no clinical experience - going to ER

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hi, im a registered nurse here in the philippines. i graduated march 2005, took the local boards on june 2005. i never had a clinical experience since then. now, i am currently reviewing for my ielts exam and i am applying for a job.

my questions are:

-is it ok if i directly go the the ER for my experience?wouldn't be so hard for me to adjust?

-what are the things needed to review?ofcourse aside from the basic procedures.

-can u recommend net sites that would help me in doing IV insertion, aside from attending IV THERAPIST training program. i want to be prepared with the theories first before attending such training.

-any floor or department that you can suggest?where work would be much easier?

thanks.

hope i can get tips from all of you..

p.s i always love in the ER during my student trainee exposure.. but i still dont know if jobs are lot easier when clinical instructors are nolonger there to help you:chuckle

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Specializes in Neuro ICU and Med Surg.

I think that since you haven't worked as a RN since you have been licensed you should start out in med surg. A floor with stable patients, so you can learn to prioritize what needs to be done NOW and what can be done later. After a year or two then you can try ER.

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IMHO, I wouldn't rule out starting in a LTC facility either. I know a lot of med surg units that are just a busy as the ER's these days. LTC will help you to develope the language skills that are needed to effectively communicate with your patients, if this is something that is a concern to you. A LTC facility will also help you to become more familiar with the medications that are used.

Whichever way you decide to go, I wish you all the best here. :)

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Specializes in Emergency, Peds, Amb. Surg.

Ayy Naku,

You ask good questions.

If you have not practiced for a couple of years you may do well to take a refhresher course in the US.

There are a great deal of education sources for such things as IV or phlebotomy in California.

I understand your love affair with the ED.

If you can afford it join the Emergency Nurses Association. Read the journal, memorize Sheehy's book, go to their excellent web site and see the wonderful books and courses available.

My dear friend came to the US with a dream to become an ED Nurse.

She could not get a job in acute care right away, had to pay her dues in a SNF, and then MS.

But she never gave up on her dream.

Now this Pinay is a Certified Emergency Nurse, active in ENA, a charge Nurse who is highly respected.

It can be tough coming from the ROP and breaking into the ED, but it is doable.

Do not hesitate to contact me for advice.

Don't ever forget that were it not for Filipino Nurses our US health care system would fall apart.

I am sure some would disagree, but that is their issue.

Good luck,

Ingat.

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Specializes in Too damn many.

Bahh!!

If you want to be an ER nurse , do the refresher course, access the ENA resources and get into a good internship. If the Hospital does it's job and orients you properly, you will have the "basic" tools you need to learn the job.

I wasted many years working in different care settings before I finally gave ED a chance. Sure I came into the ED with allot of experience and knowledge, but I also found that the knowledge i gained got in my way as often as it helped. I knew how to do "things" but ED had it's own way of doing things and sometimes they collided. Better to just learn their way first.

If you think ER is where you want to be, give it a shot. Like another mentioned on this thread, make sure you find a good friend you can spend time with out of the clinical area that can give you honest answers without judging you.

ED nurses do eat their young, so be ready for some harsh criticism right off the bat, and understand that many ED nurses have never been anywhere else and find it hard to believe theirs is not the only way to do "most" things :argue:

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