My name is Danny Carey and I am an emergency room RN at Golden Triangle Emergency Center (GTEC) in Port Arthur, TX. I have been with GTEC since we opened our doors in 2014.
I graduated from Lamar University with my BSN in 2007 and went to work in a local level 4 trauma, hospital-based ER. In my time at the hospital I worked as a staff nurse and then as a charge nurse in a high volume ER. I also worked PRN (or as needed) over the next several years at other local hospitals, as well as two years part time as a flight nurse for SETX Air Rescue.
Having seen the many problems and challenges that nurses in the trenches face in the hospital system today, I was very excited when I was approached by Angela Webb who was the Director of Nursing for GTEC. “We are building a brand new ER from the ground up” she said. “This is our chance to do emergency care the way WE want to, the RIGHT way!” How amazing!
The staff nurses were very involved in the opening of GTEC. We made our own charting system and set up our stock rooms and equipment the way we wanted. We had input in ordering all of the medications nurses know are needed in the ER and in setting up our laboratory. It really was an ER nurse’s dream to be given a chance to create an ER from scratch.
My day starts early here, working 12 hour shifts starting at 6:00AM. I’m not a morning person, but I do enjoy getting off earlier to spend time with my family.
At our freestanding emergency center, the average patient we see is much the same as in a hospital setting. In fact, the crew that I relieved today had just cared for a cardiac arrest on their shift. We stay up to date with our critical care skills so we can provide life saving care when needed.
One of my favorite things about working at GTEC is the extra time I have to spend with patients. In the hospital there is always a rush and always another patient waiting for that bed as soon as another patient is discharged. I can’t count how many times I had to discharge a patient from the hospital ER with new onset diabetes or congestive heart failure and was only able to spend two or three minutes educating that patient on how to take care of themselves at home. Providing thorough information and education for patients is critical for a speedy recovery!
It is really a blessing to be able to sit down with the patients here at GTEC to teach them and take time to answer their questions. I tell patients when we discharge them to call us anytime if they get home and have more questions or if they don’t fully understand something we discussed. It’s nice to be able to provide that level of personalized care.
Of course, it’s not just me here on any given day. Our staff consists of physicians, paramedics, LVN’s, radiology techs, and front desk personnel. It takes a great team working together to be able to provide the kind of care that we do, and I am glad to be a part of it. GTEC really fosters an atmosphere of teamwork. More than that really, we are family. And this family provides excellent emergency care!