How does inexperienced RN do ER? - Page 2

Register Today!
  1. Jul 7, '12 by
    if you can get into a preceptor program maybe you can get started in an er-but the question is, why do you want to? You need to be able to perform all the basic nursing skills without having your hand held, then learn to deal with some very difficult situations. It's not a field to just jump into and expect to survive, or expect others to carry your work load...as in you get the easy ones and I get the ones you can't handle...not fair to anyone..and you may not even realize its happening! I had five years of phebotomy, five years as er paramedic tech in trauma and hearts before starting in er as an rn and even then some had reservations...I never worked the floor. Never wanted to.
  2. Jul 9, '12 by
    Quote from ecerrn
    if you can get into a preceptor program maybe you can get started in an er-but the question is, why do you want to? You need to be able to perform all the basic nursing skills without having your hand held, then learn to deal with some very difficult situations. It's not a field to just jump into and expect to survive, or expect others to carry your work load...as in you get the easy ones and I get the ones you can't handle...not fair to anyone..and you may not even realize its happening! I had five years of phebotomy, five years as er paramedic tech in trauma and hearts before starting in er as an rn and even then some had reservations...I never worked the floor. Never wanted to.
    I think that you brought up some very good points. I volunteered in the ER before nursing school, which gave me an introduction to some of the crises and tragedies an ER nurse deals with. As an RN I studied for the CEN exam (without ER nursing experience), which gave me a broad understanding of the nature of emergency nursing, and made me think long and hard about 1) Whether I would want to be the nurse in those kind of situations and 2) Whether I would be able to perform my duties as a nurse and a team member well under those circumstances. So far I haven't been able to answer yes to either question.
  3. Jul 10, '12 by
    How much experience do you really have? 0, 1 , 2, or 3 years? There is no such thing as 0-3 years of experience. Each year significantly counts. I hope that isn't how you put it on the resume.
  4. Sep 5, '12 by
    Thank you for all of the replies and help! I have 1 year and 3 months of Med-Surg experience and a few months of nursing home experience. I also did agency for doctor's offices. I really didn't like the nursing home/LTC, and the Med-Surg unit I was on wasn't a good fit for me at all. Our Med-Surg unit had budget problems, personnel problems, supply problems, cultural communication problems, and any other problem you can think of! After 20 years of work experience outside of nursing, what I saw on this Med-Surg unit was truly shocking to me. Despite the unnecessary drama, I became bored from a nursing standpoint, and I wasn't getting code experience. So I'm trying to find an area of nursing that I enjoy and a unit that isn't a disaster.
  5. Sep 5, '12 by
    I advise being an EMT first. There is a huge learning curve for the ER and if you are not at the top of your game you will be eaten alive. Sad, but true!
  6. Sep 7, '12 by
    Hi op, I will tell you my experience and you take what you want. I was a shiny new grad in 2007 and was certain i wanted to do er/trauma right out of school. In spite of my eagerness, i listened to more experienced nurses and got my first job on a cardiac stepdown unit. There i saw all aspects of heart disease as well as alot of med surg. I learned alot on that unit after 3 years i then went agency briefly and through them found that ed job i wanted,i have now been there over a year and i love it and the staff and the people/patients. Could i have done this fresh out of school.? I doubt it. I needed those first years to gain some learning and practical experiance. I am glad i didit this way,now even after a year, i am trusted by the docs due to my experience. We do have a fellowship program for new grads, but it is hard andnot everyone makes it. I advise a couple years on a cardiac unit prior to ed Amy
    WordWrangler, corky1272RN, and brainkandy87 like this.
  7. Sep 7, '12 by
    Quote from al7139
    Hi op, I will tell you my experience and you take what you want. I was a shiny new grad in 2007 and was certain i wanted to do er/trauma right out of school. In spite of my eagerness, i listened to more experienced nurses and got my first job on a cardiac stepdown unit. There i saw all aspects of heart disease as well as alot of med surg. I learned alot on that unit after 3 years i then went agency briefly and through them found that ed job i wanted,i have now been there over a year and i love it and the staff and the people/patients. Could i have done this fresh out of school.? I doubt it. I needed those first years to gain some learning and practical experiance. I am glad i didit this way,now even after a year, i am trusted by the docs due to my experience. We do have a fellowship program for new grads, but it is hard andnot everyone makes it. I advise a couple years on a cardiac unit prior to ed Amy
    We share a similar story. I hated floor nursing... seeing the same patients for several nights in a row, doing a lot of repetitive tasks, etc. However, seeing that variety of cardiac patients and learning to read tele as a necessity of my job.. so invaluable. I work with a lot of very good ER nurses who have never worked anything but ER and they struggle with tele. As boring as I find floor nursing, I'm a much better ER nurse because of it.
    corky1272RN and al7139 like this.