[CSHRN]

I have the opportunity to get a position in the ER or an ICU. Both appeal to me. I know each unit has it's own "personality." I need to decide which one fits me better. Can anyone offer advice on those personalities so I can be better informed when making this decision.

[johnnrachel]

I am an ER nurse and I know this discussion can get to be an ugly discussion on ER vs ICU. I can just say this little advice, I personally would make a terrible ICU nurse, but I think I rock ER. This is because ICU is more of a long term type of nursing care, and ER is more like treat em and street em attitude. Just different type of nursing, one is no better, or harder or anything like that. Also you have to be very adaptable and able to change gears in an instant in the ER. However, I think in the ICU you have to get closer to the patient and worse yet the families because most patients are in the ICU long.
I will be following this thread because I am curious what people will say!!!!!! Good Luck with your decision. I personally think if you are a new grad you should go for ICU, I worked telemetry before ER and I adapted well!!!!! Good Luck with your decision.

[cheripa]

I started out in the ER and now am in ICU. I like ER better. In ER you will do a lot of walking/running around. ICU you tend to sit a lot unless your patients have tests that you have to take them to. Both units are type "A" personalities so make sure you can handle that. Good luck to you what ever you chose. You can always change units!!

[ronsrn]

I am a new grad - 9 months and am in an ICU and as far as sitting id have to disagree we dont sit much - both have pros and cons both are difficult

[skittlesmom]

I was an ER nurse for 18 years and although burnout comes quicker working in the ER, I had great experiences. You have to think quick, move quick, be energetic and love the exciting, fast paced environment. You also have to be able to adapt to different areas in the ER such as peds, cardiac, surgical, etc. and to be able to work with all different people such as police, social workers, x-ray, and doctors. Some people feel you never develop relationships with patients and families but that is not true. You have your regulars you get to know over the years, some who are probably still around and some who have passed on. There is also a certain bond that develops between ER nurses that I will never forget. Even though I do not work in the ER anymore, I wouldn't have traded those experiences for anything. Hope this helps.

[giberga]

I am a new grad working in ED. I have a friend from nursing school working as a new grad in ICU. We have a critical care class together once a week. Keep in mind my perspective is still as a new nurse and very limited.
He gets the more throrough approach to pt care, I get more info on immediate stabilization and recognizing when a new pt w/ no diagnosis etc is about to go bad. I get orders for my ICU admit pts, but don't get to see many of them recover - only seen 1 pt extubated in 3 mos-he gets to see more of the recovery process - and more of the diagnostic stuff and complications that develop for the tricky ones.... The part I hate most about my job is not knowing what happened next.... I get to see a whole lot more patients than he does I might get about 8-20 pts a day depending on severity he only has 2-4 I think.

[aeauooo]

I used to think I'd like to work ED, but the times I have floated to ED I have really not enjoyed the experience.

Depending on where you work, working ICU can be an adrenalin rush. I used to work in a neuro/trauma ICU in Philadelphia and found myself addicted to the high of busting my butt trying to keep someone alive.

Then there's the other side of working ICU; keeping people alive for weeks or months without seeing much, if any change - and again, busting my butt to do it.

It really depends on what you want. The great thing about nursing is that if you don't like where you are working or want to make a change, it's (almost) always out there.

That's my 2c.

[lis102me]

I'm glad I found this discssion thread. I'm a new grad, my degree hasn't even posted yet for me to take the NCLEX...that's how new Iam
I also have the opportunity to start in the ICU or the ER. I've done over 300 clinical hours between a SICU and MICU. I've worked as an EMT in the ER for 2 years! Both appeal to me and both are definately two different creatures and I have adapted well in both settings. As a new grad the ICU appeals to me because it's learning systems and there I've seen a lot more autonomy in ICU nurses. ER appeals because of the rush and learning to prioritize 5 patients at once instead of 2 like in an ICU. In your opinion, would ICU or ER lay a better foundation for a new nurse? I know MedSurg is the IDEAL foundation, but no thank you, I don't want 8+ patients at once and lose the nurse-patient relationsihp.

On another note, I would like to start taking travel assgnments after 1yr experience. Does anyone know if there are more ER or ICU assignments out there? Or are they about the same?

[ronsrn]

My wife was a travel ER RN and found that most places that need travellers need Both er and icu nurses. I am now an ICU nurse and and have the 1 year experience but im not sure i would feel comfortable with travelling as of yet. I wish our hospital permitted cross training in the ER as I would like to see that side of nursing as well