Best specialty for a new nurse interested in ED?

Specialties Emergency

Published

I'm a 25-year-old male, and a newly-minted nurse trying to find my first RN position (I have a BSN). I'm sure this topic has been posted thousands of times, but I'd like some input based on my individual goals.

My main interests are ED and OR. I've always wanted to do ED, but I did OR for my capstone in nursing school and I liked it pretty well. I have to be busy or I get bored. I felt comfortable in the OR, but working in the ED at a Level-1 Trauma Center (there are a couple of them near me) is what I'd like to work towards.

Another option I've toyed with is becoming an RNFA (first assist), since scrubbing was what I enjoyed mostly in the OR. I found circulating to be very dull and extremely charting-heavy. Not sure how long this would satisfy me, though.

I've repeatedly heard the "you need to do 2 years in med-surg first" mythos, and I'm here to ask: Is this truly good advice for someone who doesn't see themselves down the line as a nurse on a med-surg unit?

I thought I would get the OR position, so I applied and I got an interview, but I really bombed the interview because I wasn't prepared. I'm somewhat worried that I've potentially altered the entire trajectory of my career by not getting a position I probably very well could have gotten had my interview gone better.

My biggest fear, not just in nursing, but in life, is ending up in a position I hate and being stuck there unable to reverse course.

What I mostly need is just advice on what my first steps should be? Would anyone here be willing to mentor me through the process of finding my first position?

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
Bump.
We moved your thread to the Emergency Nursing forum for more feedback and responses. Good luck with your career endeavors.
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Specializes in Med-Surg, Emergency, CEN.

You need one year, usually, and anywhere that you use telemetry is usually a bonus. We take people from all specialties because we get patients from all specialties that need help.

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Are you willing to relocate?

I know of some trauma centers that takes new grads into ER.

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Specializes in ER, Trauma, Med-Surg/Tele, LTC.
Are you willing to relocate?

I know of some trauma centers that takes new grads into ER.

THIS. A good ER residency program can make wonderful ER nurses out of new grads. I think prior experience is important if a hospital doesn't have a dedicated ER residency program, but if they do then I think new grads can succeed in ER just fine. Like ICUman said, if you're willing to relocate, there are places that take new grads into ERs.

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Go to work in the ER. Congrats and Best Wishes

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Specializes in ED, Critical care, & Education.

Follow your heart. If it calls you to the ED, DO IT! I started in the ED over 20 years ago and that was at a time of very limited orientation. If you are dedicated to learning as much as you can, as rapidly as possible, go for it. The ED is a steep learning curve and you don't get time to process patient pathophysiology like you may working on another floor, but you will see and learn a ton.

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Hey,

I recently graduated in May, and went straight into my hospital's ER program. I love the ER. Sure, it's hectic. But one of the reasons I chose this unit was due to the excellent teamwork I witnessed when I did my practicum there. It's very chaotic at times, and I'm not in any of the trauma/cardiac units yet, but I have learned so much just handling the rooms that I do get. My hospital has a 4:1 ratio. I leave tired, but my night seems to go by quickly. I don't regret my decision to do ER one bit. In fact, I could see myself a little bored on other floors. When I interviewed, I knew that the hospital needed me just as much as I needed a job. Since then, I've learned that many RN residency programs are preferring new grads because they can "mold" us how they need us. So, I wouldn't say you have to necessarily have experience yet.

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Specializes in ED, Cardiac-step down, tele, med surg.

If you think you are ready, try to go straight into the ED. If you feel like you need to get your feet wet first, I'd recommend tele. I had about 3 years of tele before going to the ED. I wish I would have gone in with about 2 years under my belt instead of 3. I didn't have the confidence or skill level to be successful as a new grad in the ED. However, I think some new nurses can be very successful going straight into the ED from the beginning where others might need to start elsewhere.

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I don't know how people get into ED... I have almost three years of experience and every attempt I had to change my job towards ED was not successful (not even an interview). I have ACLS, NIHSS, TNCC and tons of trauma CE hours. I'm just so hopeless

I suspect that my current manager play a role in that, as a retention in my unit is bad. IDK.

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