Bellevue ER, NYC

OMG, GRAB it if you have a chance of working there!
Bellevue is located in one of the "dicier" parts of NYC; but I promise you, you will NOT regret training there!
Bellevue is considered to be one of the premier trauma centers in the USA.
ANY cop who has been injured in the line of duty will say, "Take me to Bellevue", because he has seen the state of the art care delivered there.
Bellevue IS world-renowned, because of the pioneering advances they have made in trauma AND medicine.
Lucky you!

FYI, NYU Medical Center is NOT an affilliate of Bellevue. Bellevue is part of the HHC of New York City. NYU is a private hospital. But Bellevue is also a teaching hospital, who profits from the use of NYU medical residents.

The trauma center of Bellevue takes new grads - you don't have to "work your way" there. But the pay is considerably less. Some people like it and others have quit before orientation because of the paperwork and because of the lack of good preceptorship. Many patients speak only Spanish. You get a fair amount of the city's homeless and drunks and psych cases.

Just giving you fair warning.

A close friend of mine is doing her (M.D.) residency @ Bellevue ER and she says that her #1 peeve is the number of patients who show up expecting a hit of methadone, instead of going to their assigned clinic. Drunks are a close second.

Mike in Michigan

Being a trauma nurse at Bellevue, I must add that Bellevue's ER is not the same as working in their trauma unit. The ER nurses do not rotate into the trauma unit or their Emergency ICU. If you want to do trauma at Bellevue, you need to apply for the "Emergency ICU" which is linked to the trauma resusitation unit. Another thing is, the unit is definitely not for everyone. It's reputation is "world renowned" because this 10 bedded unit is truly excellent in every way. The doctors are right on the money, the nurses are very knowledgeable, skilled and quite autonomous and the technology is up to date. The orientation to this unit is roughly 6 months and worth it. New grads are welcome (i was a new grad). A lot is expected of the nurses who work on this unit which is why some don't even make it through orientation. However, if you truly are interested in trauma and critical care, this is the BEST place to be. Yes, the pay is less, you work with a different/ "less desireable" population, but you are getting the best experience where you literally see EVERYTHING and the nurses you work with are supportive and will become your second family.

Working at Bellevue was the best career decision i have ever made. If you decide to ever leave Bellevue, you will realize how much experience and independnce you have in comparison to other nurses. Something you may perhaps only learn to know or respect after leaving.

My reasons for leaving were for going back to school and gaining nursing experience that wasn't offered at Bellevue (burn nursing).

Good luck in your quest.

Hi ZuZuTrauma,

What is the working environment like at Bellevue Hospital? What other units besides the ER would you suggest for a new grad? Did you feel that the orientation and your preceptor were effective in training new grads?

Bellevue is an excellent place for new grads because of all the things you will see and experience. Bellevue hires new grads into all of their units except for outpatient settings (where they require at least 6mos of experience). I think EICU, SICU or MICU is a great place for new grads. The patient load(2:1) allows a new grad to understand disease processes and see the patient as a whole. It may be overwhleming at first but with enough determination and studying... it is definitely do-able. Effectiveness of training is really dependent on the new grad and the preceptor match. Make sure that you are comfortable with your preceptor and that you can ask questions--- always ask questions. However, make sure you do YOUR part... preceptors do not like to repeat or have to explain/teach the same thing over and over. When you get home, look up stuff you don't know and use your resources before asking and always take initiative.

Orientation to critical care at bellevue is awesome. The instructors are very knowledgeable and approachable.

Caution: Bellevue is not for everyone. If you want to make the same money as a private hospital, are intimidated by large hospitals or do not want to work with a diverse/ poor population then bellevue is not the place for you.

Good luck.

Thank you ZuZuTrauma for all that information. The size, money, or population doesn't concern me much. I just want an environment where I can learn and master my nursing skills. Do you know any information about the med/surg floors or even postpartum/maternal-child units? Does the nurse recruiter contact you quickly? I am having so much trouble finding a job recently, maybe because I am applying so late (but that's because I wanted to pass my NCLEX first) and I don't have much nursing experience besides my clinical rotations. I'm just looking for a hospital to give me a chance.