Charge Nurse Calls 911, Desperate For Help in Understaffed ER

Ask Nurse Alice

What do you do when the emergency is in the emergency room? A Charge Nurse in the ER of St. Michael Medical Center in Washington called 911 when she determined she and her team were unsafely staffed for the over 45 patients in their rooms and waiting areas. It was her plea for help. Many applauded her but many worried for her job.

In this episode Nurse Alice talks about what it's like working in the ER AND being short-staffed, what is ESI and EMTALA, what The Whistle Blower Act is, and how we can protect ourselves and our patients from unsafe conditions without feeling like our jobs are in jeopardy and speculate on why the interim ER Director is no longer there. It's time nurses level up to understand how nursing fits into the larger scheme of the business and politics of healthcare.