Er nurse vs icu nurse

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How would you describe the experience being a nurse at ER versus being a nurse at ICU?. I know that they are both critical areas but I just want to know how nurses in this areas respond to toxic duties.

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.

Can you define "toxic duties"?

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"Toxic duties"? Is that something like Contact Precautions?

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Specializes in GI, ER, ICU, Med/Surg, Stress Test Nurse.

lol

ER - busy = total Chaos! not busy = lovely

ICU - Controlled environment unless full then total Chaos!

choose your poison.

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Specializes in ER/ICU, CCL, EP.

It's a different focus. In the ICU I managed the patient completely, charged vitals in real time every 15 mins, spent a lot of time turning, bathing, titrating drips. I did a complete head to toe assessment every few hours. I only had 2 patients and could do part of my job sitting at the monitors and charting.

In the ER I stabilize the patient and get them the hell out of my department. Ambulances are arriving whether you are personally busy or not. 'We have no beds' is not an option. I send a patient out and my next one could be an acute MI, a splinter, a lady partsl bleed, or a full arrest. My nurse to patient ratio can be 1:3 or 1:6. It just depends how many truly sick people stroll in.

I liked both. Both jobs are tough, you have a lot of autonomy, and they are mostly fun even when they suck. ;)

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Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.
lol

ER - busy = total Chaos! not busy = dream world

choose your poison.

There i fixed it for you. The main difference between ER nurses and ICU nurses.....ER nurses walk faster :D

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.

It depends A LOT on where you work. In some hospitals, the ICU, especially the SICU or whatever unit accept the critical trauma and big, unstable surgical cases can be crazy while in the ER the might spent all night dealing with SOB and 5 year olds with ear infections. Or not depending on the shift and the hospital.

Also in some trauma centers the ER nurses have nothing at all to do with the traumas except fetch things. When a trauma team is activated the nurse on the trauma team is an SICU RN. In other hospitals it's the ER nurses who get to have all the fun.

I have worked both in a number of hospitals and prefer ICU since I know I will always be taking care of really sick people vs ER where I might go a whole shift without seeing anyone really sick and unstable. On the other hand the ER is unpredictable and things can go crazy without warning

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I was wondering the same thing!! I am graduating in 3 months and wondering where to try for. I know its rare to get an offer in either one, but if you try for something you have to know what you're shooting for! I'm very much liking the ER in our clinicals, because I like the critical thinking, the amount of hands on things you do, and time seems to just fly, but then I also like the patient relationships, and knowing myself, I know I prefer a controlled environment, for sanity.... which you don't get in ER... I'm not really sure where I fit in!

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Specializes in ICU.

In the ICU, for better or worse, until you fix 'em and they're ready to walk out or until the bitter end, that patient is yours.

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ER = ADHD

ICU = OCD

ICU...I know you from head to toe

ER...I know you have a head and a toe

Seriously I've worked both (and regular nursing floors) though my home is now ER I have a lot of respect for the in depth knowledge ICU nurses have about physiology and pathophysiology. We both play a vital role and are equally important. They really are vastly different nursing arenas thus truly difficult to compare. I love the ER because I can't sit still, I enjoy change, and I like to see a variety of patients (hopefully different ones) every night. My partner likes total control, is meticulous in details, and doesn't like a lot of change...I.E. likes only the changes that come with her set of patients and the fact she has the same ones each night. She loves the ICU.

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Can you define "toxic duties"?

stressful jobs etc

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All nurses have stressful jobs except maybe the retired nurses.

Stress is part of having a heavy load of life-and-death responsibility and dealing with the public(who are not at their best).

ER has more unpredictability and variability. Your patients might be young or old, not really sick or at death's door. Nurses who do well here are able to deal with constant change and unpredictability and dislike routine.

Patients come to ICU with a diagnosis, scans and a couple of IVs. Life here is more routine. You will get 1 or 2 patients. First assessments, then meds, then talk about plan of care with the doctors on rounds, 1000 turn, 1200 turn, suction...

If you like a certain amount of routine, quick access to the doctors and a more intense focus on 1 or 2 patients, then ICU is a nice place to work.

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