call a damn ambulance

I can't believe I have made it this far in nursing without an injury.  Yeah...I have a backache lots but its nothing that doesn't go away.  I have seen people I work with require surgery for neck injuries, back injuries.

With that in mind people piss me the hell off! They somehow get 200 pound grandpa into the car.  Now grandpa is in a wheelchair.  There is a reason he is in a wheelchair.  He can't bear weight.

So up comes daughter to triage desk  Needs help getting grandpa out of car.  I specifically ask if she and I can get him in a wheelchair.  Yes, she says. So I dutifully go out there. You see where this is going don't you?

Yup, grandpa can't bear weight. Grandpa slants backwards.  I can't pick grandpa up.  He's too heavy. I'm a girl. I manage to get grandpa down to where he has his butt on the foot part of the wheelchair.  I have daughter run in for help.  No one is at the desk. Here comes admitting lady.  No way she and I are getting him up.  I tell her to go get security.  He manages to get him into the chair.

Grandpa is not injured.  I am not injured, except for some sore muscles. Nobody else is injured.  Its really a miracle nothing bad happened.

The thing is: THIS HAPPENS EVERY DAY.  People somehow drag a family member into the car, not calling an ambulance like they should.  Then they expect us to go out there and get them in. I want to scream at them.  We are supposed to wreck our backs because you are idiots! I'm fed up with it really.

Add this to the fact that in the last 2 weeks I have seen two 600 lb people come into our ER and you get the picture. Did I tell you we have a total of one lift in our ER? Yeah..one lift.