I find it quite amazing how many people present to the ER so drugged up they can’t think and are not who they would be if they were straight, or so enebriated that they can’t stand up talk or even know who they are. The people that we get at the hospital are usually people that families drop off because they don’t know what else to do with them. Unfortunately most of them do not work or have insurance therefore the state pays for them to get sober then go do it again. It’s very hard to care for these people it is not something that I specialized in in my nursing career and I can say I am not happy getting one of these patients on my assignment. They come to the hospital and really don’t want to be there, then they sober up and go out and do it again. I feel that there should be a clinic or special floor for these patients with staff that can care for them and treat the illness as it should be, personally I feel the hospital should be for people that are sick or need surgery. I am not comfortable loading a patient up with ativan the most I have given is 23mg IV in a 3 hour period with 5mg of Haldol. Most require sitters for the first 48 hours which is another expense for the hospital. I also think that the doctors are too lenient with these patients allowing them to go to the staff and visitor cafeteria or some letting them go to smoke. I do believe in helping people however people have to want to help themselves first, we as nurses are not miracle workers. I feel this is the hardest and most frustrating part of my job.
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Forensic Nursing Chronicles 