Is there some kind of books to read or useful links I can go over that can help me prepare myself
As you work, you learn everything by osmosis. You have to learn because you pretty much have to know what's going on to be useful. I would start with a basic medical dictionary so you spell everything right. I have some little tarascon books in my bag that I use occasionally, though more often it's for my own interest. Later on you'll probably want a book on EKG interpretation. I mean you probably could pick up a huge textbook like Tintinalli's EM study guide and read up on things you see. It's really up to you, how far into the rabbit hole you want to go.
I just want to be prepared for this job and not be a pain in the *** asking the doctor all types of questions on whats going on or make him repeat things when I'm scribing.
It's okay to ask questions. Especially when a doctor rattles off a list of 3-4 things and you forget the last one...it's no problem to quickly say "What was that last thing again?" Some doctors, for example, will feed you a lot of information at once: "hey scribe, the pt had mild right flank tenderness, skin was warm to touch, appears clammy and ill. Pyelo vs infected stone. Give them a gram of ceftriaxone, one of dilaudid. Oh and that was urologist Dr. So-and-so, he said blah-da-blah...At some point you are bound to forget something and it's okay to say, "what meds are we giving again?" or whatever. It's really not a big deal as long as you make your best effort.
You gain short term memory ability after a few weeks working...and it becomes painless. When you finally start to know what's going on, it can even be fun. There are some questions you DON'T want to ask....and this is true in all mentor/student relationships: don't ask things you could easily look up yourself, and don't ask very detailed questions that the person probably won't know. Sometimes doctors are very willing to explain concepts...so be on the lookout for learning opportunities. It never hurts to ask "So why are you thinking X and not Y?"
Working in the ER is extremely a serious job and I want to do my best.
Working in the ER is very serious...but also laid back. You'll see. It will be difficult to avoid doing "your best."
BTW, I've already read several threads on this, but I wanted more specific details.
Some of this you won't realize until a few months from now...but here's some useful tidbits:
- be organized, in whatever way works for you.
- always admit your mistakes
- know your doctors preferences and try to follow them
- don't go on autopilot, know the plan for each patient
- don't forget to chart ALL labs/imaging/consults, and alert the doctor when they come back (you'll learn what is pertinent - it doesn't matter if the electrolytes are a bit off when the pt is anemic and you should be looking at the hemoglobin and hematocrit)
- Type accurately and have good spelling, docs really appreciate this
- Show motivation to learn when there is an interesting case, look at films with the doc and ask what they are looking for, most willingly explain things.
- free text the chief complaint history concisely...this takes time to master
- know your abbreviations
- write good progress notes...this also takes time to master. Things like noting the pt's status during workup...don't just say "pt is stable" but describe it, "pt sitting up, watching TV and drinking coke, appears very comfortable."
- rule of thumb: if something significant happens, time stamp and record it, this includes all conversations with other physicians. Make sure to write down their name, i.e. "18:30. D/w neurosurgeon Dr. So-and-so, recommends X,Y,Z, will see pt in ED and f/u in office tomorrow morning for A,B,C"
- At the end of non-trivial cases, write a summary sentence or two about the disposition and their condition upon discharge or admission.
Many of these things the doctors will dictate to you exactly, especially when you are new. As you gain more experience, you will do all these things automatically and with more independence
