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The unpredictability of ED<br />
Working in the emergency<br />
department can really get<br />
your adrenaline going.<br />
Sometimes you get so swept<br />
up in all the hype you don’t<br />
stop to think what you’re<br />
doing or whether something<br />
else needs urgent attention.<br />
Someone once said to me<br />
only adrenaline junkies work<br />
in ED. I don’t think that is<br />
true. However, if you like<br />
the unpredictable then ED is<br />
the place to be. I remember<br />
one afternoon shift when I<br />
was the nurse in charge; Joe<br />
was the senior ED physician<br />
on duty. We had a patient<br />
present to ED who needed<br />
an urgent tracheostomy.<br />
I can’t remember much about<br />
the patient except that he<br />
was a male in his late 30s. Joe<br />
had asked me to set up the<br />
airways trolley. He was going<br />
to do the trachie himself,<br />
in ED. I can’t imagine what<br />
my face was saying, but Joe<br />
smiled and said, ‘Don’t worry.<br />
It’s only a small procedure.’<br />
Word got out amongst the<br />
staff that the patient in Resus<br />
1 was going to have a trachie<br />
performed in ED. Before I<br />
knew it, it was like standing<br />
room at the local pub on a<br />
Saturday night, everyone<br />
pushing and shoving for the<br />
best position. The patient<br />
was obviously very anxious.<br />
But as Joe proceeded, he<br />
explained to the gathered<br />
staff what he was doing.<br />
You could have heard<br />
a pin drop. The master<br />
was at work and he had<br />
everyone’s attention, even<br />
the patient’s. All you could<br />
hear was Joe’s voice. When<br />
Joe commenced suturing, a<br />
doctor asked him a question.<br />
Joe proceeded to answer.<br />
Suddenly I noticed Joe<br />
wasn’t looking at what he<br />
was doing but looking at<br />
the doctor. I said, ‘Joe be<br />
careful. You are going to<br />
give yourself a needle stick<br />
injury.’ Joe smiled and replied,<br />
‘I’ll be alright; done a lot of<br />
these. The point is not to<br />
panic and take your time.’<br />
I have always remembered<br />
Joe’s words, ‘don’t panic<br />
and take your time’.<br />
Those who know Joe would<br />
agree that Joe never panicked<br />
or ran in the department<br />
when the alarm at triage<br />
went off, when a patient<br />
was in full cardiac arrest or<br />
even when the mental health<br />
patient became aggressive<br />
and ‘went off’. He was always<br />
calm, listened quietly and<br />
intently, gave great advice<br />
and took it all in his stride.<br />
Joe is a great role model<br />
and teacher: someone<br />
we can all learn from.<br />
Sharon Klim | emergency<br />
nurse, Western Health’<br />
Joe is a great role model and teacher:<br />
someone we can all learn from.<br />
22 | A tribute to <strong>Joseph</strong> <strong>Epstein</strong>
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