ER or ICU

[Tomrn2128]

For travel nursing which do you think is more in need?

[Wolf at the Door, BSN]

L&D and OR.

[guest769224]

They is plenty of demand for both. You can find some higher pay with ICU sometimes.

[NedRN]

ED will likely have the largest choice of assignments right down to the smallest critical access hospital for the more location choices but there is no problem working full time travel assignments in either. ICU can pay better for subspecialties or critical need. ED effectively cross trains nurses in ICU (as in ICU holds) so potentially ED can work both. Not so much for a straight ICU nurse.

[Bluebolt]

ED will likely have the largest choice of assignments right down to the smallest critical access hospital for the more location choices but there is no problem working full time travel assignments in either. ICU can pay better for subspecialties or critical need. ED effectively cross trains nurses in ICU (as in ICU holds) so potentially ED can work both. Not so much for a straight ICU nurse.

OP, both of those specialties have an adequate number of contracts throughout the States. They will probably pay the same except for some specialty ICU positions that will pay more.

I've never known an ICU to allow ED nurses to work in their unit without a full orientation as a new ICU nurse. We like it if we're short and they'll float to help out and take a couple stable ready for transfer out patients but never to work fully independent with critical care medicine.

Even the smartest and best ED nurses I know usually are desperate to get rid of any ICU quality patient they are taking care of in the ED. They focus on different things in the ED, it's more of an outpatient focus there. I've floated to the ED to help before and hated it, my ICU process of nursing is completely useless there. As is their ED process is not safe or useful in the ICU.

To be fair I have known a couple nurses who have worked ED and ICU in their career but it was not as a random contract it was as a full time staff in the ED for a set amount of time and then transferred to ICU as full time nurse or vice versa. I've helped orient nurses from the ED who are trying to transition to the ICU before, even with 20 years experience they usually have to learn the ICU just like a new grad. The ED may actually put them at a disadvantage because of bad habits in that environment that isn't acceptable in the ICU. Likewise my ICU habits and OCD control makes me inept in the ED, I just can't juggle 4 different patients ages 2 to 100 from a stubbed toe, bad cough, MI and drug seeking homeless person. Not to mention in the ED the Docs are always there commanding the show and telling you what to do, not my style. I prefer to have protocols and I just do things myself, titrate my meds and manage my patient myself and later when they drop by let them know the progress and see if they have any input.

[Tomrn2128]

Thank you for everyones replies. I appreciate the time you took to reply :)