a change?

[sixty3dayswithSarah, BSN, CNA, RN]

Hello all!

I have to say this first... I am burnt out! Thank you!

Now, my issue... I cannot seem to find any way to change my position? I would like to work in the ER, however, they will only hire nurses with experience in the er? How do I get the ED experience, if no one will give me a chance?

So, I was thinking... I am willing to temporarily relocate if need be, I was wondering if anyone knew of any training programs, designed for a nurse with experience, just not in that particular area. I am willing to travel to another state and stay for a lil bit, to go through a training program, does anyone know of any, or know of a source where one could look for training opportunities? If not the ER, maybe the ICU? Help!

K

[GitanoRN, BSN, MSN, RN]

certainly, if you're interested in specializing in emergency room care you can obtain an additional certification in the field by passing the certified emergency nurse exam offered through the emergency nurses association (ena). moreover,the exam tests nurses on a variety of emergency room situations, including gastrointestinal emergencies, neurological emergencies, respiratory emergencies, substance abuse emergencies and wound management. in addition, the ena offers a certified pediatric emergency nurse (cpen) certification, as well as courses in advance trauma nursing. having said that, i hope this will give you a start, as i wish you the best in all of your future endeavors...aloha~

[Winx51]

Good luck.

[stephanie2012]

hello, there. perhaps you may find a position like assistant kind of job, and start, maybe later if you are really do very well, there is a chance to get a promotion.

first you have to search for the clinic , hospital or kind of unit, and email them your resume, and you may have the chance.

try, but if you can have some related training, that's also great !

good luck !

[elkpark]

AFAIK, the ENA certifications, like most nursing specialty certifications, require you to have some specificed amount of work/clinical experience (typically, two years) in the specialty to be eligible for the certification exam. The point of the certifications is to prove/document that you're experienced and competent in the specialty, not to help people get into a particular specialty. (If I'm wrong about the ENA certs, I apologize and am happy to be corrected.)

OP, you didn't say anything about where you're located, but, often, smaller hospitals and hospitals in rural communities are more flexible about hiring people into specialty areas without experience (simply because they don't have as large a pool of experienced applicants from which to draw). When I first graduated from nursing school in a medium-sized city, I knew I wanted to work in psych, but I also knew that none of the hospitals in the area in which I was living would hire people into specialty areas without two years of med-surg experience (yes, boys and girls, there once was a time when two years of med-surg was considered the standard expectation for new grads, and anything less than that was considered "job hopping" ... :)). Through some friends, I discovered that a small, rural hospital located about three hours away had a psych unit with an opening, so I applied and found that they were very happy to get someone fresh out of school, with all the up-to-date "book learnin'," who was sincerely enthusiastic about working in psych. I took the job when they offered it to me, relocated, and had a great experience.

OP, I realize you're not a new grad and this is a somewhat different situation. However, if you're serious about getting into the specialty, you may want to consider whether expanding your job search (geographically, I mean) and relocating (not necessarily forever, but long eough to get a decent, marketable amount of work experience) is an option for you.