Do I change jobs? ER or Psych?

Nurses Career Support

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Specializes in ER.

So I have been an ER nurse almost 5 years. I love being an ER nurse but I am burnt out. Vacation didn't help. If I could be just an ER nurse I would stay here forever. However corporate keeps making things worse with budget cuts. Meaning we work 72 hours a pay period. Well that ****** a few off and they left. Which means more hours for us and less help. Plus they believe if you have a bed we fill it. Giving us over flow of admitted patients. So the new patients that need a room have to wait longer wait times because an admitted patient is taking up their bed. On bad nights you can be forced into extra patients making it an unsafe environment. Even though we work as a team sometimes the patient suffers. Who gave what med? did anyone follow up with the patient? I feel like I barely know my patient some nights. And when we get a new nurse finally trained...they quit because they are too overwhelmed. One night it was so bad I had a cry in the med room. I have not done that since my first week as a nurse 9 yrs ago. That was my last straw I put some new applications in at other facilities.

I am up for a possible job. A little more money, state job but it's a mental institution. I have no idea what I am getting into. Any psych nurses out there?

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I'm not an ER nurse, but I have, on occasion, floated to the ER. From what my coworkers (who are former ER nurses) tell me, you get quite a bit of psych experience just working in the ER. I'm not sure if that is helpful...but my question would be, can you not apply to another ER in your area?? (Or do you work at the only one?).....

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Specializes in ER.

Same company own almost all the local hospitals. Same issues

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