ER or ICU - Which opens more doors for a travel RN?

[Birdsofprey, BSN]

I am a Travel RN with Tele, M/S and Covid Stepdown experience. I love being a traveler but I am also trying to diversify my skill set and move into more critical areas of nursing. I always thought I would enjoy ICU, but these past few months I feel I am drawn more to the pace and diverse tasks of ER.

Eventually I am going to have to become a Staff Nurse again in order to gain my year or 2 of experience in one of these areas. My question is, which one is better for a traveler in the long run and opens more doors? Lately I feel ICU and ER contracts have very similar pay. Should I do ICU even if I want to do ER just so that I can "go into almost any area" as a travel RN after- ER, Tele, MS, ICU, PCU, etc. Are there any ICU RNs who have travelled as ER nurses and enjoyed it? Is ICU really still the best way to go because it opens more doors?

Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks!!

[NedRN]

Love ED? Do it! Let me help you with some rationalizations.

You can do your own research at a big agency like Cross Country, but ED has more assignments than ICU. In addition, there are a wider range of hospitals to choose from, from tiny rural hospitals to large inner city teaching hospitals. ICU tends to be larger hospitals. In the broad scheme of things, ED often has ICU holds, so you will learn ICU basics as well.

ICUs also tend to be fragmented in terms of patient population. There are medical, surgical, neuro, CV, and adult/pediatric ICUs. Out of nursing school, I interviewed at a transplant unit (including ICU) where they followed all transplant patient no matter the admission reason. They all have specific skills and training needed and you need to have a good fit both ways to work at a specific ICU in a specific hospital. No matter your skills and experience background you can find steady work as an ICU traveler - just pointing out that unlike ED, you cannot count on the number of ICU postings versus ED as you won't be qualified for all of them.

Yes, larger EDs are streamed by acuity and sometimes subspecialty. Pediatric ED is a big one, and neuro versus cardiac may have their own pods and assigned nurses.

For some counterpoint, ED is more entry level nursing than ICU. Generally, higher trained nurses get higher pay because of supply and demand basic economic rules that apply to travel (no so much staff). So generally speaking, ICU pays better than ED for travel assignments. There are more crisis assignments in ICU that pay much better available versus similar ED assignments. Specialties such as CVICU can pay really big bucks at times.

I cannot tell you what the difference in pay might be as that depends on your path. I can make a good guess that you will make 10% more a year as an ICU traveler than an ED traveler apple to apple assignment choice. Is that enough to blow out your personal preference? I'd suggest no.

As an experienced ED nurse, you will have lots of options down the line. ICU will be an easier segue later (although your current experience is super for going into the ICU now). ED skills translate directly to PACU as you generally recover your own procedure patients - which is a great place to work if you suffer burnout later.

Good luck, but I don't think there are any bad choices here.

 

[Birdsofprey, BSN]

20 hours ago, NedRN said:

Love ED? Do it! Let me help you with some rationalizations.

You can do your own research at a big agency like Cross Country, but ED has more assignments than ICU. In addition, there are a wider range of hospitals to choose from, from tiny rural hospitals to large inner city teaching hospitals. ICU tends to be larger hospitals. In the broad scheme of things, ED often has ICU holds, so you will learn ICU basics as well.

ICUs also tend to be fragmented in terms of patient population. There are medical, surgical, neuro, CV, and adult/pediatric ICUs. Out of nursing school, I interviewed at a transplant unit (including ICU) where they followed all transplant patient no matter the admission reason. They all have specific skills and training needed and you need to have a good fit both ways to work at a specific ICU in a specific hospital. No matter your skills and experience background you can find steady work as an ICU traveler - just pointing out that unlike ED, you cannot count on the number of ICU postings versus ED as you won't be qualified for all of them.

Yes, larger EDs are streamed by acuity and sometimes subspecialty. Pediatric ED is a big one, and neuro versus cardiac may have their own pods and assigned nurses.

For some counterpoint, ED is more entry level nursing than ICU. Generally, higher trained nurses get higher pay because of supply and demand basic economic rules that apply to travel (no so much staff). So generally speaking, ICU pays better than ED for travel assignments. There are more crisis assignments in ICU that pay much better available versus similar ED assignments. Specialties such as CVICU can pay really big bucks at times.

I cannot tell you what the difference in pay might be as that depends on your path. I can make a good guess that you will make 10% more a year as an ICU traveler than an ED traveler apple to apple assignment choice. Is that enough to blow out your personal preference? I'd suggest no.

As an experienced ED nurse, you will have lots of options down the line. ICU will be an easier segue later (although your current experience is super for going into the ICU now). ED skills translate directly to PACU as you generally recover your own procedure patients - which is a great place to work if you suffer burnout later.

Good luck, but I don't think there are any bad choices here.

 

Excellent- thanks NedRN!!