ER or Trauma Nurse

[chicagoboy]

For those who work in the Emergency department, when a trauma level patient arrives, who usually takes care - ER nurse or Trauma nurse?

Just curious here, thanks for any input.

[turnforthenurse, MSN, NP]

Everybody takes care of trauma patients. There is really no such thing as a designated "trauma nurse" in the ED. We have designated trauma rooms but those rooms are also used for other critical patients because they are larger than the other exam rooms so we can essentially have traumas in any room. There are, however, trauma certifications - TNCC through the ENA and recently the BCEN has been developing a TCRN (trauma certified registered nurse) certification.

[MassED, BSN, RN]

I think that trauma nurses and ER nurses are the same thing. BUT, also, I think you can find trauma nurses on certain floors throughout the hospital but have provide different levels of care. For example, I work at a level one trauma center and I literally just started on the SICU, which is specializes in trauma. So, technically the SICU nurses are considered trauma nurses. Also, we do also have a trauma patient care unit (ICU stepdown), so they are considered trauma nurses too. But all honesty, you can find trauma people throughout. I worked on a surgical patient care floor (some of the nurses called it the 'trauma stepdown') and had a good amount of the trauma group's patients... then again they liked to send us a mix of everything surgical.

I agree with your descriptions, but in my setting, when a fresh trauma

arrives in the ER in the trauma bay, the team that is there are : the trauma team, nurses, MD's, etc. So trauma bay = trauma nurses of the ER. Though not all ER nurses work in the trauma bay.

[ZooMommyRN, ADN, RN]

I agree with your descriptions, but in my setting, when a fresh trauma

arrives in the ER in the trauma bay, the team that is there are : the trauma team, nurses, MD's, etc. So trauma bay = trauma nurses of the ER. Though not all ER nurses work in the trauma bay.

In my current department all nurses must be able to work an assignment or trauma, we rotate the resus assignment every 4-8 hrs (7a-11a the resus & triage nurse are one person). In my first ED we had 3 nurses until midnight then only two so you had to be able to work the bays all the time.

[Lev, MSN, RN, NP]

I don't work in a trauma center, so when we do get a trauma they are usually bad i.e. in cardiac arrest and it's all hands on deck.

[badmama72]

in my facility, which is a level 1 trauma center, we have designated trauma resuscitation nurses, 2 on days and 2 on nights. generally speaking, one is the scribe and one is at the bedside. sometimes, in a particularly bad trauma, both nurses are at the bedside and we will have one of our fellow ER nurses scribe for us. when we are not busy with trauma patients, we float in the ER, help out in the ICU, start IV's throughout the hospital, transport ICU patients to their morning repeat head CT's, perform tertiary surveys, perform education with our patients and families, etc. apparently we are not the norm, having designated trauma nurses, but it is a wonderful role. we also follow our patients to the OR and assist anesthesia with running rapid infusers. we are required to have ACLS, PALS, TNCC, and generally ICU experience...although we have a few staff members who have not ever worked in ICU (we do a lot of ICU holding in the ER, and we are also a comprehensive stroke center, so our ER nurses are pretty well rounded).

i enjoy reading everyone's responses and hearing about how things are done outside of my little bubble!!! :)

[javee]

Hi Chicagoboy!

i was just wondering if you still have contacts for Dr Martin? I am planning to take her review class but the number they have online is out of service. Or maybe you know how can I contact them. I apologize for the trouble but I have been researching about her review but couldn't find any link or info about it. So I'm tying my luck with you. Thanks in advance.