FNP's in the ER

[Nelly, FNP]

Can FNp's work in the ER or would they have to obtain a post-masters certificate as an ED NP? How marketable are ED NP's and what are their relationships like with the MD's? ED RNS--do you work with many NP's? Your comments are appreciated.

[FNP grrl]

i'm an FNP (less than 2 years) with 12 years of diverse ER nursing experience before i got my FNP. i have worked as an FNP in urgent care and for a hospital in orthopedic services doing mostly ER call (admitting /consulting on orthopedic trauma patients primarily, with some inpatient responsibiliies).

as of last week, i was just offered a job to work with the ER docs' group in the fast track part of the ER--this is the same ER i worked at as a nurse for the past 7 years. the group consists of 20+ docs & one other FNP. i am very, very excited- this is truly a dream job for me.

i feel very ready & very prepared to take on this job- all my ER background makes a huge difference. in fact, my ER background was a big part of the reason i was hired for my other two FNP jobs--and of course, both of those jobs were excellent preparation for moving into the ER.

there is no special educational requirement, per se, for an FNP to work ER. in my opinion, however, ER, urgent care or EMS experience is a big, big plus. i am sure there are FNPs who have gone straight from school to ER without emergency experience & have done ok...but i would guess they are in a distinct minority.

if there had been an emergency NP program available in my area when i was ready to go back to school, i would have done that instead of FNP simply because i knew that i only wanted to do emergency medicine. however, the opportunity to go to FNP school presented itself so that's what i did. (there is not a lot in the way of master's level educational opportunities in my area). now i am glad i have my FNP because it is very flexible & marketable, should i ever decide to do something else (which i cannot imagine at this point!)

the FNP education itself didn't specifically train me for ER work--but i chose clinical rotations in both urgent care & ER which helped a lot.

i should add one more thing: i am convinced that my ER experience made FNP school somewhat easier for me than for some of my peers from more narrowly-focused nursing backgrounds-- in the ER, we really do see one of everything. all that exposure made a big difference, especially in pharmacology & pathophysiology.

edited to add that my relationship w/ the ER docs is fabulous- but of course i have known them for years. they LOVE their other NP & speak very highly of her.