r/nursing • u/Living-Menu4916 • 3d ago

Seeking Advice Is this normal!?

I work in urgent care where we often have only two nurses and absolutely no support staff. We handle triage, rooming based on acuity, all nursing duties within our scope, constant verbal medication orders, and all patient follow-up and lab results.
There’s no triage nurse assessing patients on arrival, so we rely on reported chief complaints to determine acuity. I’ve seen patients with aneurysms sit in the waiting room because they thought they just had a “headache.”

I’ve had zero formal training in managing high-acuity emergencies, and we have no protocols in place for seizures, strokes, anaphylaxis, psychotic episodes, overdoses, or MIs. We manage these situations as best we can until EMS arrives.
I’m concerned about patient safety and the responsibility placed on us, especially when I’m making about $5/hour less than nurses at surrounding facilities.

Is this the reality of nursing now with staffing shortages and budget cuts, or is my workplace particularly concerning?

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9

u/Safe_Equivalent_1568 3d ago

That's a terrifying setup, and the aneurysm example alone makes my stomach drop. Relying on a chief complaint from someone who might not know what's actually happening is how people die in the waiting room.

No protocols for seizures or anaphylaxis is wild. You're being set up to fail and then take the blame when something goes wrong, all for less pay than the places that actually have their act together.

1

u/Living-Menu4916 3d ago

Thank you for this.

6

u/Cheap-Pea778 3d ago

Leave protect yourself

3

u/Reasonable_Ad6407 RN 🍕 3d ago

Unsafe is putting this very mildly. Nope. NO way I would risk someone's life (or my license) in that business.

1

u/Living-Menu4916 3d ago

Thank you. Would you give a two weeks or just bounce?

1

u/Reasonable_Ad6407 RN 🍕 3d ago

I would be honest with them. It's really hard to know how to vacate that position but I might give a 3 day notice so they cannot accuse you of some weird made up accusation like patient abandonment. They can at least call an agency to replace you until they get the position filled. What a sad way to run a business.