A Decade in the ER: A Reflection

Jamie Sollog

My heart fluttered as I circled an unfamiliar parking lot on a hot August day. Bright colors danced around as my sparkly engagement ring caught the sun when I pulled into a space and took a deep breath. I never imagined I'd be here. I spent the last four years working as a nurse on a cardiac step-down unit. I loved it, and I never thought I'd leave, but life brought my fiancé and me to a new city just six weeks before our wedding day. I applied for a handful of jobs in different areas of nursing and immediately got calls from three ERs. "Maybe it's a sign." I thought. I wasn't sure I was cut out for the ER, but I was intrigued, and I decided to go for it. I scheduled interviews with all three hospitals and quickly got three job offers. I accepted a position with the hospital closest to our new home and was excited to get started.

Within a week of starting my new job, it became clear why my job search had revealed so many emergency room openings. Being an ER nurse wasn't easy. I felt so confident coming in, but I found myself constantly behind, flustered, and frustrated. I knew this wasn't the place for me, but hospital policy would not allow me to transfer to another department without a minimum of six months of employment. I concentrated on my wedding, then my new marriage and home, and counted down the weeks until I could get out of there. The days were long. I learned so much but still felt like there was so much I didn't know. I made it through my first ER Winter and caught every germ that came my way. The six-month mark was rapidly approaching, and I couldn't wait to get out.

Life had other plans, and a surprise pregnancy derailed all my scheming. I decided to stay in the ER for a while. I'd reevaluate after my son was born. Over the next few months, I found myself enjoying my time in the emergency department more and more. I grew more confident and really enjoyed the autonomy I had in the ER. I learned new skills. I took a few turns in triage. I started realizing I was exactly where I was meant to be. I settled in. I embraced the opportunities each day would bring. I bonded with my fellow nurses at work and with my baby at home.

Things were going great, and then, another plot twist. A twin pregnancy made it difficult to continue working long hours in the emergency room. I spent six long months exclusively sitting in triage in an attempt to work as close to my delivery as possible. Although my days were a bit monotonous, I think about that time often, as it really allowed me to hone my triage skills and taught me invaluable lessons that have continued to serve me well.

I returned to the ER when my twins were six weeks old, and it became my safe haven in those early days of three kids under three. The nurse manager approached me one day and asked if I would take on the charge nurse role. I was unsure, but I agreed to try it. Aside from having three babies in two years, being an ER charge nurse was probably the hardest thing I had ever done. Every day was a challenge and an exercise in critical thinking, but I loved being a leader. On my fifth wedding anniversary, I became a Clinical Coordinator and really found my passion and purpose in nursing.

I have spent the last five years as a nurse leader in the ER and became the Unit Manager shortly after heading into my tenth year in the emergency department. Despite the challenges faced by every ER right now, I continue to persevere on the nursing leadership path. My mission is to advance the practice of ER nursing and to instill the same passion in the next generation of nurses.

A Decade in the ER: A Reflection

About Jamie Sollog

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