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Friday, August 24, 2012

a change in barometric pressure

One of the things people who work in ER always wonder about is: WHY IN THE HELL DOES EVERYONE DECIDE TO COME AT ONCE??!!! Why is it that certain days, the teeming masses present at the triage desk?

Some theories:

1) Change in barometric pressure
2) Full moon
3) Nothing on TV
4) Get it over with before the big game
5) Nothing else to do
6) A voice told them to come
7) Out of crack, meth, heroin
8) Solar storms

After about 2 weeks working in ER you give up ever trying to make sense of it. Its random, there's no rhyme or reason.

So why, pray tell, do I bring this up? Because it has been so damn busy in the last couple of weeks. We're not talking regular busy, we're talking
****BUSY!!!!!!!****. Most people ever seen on one day in ER history this past week. 30% more than budgeted daily census. People waiting hours.

Did something happen that I don't know about? Was there some shift in the universe? A change in gravity? What in THE HELL is going on? I don't like it. I don't like it at all...

Are you busier?

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

So glad to hear it isn't just our ghetto hospital being overrun. I was attributing it all to the black cloud that follows me around or my high level of shit magnetism. Not only is census high but it seems like the acuity of the masses has gone through the roof also. Are you seeing that too?

Anonymous said...

I love busy...this isn't busy, this is madness rolled around in shit piled on a vomit storm! DIB, CP, and possible sepsis waiting for over an hour...give me a freakin break! Not enough nurses, not any techs and the doctors and mid-levels running like its a race...holy hell my feet hurt and I am off for a couple of days...Thank you baby Jesus!

Vanessa said...

Yes it's been freaking crazy! I just want to curl up in a fetal position and hide in the med room.

Anonymous said...

Same here we've been saying the same thing. I like to stay busy too but it is ridiculous lately.

Mark p.s.2 said...

The end of the world is coming remember? December something .
Psychological effect maybe like the days before the year 2000.

Tex said...

It's because the Republicans named Paul Ryan as the vice-presidential candidate.
It made me sick, too.

Anonymous said...

Yup, us too. At least they're paying us double-time for any extra shifts picked up since we were short-staffed to begin with. It's only for a very specific and short period though. Too bad...I could get used to it really easily.

girlvet said...

hi tex nice to hear from you

Anonymous said...

yes ridiculously so. Doesn't feel like summer at all!!! I live in a states with a large "snowbird" population and it's like they never left. I am not really sure of the dynamic right now...at least my job is secure

Anonymous said...

My urban ED in Ohio has been absolutely bombarded this Summer. No slow down. Nurses of 30+ years agree this is the worst summer they've seen.

Meghan said...

Summer is always busy for us, as a trauma center, but between huge influxes of pts and terrible staffing, it's been a shit storm. I left at 0300 Saturday AM and there were still 15 in the lobby. We only had a 2-3 hr wait, but for every couple of pt's we got back, a couple more wandered in. Blegh, it's so disheartening to never ever be on top of the situation. At least I'm still too new at this hospital to do triage, ha ha

Carson Fuller said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
hoodnurse said...

I have a theory that my hospital is getting people in using groupon. And yes, it is cray.