Question about ER from new nursing graduate

Specialties Emergency

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new member and new to web site:

have some questions for anyone that can offer some advice.

i graduated from nursing school in mississippi in may, 2005. just finished the process of switching my license from ms to sc. i am waiting on my sc license before i can go interview for a job.

i know i want to work in er. i did my 3 week preceptorship in er and loved it. never thought i would until then. since then that is the only area that interests me. i have a few fellow classmates that i keep in touch with who after graduation went directly to er and is loving every bit of it. there are a few job openings in the er at the hospital in downtown columbia that i would like to apply for. no experience needed. job description says will hire new rn graduate or rn with experience. my question is do i need to go to med-surg floor first for a few months to get basic skills down or should i go to er because that is where my heart is. my fellow classmates said they had no problem adapting to er. i felt like i adapted well in school during the 3 weeks i was there and my preceptor gave me a great report on how well i did. i just don't want to get the position and then be thrown out to the dogs (if you know what i mean). some have said go to where you want to be but others say go get your basic skills down first before going to a specialized area. i just wanted to be prepared before taking on something. eventually my goal is to get on with a traveling company working er. i have a friend who has her own traveling company out of jackson, ms and was told in order to work er with a traveling company i have to have 1 year experience in er first. so why not go ahead and apply for the er position and get my 1 year over with?

if anyone has any advice please let me know.

thanks,

lsugirl

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Specializes in Emergency room, med/surg, UR/CSR.

There are a lot of threads addressing this topic. Try doing a search. Good luck.

Pam

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Heck no! Stay off the floor!!! You will get the skills you need in the department you want to work in, no matter what that department is!!!!! Go where your heart is!

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I went with my heart and went straight into the ER. I love it, but there are times when I regret not getting medsurg experience first, to learn what the norms of chronic conditions are. Other than that, I have no regrets. If the ER is willing to train you from scratch, no reason why you can't do it. Go for it, and good luck.

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Specializes in ICU, ER.

I would strongly suggest med/surg and/or critical care before er.

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This is a topic that has been beat around on these boards and you will find lots of different answers. I had 10 years of medical experience before I went to nursing school. I worked as a medical assistant in doctors offices for about 5 years and as a phlebotomist in a hospital for 5 years. It was during my time as a phlebotomist in the hospital that I fell in love with the ER. As a phleb I got to go to all units in the hospital and see how every unit operated and worked together.

I noticed something different in the ER. I noticed a team work that was unlike any other area. It was never, "Thats not my patient", thing that you hear in other places of the hospital. Everyone helped everyone else out to get the work done. In the most stressful situations when the sickest of the sick patients were brought in the whole department pulled together to get the job done. It was as if the higher the stress the better the team functioned. I also loved the idea of having a doctor there at all times. Never having to page a doctor was great. I also loved the idea of caring for the whole lifespan, not just one specific group of patients.

I knew that when I graduated that ER was where I wanted to be. I had many people tell me to get that med/surge experience first. I went directly to the ED and I am glad I did. Yes it is true that some new grads don't work out in the ED. However, many experienced nurses don't work out either or they end up hating it and go back to the floor after they try it. I have come to the conclusion that even though an experienced floor nurse may be very good at time management and head to toe assessment, they may lack in pediatrics and OB because it has been years since they have heard anything about that type of nursing, often since they were in nursing school. A new grad on the other hand is still fresh with peds and OB. So there are down sides to both.

My advice is that if you know 100% that this is what you want to do without a doubt and you can have a good orientation program than go for it. Keep in mind that you are going to have to love it and continiue to study all the time. I studied more in my first year in the ER than I did my entire time in nursing school taking ACLS, PALS, TNCC, ENPC, and now I am studying for my CEN exam. I find that the new grads that we get that don't work out are the ones with no experience that believe the TV drama and just think it's a cool place to work. It sound as if you have already spent some time in the ER so my advice is if you know for sure than go for it.

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I have been in the nursing field for almost 14 years. The last 2 years I spent as a RN, for the last year and a half I have been the charge nurse on the Med-Surg unit. I went where my heart and mind wanted to go. I wouldn't give it up. Go where you feel you will be the best nurse you can be.

While plenty of people, say that med-surg isn't specialized, well in a way it is. I have to know everything from CHF, to menigitis, broken bones, age 0- 110. It is rough. Med- Surg usually gets most of the slack too. I think we all need to stand up and give each other a hand no matter where we work. We are all nurses and need to stick together.

Good luck in the ER, its all about you and where you want to be!!!

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Hi...I graduated from nursing school 12/05 and went straight in to ER and LOVE it...I went throught the same debate myself. It depends who you ask regarding what kind of answer you will get.

My advise is if you decide to go straight in to ER make sure the hospital is new grad FRIENDLY... You really have to make sure they are from their pass new grads and not from the nurse recuiter. My hospital has a 6month new grad program and very supportive. They put me through all the classes I need (ie. ACLS,PALs,EDAP, TNCC) I highly recommend doing your reseach on the hospital before accepting a position, because if you don't get the proper orientation and training it is your License and patients that is at risk.....Once you are a license RN you are a professional and have accountablity.

P.S. Once you really know you want to be an ER nurse....you can't really do anything else.....I COULDN'T...GOOD luck...:D

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