DAY IN THE LIFE
A Day in the Life of
Registered Nurse
Eloise Forster ©stock.adobe.com/au/TEEREXZ
©stock.adobe.com/au/sudok1
Registered Nurse Eloise Forster shares her day at the Sandringham Hospital Emergency Room.
06:40: Arriving at work, I change into scrubs, peruse the board to see where my allocation will be for the day and head to the tearoom. Our tearoom is full of laughs, warm greetings and loud conversations. We are a tightknit team who pride ourselves on being friendly, open and welcoming. We love it when we have new ‘gradlings’ (graduates) starting! It’s important we provide a culture that nourishes growth and learning as no-one learns in an environment that is hostile and unfriendly. We are a teaching hospital, and welcome new faces enthusiastically. 78
HOSPITAL + HEALTHCARE
07:10: Patient handover begins and, once completed, we do our safety checks in cubicles and replace any equipment that may have been used overnight. This is imperative as you don’t want to be caught in a resus situation without functioning suction, O2 or any other lifesaving devices. Drug Count is done and, once completed with no discrepancies, night staff can go home to sleep.
SPRING 2021
08:30–08:45: It’s time for a break for a muchneeded coffee and a nibble. We are big on breaks and all staff must take their breaks, so we don’t risk nurse burnout.
08:30
07:30
07:10
07:00: Handover begins. We discuss the latest updates and achievements in relation to the department. We touch on difficult situations that may have occurred on shift and then it’s open forum for questions before we head to our allocations.
07:00
06:40
06:30: I leave for work. I have my scrubs, sneakers and ‘Nursing Bag’ by the door ready to leave.
06:30
©stock.adobe.com/au/Andriy Blokhin
05:30
05:30: I’m woken by my trusty Google Mini for a shower, breakfast and alone time with my coffee before my household wakes up. This is an important ritual for me as I set some personal intentions for my day ahead and it prepares me for the day. You never know what the day will bring in Emergency.
07:30: Night staff leave, and the day begins. I start by looking over patients’ notes and then look over the cubicle and do a discreet visual assessment. Are any patients pale, diaphoretic or do they have a dusky look? Sometimes people are trying to be well so they can go home and at times the best place for them is in hospital. No-one is pulling the wool over my eyes! I go into each cubicle and introduce myself. People are either happy to see me or they are hangry (hungry/angry) due to fasting for a procedure or scan. It can go either way, so I brace myself for both and duck for cover (joke). I then perform my own set of observations, check patients’ pain scores and med charts, then make them as comfortable as possible.
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