How do I get in ER!!!!!!!!!!!!

Larry77, RN · Oct 11, 2009

Where I'm from it helps to work med/surg or tele floor first. My manager looks for some kind of hospital experience. Also they like you to have your certs (at least ACLS). There are a lot of hospitals that have intern programs as well but usually you have to know someone to get those in my experience. You'll get in but it might require you to work another dept for awhile.

Da_Milk_of_Amnesia, MSN · Oct 11, 2009

You can forget about getting into a ER with out a year of Med/Surg in New York. Apparent (as I found out) there is some BS regulation that says you need a year before you can go to an ED. I have 8+ years of EMS experience and they wont take me with that. So idk where you live but good luck. Some people survive the ED and some people fail miserably at it. If you have pre-hospital experience it will help you to some degree but what you'll hear over and over again is that the two are POLAR opposites, which ****** me off, but is true in some regards. Best of Luck.

babyNP., APRN · Oct 11, 2009

Try moving out of state; that's how I got my specialized area job (NICU).

puddle · Oct 11, 2009

Any suggestions on how to get a job in the ER? I will graduate this semester and I really want to wk in the ER. There are very few jobs even out there now. The only openings that I hear about are nrsing homes and with all do respect that is not where I want to work, mainly because I dont want the emotional attachment that comes with being with someone day in and day out.
What are traits that ER supervisors looking for? I am a older nurse and this is where I had always hoped I would end up.
Thanks!

Well, it depends what state you are in. There are hospitals that will do it, try to find one with a nurse residency program, one that will train you in ICU, maybe a stepdown unit, and then the ED. I have been an ER nurse for a while, and although the idea of starting on medsurg may not be appealing to you, trust me it will help!!! I see alot of nurses come work here with no nursing experience and it doesnt even occur to them that they are not getting it!! Some people definitely can do it though. Good luck!

MassED, BSN, RN · Oct 11, 2009

Any suggestions on how to get a job in the ER? I will graduate this semester and I really want to wk in the ER. There are very few jobs even out there now. The only openings that I hear about are nrsing homes and with all do respect that is not where I want to work, mainly because I dont want the emotional attachment that comes with being with someone day in and day out.
What are traits that ER supervisors looking for? I am a older nurse and this is where I had always hoped I would end up.
Thanks!

work on a floor for about a year, make friends, or at least contacts, of the manager or director in the ER. It takes a leap of faith to hire someone to work in an ER without experience - many (or most) of us had someone gives us a chance. I emailed the director, then asked for an interview, where I stated that I was the perfect candidate, the floor became mundane and boring and I needed more in my life. The ER was where I belonged and I've always known it. This director gave me a chance, and thank goodness. My floor experience was definitely a must - though some don't think so, but it is absolutely imperative to have an understanding of the admission process, daily meds, discharges, testing, and organizing of up to 6 patients. You learn so much and that is all the basis for moving to an ER. It's a whole other language and one where the basics are expected to be understood - that makes life easier in the transition to an ER. Good luck to you!

MauraRN · Oct 11, 2009

Depends on where you live. I am in Mass, was an LPN in sub-acute care, have a Bachelor's in another field, in grad school for MSN, have ACLS, PALS, TNCC. I had a nurse recruiter hand carry my resume to the Nurse manager of the ED, where they are desperate for nurses, even advertising in the paper. This woman was impressed with my resume but the manager so NO she has no experience. Recruiter pointed out my sub-acute care experience and certifications, manager said, an LPN is not a real nurse and she is a new RN, therefore a "new grad".

Moral of the story, don't plan on an ED career in Mass anytime soon.

Maureen, RN

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · Oct 11, 2009

to the op: you may not land an ed job right out of school for the simple fact that any nursing job is hard to come by. i understand your frustration, i in no way wanted to work anywhere but the ed out of school and ended up against my will on a medical surgical floor. i did not even stay a year! i found an ed job a short commute away and left. thus, my advice to you is to work where you can find a job and keep applying to eds until someone says "yes!" no matter how little experience you will gain in that time period.

also, do not worry; you will be ok in the ed because that is where you want to be!!! besides, i know of a few new grads who were complete idiots in nursing school. they still are not the brightest pennies in the bunch, but they walked right into the ed out of school and have not flunked off of the floor because of the support they are receiving. thus, i seriously doubt i will see them be transferred to a ms floor and i doubt that they will ever work on one....

