Emergency Nursing‪:‬

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be an ER

Nurse? Dealing with the public during the worst

moments of their lives is an everyday occurrence.

There are wonderful, magical moments, but

they are few and far between. You quickly learn

common sense is not so common. Most people

have no concept of what is or isn’t an emergency.

We approach this job with our own set of life skills

plus what we’ve learned in college. On our fi rst day

in the ER, we realize we must have slept through

the lecture on Emergency Nursing. With luck you’re

following an experienced nurse. You realize you

have none of these skills. Your preceptor smiles

letting you know it will be ok. See one, do one,

teach one, you’re told with a smile. That’s when

you wonder, what have I gotten myself into. The

ER, or Gar Gole, as it’s aff ectionately called, is the

‘red-headed stepchild of the hospital. The Staff ,

Physicians, Nurses, Techs and First Responders

have a symbiotic working relationship. We all have

the same goal, providing those in our charge with

the best outcome possible. The rollercoaster of

emotions in the Gar Hole from Patients, Family,

and Staff are delt with by each of us, in our own

way. We learn to meld our work life along with our

home life, it’s a much-needed tool of survival. Our

personal goal is to go home at the end of our shift

to our safe haven, our home and family.