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There’s probably nothing scarier that having to make a trip to the emergency room.

That’s why it’s important for you to know that when you have to come to the emergency room at Great Plains Regional Medical Center, you’re being taken care of by nurses who are specially trained in emergency nursing.

To honor ER Nurses, GPRMC is celebrating Emergency Nurse’s Week the week of October 5th.

“Working in the emergency room takes a very special kind of nurse,” says Carol Watkins, RN, MSN, and Director of GPRMC’s Emergency Department.

“The emergency room can get hectic, especially when there’s a wreck or disaster of some sort. You’re working with patients who are frightened and often a bit disoriented. The emergency nurse has to be able to work quickly while keeping the patient calm. That same nurse might also have to calm and comfort the patient’s family while helping the patient.”

Emergency nurses have to be ready for almost anything. Car accident, heart attack, sick baby - Emergency nurses never know who will come through their door. That’s why ER nurses receive special training. That special training includes certifications in: Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS); Pediatric Life Support (PALS) and Trauma Nursing Core Course (TNCC).

One thing about the emergency room that often confuses many people is how the decision is made of who receives treatment first.

“Triage is a term some people may have heard on the TV show MASH. During triage, the ER nurse or ER doctor must assess the patient based on the seriousness of the injury or medical condition,” says Watkins. “Our mission is to treat the most critically ill or injured patients first, then work our way toward the least critical patients.”

GPRMC has 12 specially trained nurses in its Emergency Room. The ER is also staffed with five Emergency Room Physicians. That allows GPRMC to handle most any situation that might present itself to the ER.