Why do you like Emergency Department Nursing?

Specialties Emergency

Published

I start my job later this month. After an orientation and residency I will be permanentaly placed in the ED. What do you emergency services nurses like best about your jobs? (esp. compared to other forms of nursing)

Specializes in ER.

The TEAMWORK!:yeah:

The funny drunk people (not the ones that pee on the floor:no: )

I also love knowing whats going on in the city at any given moment, as I am an extreme closet busy-body.

Love putting all my nursing skills to use, especially love challenging IV starts.

I agree that quick turn around is also a plus. Some of the patients we send to the floor I have NO IDEA how I could tolerate for 12 hours.....not to mention the possibility of coming back to the same patients two days in a row.

Also love that I always have a story when I come home from work.... never dull.

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Specializes in ED, Pedi Vasc access, Paramedic serving 6 towns.

The ER is like a box of chocolates, you never know what yur gonna get.

Sweetooth

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Specializes in ER/Trauma/Critical Care.

I like triaging a patient, not yet knowing what's wrong with them and relying on my own knowledge and judgement in order to decide if they go back right away or stay in the waiting room. And then you get to follow up on them later and find out if you were right!

I like never knowing what's going to come in.

I like the quirky things you see, and the funny stories you always have to share with friends and family.

I like the confidence I feel within myself, knowing that if I'm at the store and (God forbid) someone goes into cardiac arrest, I will know exactly what to do to save their life.

I like the fast pace- I never get bored.

Most of all, I like the excitement, because I truly have become an adrenaline junky!

:nurse:

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Specializes in ER/Nuero/PHN/LTC/Skilled/Alzheimer's.

I like the variety and the fact that I come away from every shift knowing I learned something new. I love some of the other nurses and paramedics I work with and since this is a small town, I know just about every cop, sherriff, and EMT in three counties (even have my own list of who can come and get me in an emergency. Don't want the local EMT pervert cutting my clothes off, just kidding).

As an ER nurse, you just seem to rely on your knowledge base more. I've learned more about lab values and diagnostic images in the ER than I did in two years of floor nursing.

I hate triaging because I'm right in front for people to take their grievances out on. I hate nasty drunks and pain med seekers. And I hate any peds trauma cases. I haven't had to code a kid yet (knock on wood) and I hope when the time comes I can handle it.

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Specializes in Telemetry, Med Surg, Pediatrics, ER.

I absolutely love ER nursing! I work with a great group of nurses, techs, and physicians. We are one big family. The teamwork is awesome. I always know there is someone there to help me if I need it, and I am definitely there to help the others. I love a challenge, and the ER offers plenty of those. I get to use my critical thinking skills and continually learn. The ER offers lots of autonomy, which is truly an amazing thing. I like the fact that I never know what type of patient I will be seeing next. If you work 3 straight shifts on the floor you pretty much know that you will at least have some of your patients multiple days. Not in the ER. It is never the same. (although you do have frequent flyers) The ER is just a totally different world than any other type of nursing and I can't imagine doing anything else. :twocents:

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Specializes in Too damn many.

autonomy #1

good training for a future NP if that is what ya choose and even better as an at home Mom/MD for the family :)

fem abd pain = #10

accounts for 1/2 of all walk-ins and will surely bankrupt any universal healthcare system.

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Im lovin the ER, its been almost 3 months, and Ive learned more in the ER than I have in the past 5 yrs. I love to put all my skills to work, critical thinking, problem solving, the team work, and the autonomy! I like not knowing whats gonna happen next, and love the rush I get..and its never boring, and I learn somethin new each day!

The docs, emts and nurses are outta this world, and I have to say Ive never worked in such a place where everyone works together the way we do. We all come together when someone needs you the most..ie codes, where you get the call from the FD and you look up and there are 8 ppl glovin up and getting ready. The biggest team players Ive met so far. I know I couldnt do it without each and everyone of them!

We joke..we laugh...we smile ...we work hard...we help eachother..we bicker..we get frustrated and angry....and we cry together. As frustrating as it can be...I wouldnt trade it for anything! Im SO glad I came to the ER.

What a ride its been.

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Specializes in med-surg.

ER nurses are the best. (just my own very biased opinion...) :-)

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Specializes in LTC/Subacute.

So I'm just beginning nursing school in a couple weeks. I always thought the ER would be my choice and this post has pretty much confirmed it. I have worked in mental health for 7 years, 2 1/2 with super severe cases. Our team, which includes 7 case managers, 2 RN's and a Dr. sounds very much like the descriptions of the ER team. That's what I want and need. Thanks for the posts.

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Fast turnaround.. watch this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54CUnjcg-Gssmile.png

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Specializes in Emergency nursing.

Like every post before this, I thrive on the variety of patients. I like having new patients every shift. I really like the problem solving involved with trauma patients. To put is simply, I like to fix people's broken bodies.

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I completely agree with all of the previous posts! There is one thing that wasn't mentioned though - the variety of postions within the ED!

I've been working ED for over 4 yrs now and am able to do triage, trauma, and radio on top of straight nursing. It's great to be able to work the front rooms with the 'sick' patients one day then have a desk job the next.

Thinking about it, I just love all of the variety in general! The different patients, the different nurses from everyone around the world and every background of nursing, the variety of docs that we interact with.

Reading this thread at the end of a long shift has put me in such a great mood and made me truly appreciate being an ED nurse. Thanks everyone!

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