Er Nurse

I graduate next week (YAY!). The best advice I can give you is to apply as a tech, intern, or whatever your local region calls a person in nursing school. You apply for that position in an ER department and then you have your foot in the door. This way you become known to your nursing director, you learn the way things go, and you can make an impression on the other nurses in your department.

Their opinion of your work ethics and ability and to handle the ER stress could be your key to getting hired in that dept.

I have been working as an Intern in the ER for a while now and I also did my Practicum in the ER. The ER is the only place that I have ever wanted to be and now my director is just waiting for me to pass my boards. Most ER departments will not allow you to work as a Grad Nurse, or atleast not in my area.

Good luck and I hope you attain your goals.

I have a job lined up in an ER as a new grad (ADN). (graduate in 2 weeks, start June 2)

In my area of upstate NY you have to be an RN and I had a clinical instructor who ran as charge nurse for over 15 years the ED for a 40 bed ED with the average of approximate 275 pt. per day through the department (= relatively busy for our area) - she told me the best thing you can do is as your peers have said here, be a tech and follow that route... or go to the cardiac unit as a new grad. You must know cardiac well, and respiratory/neuro too. The tech route is a great idea but there was a waiting list for that here too! So I am heading into cardiac to really learn this and possibly look at ICU nursing which makes you are very attractive to the ED - you can get there in a year or less depending on your hospital and how well you work/study your first year out... Good Luck!

In my area of upstate NY you have to be an RN and I had a clinical instructor who ran as charge nurse for over 15 years the ED for a 40 bed ED with the average of approximate 275 pt. per day through the department (= relatively busy for our area) - she told me the best thing you can do is as your peers have said here, be a tech and follow that route... or go to the cardiac unit as a new grad. You must know cardiac well, and respiratory/neuro too. The tech route is a great idea but there was a waiting list for that here too! So I am heading into cardiac to really learn this and possibly look at ICU nursing which makes you are very attractive to the ED - you can get there in a year or less depending on your hospital and how well you work/study your first year out... Good Luck![

oooops .. sorry for the duplicate - good luck -

A number of my classmates are going to start in the ER. I think the advice about getting a job as a tech while in school is good. If you can get an ER tech job, even better.

I applied at a number of ERs but didn't get hired by any of them. Some of them definitely seemed put off by the fact that I hadn't worked in a hospital. I thought my 24 years as a paramedic would be more than enough to qualify me for an ER position but apparently was wrong. Of course maybe I don't interview well, or maybe it's because I'm old (56 y/o).

I did my practicum in the ED in a hospital, they showed intrest in me--so I will graduate on May 8 th and go to work there as a multi-care tech level 3, that is until I pass my boards.

On a side note, a fellow student of mine was set against working in the ED, she was a tech on a med-surg floor and wanted to be there as a RN; well her preceptor had to go on medical leave before precepting started so the student was re-assigned to the ED. Now she has been bitten by the adrenalin bug and says that there is no way that she can go back to a med-surg floor.

It definitly depends on the area you work in. We do allow new grads to work in our ED but it is very hard to get into. They are very selective as to who they hire and you have a much better chance if you can get in as a tech. Like a previous post said, they can see how you handle stress, see your work ethics, and if you have the personality for ED nursing. We are a teaching hospital and a Level 1 Trauma center so we offer an extensive orientation. Also, with our new critical care rotation program you have the opportunity to select the ED as one of your choices after unit 1 wich is a total of 24 weeks (20 with preceptor and 4 with nurse as your resource). Maybe there is a hospital near you that offers this type of training. Good luck!!!!