Critical Care vs. ER Nursing

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I'm in the process of building a resume before I graduate from my LVN program, next year. I have noticed resume builders asking for preferred specialties, what is the difference bettween Critical Care and Emergency Nursing?

TIA

Specializes in ER (My favorite), NICU, Hospice.

When I was interviewing for my ER position, I was told by the nurse manager at the time, an ER nurse is a "jack of all trades, master of none". I think that is a great way to describe an ER nurse.

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Specializes in Cardiac.
Of course, all of this would take a bit of "critical"

thinking skills for you to comprehend !

Perhaps what is needed at this point in this thread is a little less "critical", and a little more "open mind."

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Perhaps what is needed at this point in this thread is a little less "critical", and a little more "open mind."

i think you must be talking about the op.:uhoh3:

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Specializes in Registry, all over the place.

All of your responses are really helpful. Thanks a lot! What is OP?

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It may not be critical thinking to you but it certainly is prioritization to me

If you want to talk priorities. If all the "excellent" nurses are in ICU or ER, here's what happens. That subpar public health nurse doesn't get her job done well (because she's not "excellent"), leading to more admits in the ER, taking time away from the more "critical" patients. (Throw in all those admits from the nursing homes because of their lack of "excellent" nurses.) All those sick people get put on med/surg. Now a good med/surg nurse can often catch complications before they get so critical that they end up a "critical" pt needing an ICU bed. But we don't need "excellent" nurses in med/surg, so those complications weren't caught, and now your ICU is overflowing.

Fact is, I've met "excellent" and I've met average and I've met downright bad nurses in every specialty. The specialty doesn't demand excellence, it demands a different skillset. I've met "excellent" ICU nurses that absolutely can't hack it on a med/surg floor. Had a float ER nurse that was amazed at how we handle all the admissions (well what are we supposed to do, you're usually one of the ones that keeps sending them!) I've known a number of nurses that acute care wasn't right for them, and when they said they were going to a nursing home, I knew that it was perfect for them. Not that it was "easier" but that it's a differerent flow that better suited their personality. It's all about finding your niche and becoming "excellent" where you're at.

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Specializes in Hospice, Med/Surg, ICU, ER.

Fact is, I've met "excellent" and I've met average and I've met downright bad nurses in every specialty. The specialty doesn't demand excellence, it demands a different skillset.

Very well said. I wish I had worded it this way.:o

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

I think the OP (original poster) gets the idea. All nurses provide critical (much needed) care. Critical care can also be defined as an ICU level of care. However, as one poster mentioned, we all provide much needed (critical) care to our patients. Thanks everyone for your assistance.

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