The work of accident and emergency nurses: Part 2. A & E maxims: making A & E work unique and special

An ethnomethodological study was undertaken to explore the work of Accident and Emergency (A & E) nurses; the aim of which was to analyse the ordinary, taken for granted, everyday work of those practising A & E nursing. In this second paper on the work of A & E nurses, the specific rules or maxims of nursing work in A & E are introduced. From the analysis of materials gained: fieldwork notes, observations of nurses at work and conversations, a number of maxims of A & E nursing work were identified. Maxims direct, instruct and make nurses accountable for their work and the ways in which it gets done. That is, the presence of maxims underpinning A & E nursing work ensure that A & E nursing is seen and heard as a specific type of work with its own unique approach to talk and organization. Being aware of the maxims of A & E nursing work is not the concern of the nurse practising A & E nursing on a daily basis. Implicit and explicit reference to the maxims when talking about and doing the work provides nurses with impressions of who can do the job. Non-adherence by some nurses to the maxims of A & E nursing work often leads their colleagues to question their commitment to their choice of work setting. Maxims of A & E nursing account for the ways in which the work is seen, heard and talked about. Maxims direct the organization of work and its development within the A & E setting.