How to get into trauma nursing

[braids]

I am a second semester junior in nursing school. I recently took a disaster relief class and it really inspired me. I have this summer off and I was looking for some sort of trauma or first response training that I could do in that time. Everything I find either requires a license first or costs thousands of dollars. My goal is to 1) keep me motivated, excited, and busy over summer break; 2) gain experience that will help me secure a job in the emergency/trauma or ICU; and 3) gain experience and knowledge that will help me if I should ever get the opportunity to assist in a disaster. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[nursephillyphil, BSN, RN]

why don't you try volunteering in the ED.

[sallyrnrrt, ADN, RN]

Or patient care technician in ED

[Wuzzie]

Would you mind clarifying what exactly you mean by "trauma nursing"? Yes, I know it means taking care of trauma patients but what do you envision doing? There are a lot of misconceptions out there regarding this subject.

[braids]

I work as a patient care tech on a med/surg floor now. i also recently took part in an international humanitarian disaster course. When I graduate I would like to work in the emergency dept. Eventually, I would like to be part of the trauma team as well. I know that takes experience and training. In addition, I would also like to get involved in an organization that provides medical relief in times of disaster such as tornado, earthquake, or hurricane just to name a few.

I guess I'm asking is there anything that I can do this summer to help me become more qualified to get hired on in the emergency department? I know it is highly competitive. I'm just looking to get some experience that makes me stand out from the rest.

I would also be interested in any training that would better prepare me to join an emergency response team in the future.

[Wuzzie]

Thank you for clarifying. There have been more than a few posts from people who want to work in the ED as a "trauma nurse" and only that. What they don't understand is if you work in the ED you are an ED nurse so you take care of all kinds of patients. If your facility has trained you to care for traumas you will get to take care of them but the larger percentage of patients you'll see are regular old ED patients. Even in the trauma ICU you'll get a mixed bag. You might want to start with the American Red Cross to see what they have to offer for disaster training. Maybe look at getting your EMT-B which would also give you job opportunities during nursing school and possibly might make an ED manager take notice. I say that because when I was hired in to the ED they actually included my years as a National ski Patroller when calculating my pay. Check out your local disaster response team.

[braids]

Thank you so much! That helps a ton!