ED nurse experiences

[Elisaspencer]

Hi, I am finally an RN and I've been applying to jobs. I've been thinking strongly about working in the ED day shift and I wanted to know the thoughts of you guys that have worked in or currently work in the ED. What are the pros and cons? Do you enjoy it? Do you wish you could work in a different area? Thanks in advance!

[bgxyrnf, MSN, RN]

I've done a bit of floor nursing, some ICU nursing, and a bunch of ED nursing. The latter is, by far, my preference.

If you do some searching on this site you'll find that this topic has been addressed numerous times.

Some pros: Turnover of patients, more frequent excitement, a close working relationship with the docs, OT opportunities, and the opportunity to master psychomotor skills

Some cons: It can be unrelentingly busy, mixing ED nursing with floor nursing when you're holding ED boarders, lack of goal alignment with the floors, highest risk of assault

[Guest374845]

I agree with the pros mentioned above. I would also add that you gain a boatload of certs when you join that can make you very marketable.

Cons for me: been assaulted a few times this year, not a lot choice/thought put in your assignment each shift (so you'll have overqualified nurses doing urgent care/hallway sometimes while a newgrad flounders with a full load of ESI 2s), hours sometimes dictated by department census (pushed back until later, sent home early), emphasis on numbers/metrics/productivity/joint-commission specific documentation is maddening.