Be Mindful of Unnecessary Misery
…Be mindful of the misery that we can inflict with our plan of care. For example, unnecessary lab draws at 2am or ordering an abg when a vbg will get the job done. There are times when the situation dictates that we need to perform invasive and painful interventions, but I think it’s important to keep in mind that these come at a cost to the patient and the memory of what they had to endure may stick with them for years.
-Erik Olson
Say Thank You
I learned along the way that the words “thank you” are so easy to say yet can have such power when we use them. It builds trust and makes people feel seen while also providing a bit of a buffer for those days when you’re maybe a bit snippy with staff. And if you think you might be snippy, acknowledge it and apologize for it then thank them again for everything they do. After all, the docs may be the leaders of the team but there are a LOT of other people doing the real work.
-James
Be humble enough to realize that everyone on the ED team wants to help and be useful and be acknowledged and by allowing them the freedom to do their jobs only allows me to do mine better and be happier doing it realizing I’m never “alone.” The women that brings me meals, the person who makes sure my trash is empty, the RN who saves my butt, the tech who holds my splint material, the pharmacist who anticipates the next drug I need etc etc etc. (“ancillary services” needs to be removed from the medical lexicon) Everyone makes my life better and acknowledging them only continues to make that happen and be the norm. Be humble – it pays off in spades.
–Sean Rees
EMR
Results not Falling through the Cracks
My outlook-changing clinical tip, just learned a few months ago despite years of using Epic:
In the Results screen (at least in our setup), the bottom left corner shows tests that are in process, an incredibly easy way to find everything still pending. You can also activate notifications on them here, so when they do result they'll appear in your inbox. Between these two techniques it's far easier to find long-lag tests like sendouts and pathology, which can otherwise become lost to continuity and shift changes.
-Brandon Oto
Nursing Tips
Cardioversion
Tuck in arms with a sheet to keep them from flailing