to the more experienced ed nurses pushing medical surgical nursing on new grads:

medical surgical nursing is tough for new grads to grasp too! the new nurses you think do not understand basic nursing concepts within the ed or icu are the same nurses who will drown on a med surg floor. medical surgical nursing is not a place for the weak minded or the meek. medical surgical nursing is not a nice, quite, slow, etc. place to learn! in fact, if eds and icus transfer new grads to med surg and those same nurses manage to do well, i argue that those same nurses were capable of doing well in the ed and icu right out of school if they had the right training and support. otherwise, those same nurses should have been fired from the hospital setting all together. medical surgical nurses do not coddle their young!

speaking of which, why do you more experienced nurses keep pushing med surg on new grads that want to be emergency trauma nurses??? i know of very few ed and icu nurses with medical surgical nursing experience!!!! they all seem to have walked right onto an icu, pacu, or (this one kills me), ob (this one kills me even more because there is no med surg there), etc... floor right out of school before transferring. others walked right into the ed. therefore, how can you push a floor when you do not even know what it is like to work in that environment (please note, floating once in a while and/or working a specialty trauma unit does not count as true work/being trapped on a general medical surgical nursing floor).

however, if you more experienced nurses think new grads should start out in med surg because of the economy/competition, then say so. any other argument holds very little water! for example, medical surgical nursing did not teach me what i am training to do now, emergency and trauma nursing assessments and treatments. on the other hand, i grew some nursing thingies while working med surg, which i am able to use to stand up to the ed nurses that don't think i belong... so i guess it helped to work in that enviroment to some degree!

-new grad, who is finally in the ed and happy to be here!

MassED, BSN, RN · Oct 11, 2009

to the op: you may not land an ed job right out of school for the simple fact that any nursing job is hard to come by. i understand your frustration, i in no way wanted to work anywhere but the ed out of school and ended up against my will on a medical surgical floor. i did not even stay a year! i found an ed job a short commute away and left. thus, my advice to you is to work where you can find a job and keep applying to eds until someone says "yes!" no matter how little experience you will gain in that time period.
also, do not worry; you will be ok in the ed because that is where you want to be!!! besides, i know of a few new grads who were complete idiots in nursing school. they still are not the brightest pennies in the bunch, but they walked right into the ed out of school and have not flunked off of the floor because of the support they are receiving. thus, i seriously doubt i will see them be transferred to a ms floor and i doubt that they will ever work on one....
to the more experienced ed nurses pushing medical surgical nursing on new grads:
medical surgical nursing is tough for new grads to grasp too! the new nurses you think do not understand basic nursing concepts within the ed or icu are the same nurses who will drown on a med surg floor. medical surgical nursing is not a place for the weak minded or the meek. medical surgical nursing is not a nice, quite, slow, etc. place to learn! in fact, if eds and icus transfer new grads to med surg and those same nurses manage to do well, i argue that those same nurses were capable of doing well in the ed and icu right out of school if they had the right training and support. otherwise, those same nurses should have been fired from the hospital setting all together. medical surgical nurses do not coddle their young!
speaking of which, why do you more experienced nurses keep pushing med surg on new grads that want to be emergency trauma nurses??? i know of very few ed and icu nurses with medical surgical nursing experience!!!! they all seem to have walked right onto an icu, pacu, or (this one kills me), ob (this one kills me even more because there is no med surg there), etc... floor right out of school before transferring. others walked right into the ed. therefore, how can you push a floor when you do not even know what it is like to work in that environment (please note, floating once in a while and/or working a specialty trauma unit does not count as true work/being trapped on a general medical surgical nursing floor).
however, if you more experienced nurses think new grads should start out in med surg because of the economy/competition, then say so. any other argument holds very little water! for example, medical surgical nursing did not teach me what i am training to do now, emergency and trauma nursing assessments and treatments. on the other hand, i grew some nursing thingies while working med surg, which i am able to use to stand up to the ed nurses that don't think i belong... so i guess it helped to work in that enviroment to some degree!
-new grad, who is finally in the ed and happy to be here!

that is exactly the point. if you can handle working (and learning) on a m/s floor, you might be able to handle the fast pace, intense, and overwhelming er environment. m/s nursing provides a great foundation, also to learn about prioritizing and keeping on task. that is a learned skill and one that separates those that will sink or swim.

ps - i worked on a m/s, ortho/oncology for over a year.

jlcole45 · Oct 12, 2009

Bide you time and get floor experience. I know you want ED but in this market

it would be almost impossible for a new grad to get a job straight in ED.

I would strongly recommend a tele floor for the good

cardiac experience.

Really knowing cardiac is critical in an ED setting.

Good luck