ER vs M/S

Specialties Emergency

Published

Hello fellow nurses! I need lots of opinions. I have been a lpn on a medsurg floor for 9.5 years. I recently graduated and obtained my RN and am currently working in an ambulatory clinic. I want to leave the clinic because I don’t feel any job satisfaction since we use zero nursing skills. We triage like at a MD office and send them home. I have been offered a medsurg position and an ER position. I applied for medsurg because thats all I know as a LPN but not RN and I find its my comfort zone. I want to try ER but am terrified of the unknown! However, I want to challenge myself to do critical care nursing. In the future I would either like to teach nursing or become a NP. Any advice on which way to go? I have to give them a response by Friday?

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Can you shadow someone from both areas before Friday? I can't tell you what to do but for me I would go with the one that you think you will enjoy more. Your experience will come along the way. Hope that helps ? 

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I asked to shadow and was told no.

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Specializes in ER, Trauma, Med-Surg/Tele, LTC.

I would try to break out of my comfort zone and go to the ER. However, go in with the mindset that you're a new grad all over again... sometimes having experience in a different specialty for a long time can be a detriment rather than a strength. I worked in LTC, Med Surg, and ICU before going into the ER and ER nursing has such a different mindset and workflow than floor nursing. If you end up not liking the ER atleast you tried it and could go back to Med Surg not wondering what if. 

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10 hours ago, MomtaRN2B2020 said:

I asked to shadow and was told no.

Could you shadow at a different hospital maybe? 

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Specializes in ED.

The fact that you posted this in the ED nursing area makes me wonder if your mind isn't already made up in some way. ED nursing can be very challenging but I think its quite rewarding as well.

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I posted in ED and General but yes I am leaning more towards the ED!

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Maybe do ED then and the worst thing that could happen is that you find out that you don't like it and you won't choose it again. 

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If you're interest in being an ED nurse, take the ED job.  In general, ED positions are much harder to find/get hired into than med-surg positions.  If you try ED and decide it's not for you, you could likely easily transfer into med-surg, but the reverse is not necessarily true.

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Specializes in Emergency/med surg.

get out of that comfort zone!! leaving medsurg for the ED (I did love it but needed new challenges) best decision I ever made - I became so flexible and adaptable I would have never grown like that in medsurg -I learn something every single shift - ED is very fun -- and beauty of nursing if ED isn't the right fit you can always move to somethinh else 

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I chose the ER! Thanks for all your input!

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11 hours ago, MomtaRN2B2020 said:

I chose the ER! Thanks for all your input!

Keep us updated with how you are finding it ? 

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