you can use for an IV. Work smarter, not harder.

You get a tear in your eye when you care for a sweet, old lady who reminds you of your grandma

You realize that having a packed waiting room, working a difficult code with another on the way and running around trying to get caught up on all your orders makes working as a team crucial. If you’re lucky, as I have been, your co workers become a family.