Interview with Lisa Görke and Stephan Müller, nursing director of ZNA
Interview with Lisa Görke and Stephan Müller, nursing director of ZNA
Interview with Lisa Görke and Stephan Müller, nursing director of ZNA
Lisa Görke is the Nursing Director of the Central Emergency Department at the Groß-Gerau District Hospital, Stephan Müller her deputy. In the interview, both explain why working in the emergency room is so fulfilling despite many challenges, what role the team plays in it and how to train emotional intelligence to process difficult moments.
What distinguishes nursing care in the emergency room from other areas of application?
Lisa Görke:
“The area of operation in the emergency room is very diverse. The difference to other stations is due to the breadth of the specialist spectrum that we use on a daily basis, because: Every day is different and at the beginning of a shift you never know what to expect. A cut hand, burns, chest or abdominal pain, broken leg - everything comes to us first.
If suddenly one ambulance after another arrives or the condition of a patient suddenly changes, this also means stress for us. Then it is important to work together as a team and react flexibly to the new situation. This challenge is my job."
Stephan Müller:
“I can only agree with that. Working in the emergency room never gets boring. And you never learn from: If you think you have already seen everything, you will always be taught something better. I think what distinguishes the care in the emergency room from other wards is that we regularly do not yet know the clinical pictures of our patients, so we have to make an important part of the diagnosis and at the same time already care. We also have comparatively short contact with our patients, at the ward the colleagues accompany a case for several days.
What qualities do you need to bring to work in the care of the central emergency room?
Lisa Görke:
"An important feature is flexibility. In the emergency room, you often have to be able to react and switch correctly within a short time. And you also have to be able to work in a team. Emergency room work only works when everyone works hand in hand – nurses, doctors and administrative reception staff. Our team is small and has flat hierarchies, which is our advantage to others, especially large houses.”
Stephan Müller:
"And, of course, empathy is also an important trait: The patients who are admitted to the emergency room often have fears and worries because they are not well and they are in pain in a foreign environment among strangers. Reassuring them and providing them with security is just as much a part of our job as the purely medical activities in nursing.”
In the emergency room, work is not only unplanned and can thus become stressful, it also entails sometimes heavy individual fates. How do you deal with it?
Stephan Müller:
“There are, of course, stories that stay in your head. It can be difficult to leave things in the clinic and not take them home with you. In such cases, the exchange in the team helps – it helps a lot to talk to colleagues who are in the same boat, have the same experiences. Such experiences are important and I am convinced that they make us better caregivers. We also pass this on to our trainees, and continuous learning and development is part of the job.”
Lisa Görke:
“This is followed by individual processing, and over time and with increasing experience, everyone develops their own way of dealing with emotionally stressful situations and difficult fates – some play sports, while for others music has a therapeutic effect. Compensating privately is worth a lot.”
If someone in training as a nurse or as a career starter is interested in the work area emergency room, what tips would you like to give young talents on the way?
Lisa Görke:
“The nursing profession is very diverse, I advise trainees and young carers to try as much as possible – this is the only way to find out what you like. I have colleagues who have never seen themselves in the field of emergency care and then came into contact with the field when helping out – they were surprised how she did the job.”
Stephan Müller:
“Anyone who discovers the area of operation of the emergency room can constantly develop through specialisations and further training. Learning enthusiasts are right here. At the same time, for the emergency room, as well as for other areas of care, it is high workload, which can take pleasure especially as a professional beginner. My tip: Perceiving success experiences more consciously. Being aware at the end of the day that you have done the best for people’s health and well-being is a good feeling.”
Thank you for the interview!
