Help!!! Floor nurse applied for ED position

Specialties Emergency

Published

I have been a nurse for 6 years. Five years med/surg, one year same day surgery. I am yearning to be in a fast paced environment where I can learn and grow. I applied to our ED...now I am scared to death, cause I was called for an interview in the morning! What ?s can I expect?

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As a manager of an ED, I can give you a few pointers.

1. Know about the ED you are interested in. Know the types of patients they see, their nurse to patient ratios, the culture, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

2. Understand the manager's style.

3. I can teach you how to be an ED nurse. I cannot teach you how to WANT to be an ED nurse. It is more than wanting a fast paced environment. You need to WANT to be in difficult situations, enjoy problem solving, have a lot of initiative, be able to think critically, and LOVE mystery and puzzle solving.

4. Be ready to talk about your strengths AND weaknesses.

5. Be humble. Explain what you don't know, and be ready to express a desire for learning.

6. DO NOT talk about how much easier a job in the ED will be. It's just not true. ED nurses are some of the strongest, highly worked nurses around. We do everything for everyone, and it isn't an easy job. I actually have had people tell me that they were applying to the ED because it had to be easier, really, what could you possibly have to do? Needless to say, they did not get jobs with me.

7. You need a sense of humor, and it helps if it is a bit sick! Sometimes humor is the only thing that gets you through a tough shift, that and your teammates.

8. You must VALUE teamwork. I mean true teamwork, where you have everyone's back, and everyone has yours. It takes the entire team to get through a rough shift.

9. Look for a program that gives you a long orientation. We run a transition program that is 12 weeks long to help ensure success for those RNs with experience who are ready for a change. It has been very successful.

10. HAVE FUN! ED is a great place to be. Give yourself a good 2 years to feel comfortable, spend time learning, and enjoy it.

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A lot of interviews now take place with the manager of the unit plus an individual from the human resources department. A lot of the questions you will be asked will most likely be situational-behavioral based questions. Such as: describe a situation in which you had to make a quick decision. What were the outcomes? What would you do differently?

Good luck!

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Thank you both so much for the advice and encouragement! It has been so long since I have interviewed...I am afraid I will ramble on and on. I am having a very hard time with the strengths & weaknesses question. Is there any Right answers ???

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

The only right answer is that you can recognize your weaknesses and problem solve past them.

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Well, this seems surreal to me right now...I interviewed at 8:00am today, with both the Director and Asst. Director of ER. I thought I bombed it completely, cause I felt like I rambled too much. To my complete shock...at 3:00pm HR called me to offer me the position!!! Wow, I am so excited and scared all at the same time!

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Well, this seems surreal to me right now...I interviewed at 8:00am today, with both the Director and Asst. Director of ER. I thought I bombed it completely, cause I felt like I rambled too much. To my complete shock...at 3:00pm HR called me to offer me the position!!! Wow, I am so excited and scared all at the same time!

Woooohooooo!!!!!! Congrats!!!!!

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Thank you so much! I know I have so much to learn, I just hope I've got what it takes to keep up!

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

:anpom::ancong!::anpom:You'll be fine. give yourself time this is a new adventure

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Yes it is! Brand new! I will be a fish outta water at first...I'm sure. Wonder if many floor nurses make it in the wonderful world of ER?!?

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Way to go! Now, be kind to yourself and don't beat yourself up too much when you don't "get it" right away. This is the biggest challenge I see with the new ED nurse. Give yourself time and room for growth as well as allowing yourself to make a few mistakes along the way....AND, YES, floor nurses do make it in the land of the ER! I've hired many! Best of luck.

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Yes it is! Brand new! I will be a fish outta water at first...I'm sure. Wonder if many floor nurses make it in the wonderful world of ER?!?

Gotta start somewhere right? Ur one step ahead of the new grads seeing as you are already good at time management and medication understanding. (I'm a new grad, I'm not saying anything bad about new grads!)

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