If you had to do it over again

rearviewmirror, BSN, RN · May 28, 2016

3 yr RN, 1.5 yr ER. I will choose anything but nursing if I could go back to my college years (engineering likely)

Editorial Team / Moderator · May 28, 2016

8 years RN, 8 years ER. Wouldn't change a thing! Happy with where I am and what I'm doing. Though I should have become a nurse much earlier in adulthood, but whatever â€” even my previous career is useful in my current role.

Lev, MSN, RN, NP · May 29, 2016

I've been nursing 3.5 years, 1.5 years in the ER. I like where I am right now. Although I don't plan on being a career ER nurse, I like the daily challenges I am faced with. There is always more to learn. I work on the adult side and have no kiddie experience so I would like to try crosstraining to the peds ED.

pockunit, ADN, RN · May 29, 2016

8 years RN, 8 years ER. Wouldn't change a thing! Happy with where I am and what I'm doing. Though I should have become a nurse much earlier in adulthood, but whatever â€” even my previous career is useful in my current role.

THIS. If I'd gone to nursing school much before I did, I wouldn't have made it through. Do I wish I'd had my poop together earlier so that I'd be better at my job than I am now? YEP. But since I wasn't ready, it wouldn't have benefited me.

I'm new to ED, but have done bedside/community health since '12 and everything I've learned has been useful in the ED. Even my non-nursing degree has been helpful.

You are where you are when you are and there's not much use in wishing you'd done things differently, because you didn't. But I look at these Doogie Howser, RN kids coming right out of college and think about how much they will know by the time they're my age, and I feel a little bad. BUT. I have a lot of life experience on them, and a lot of critical thinking skills that they don't, so it probably evens out. Plus, my car is paid for and I don't have any nursing school debt. Also, I can drink them under the table so

Editorial Team / Moderator · May 29, 2016

You are where you are when you are and there's not much use in wishing you'd done things differently, because you didn't.

Yep. I have a line in my signature here that says "The road not taken might have led to this exact point." I got that in a fortune cookie about 15 years ago, when I was an EMT in paramedic school. I have always enjoyed that idea.

amzyRN · May 29, 2016

I just started in the ER after about 3.5 years of floor nursing. I've done cardiac, surgical, med/surg, but always wanted to work in the ER. I finally took the plunge and am on orientation now in a very busy ER. I finally have the opportunity to use my brain and don't feel like a glorified waitress and med dispenser the way I felt on the floor. If I could go back, I would have switched to the ER sooner. I look forward to a long career in the specialty and have no regrets.

pockunit, ADN, RN · May 29, 2016

I just started in the ER after about 3.5 years of floor nursing. I've done cardiac, surgical, med/surg, but always wanted to work in the ER. I finally took the plunge and am on orientation now in a very busy ER. I finally have the opportunity to use my brain and don't feel like a glorified waitress and med dispenser the way I felt on the floor. If I could go back, I would have switched to the ER sooner. I look forward to a long career in the specialty and have no regrets.

Are you me? This is what I did, too. Well, straight float but time on all the med-surg floors as well as mother-baby. I chose all my rotations based on what I thought would be useful to me in the ED and so far, so good. I was planning on waiting another year to apply but there was a position I could not pass up, so here I am. Never thought I'd get it, so it was quite a shock when I got the call for the interview and the job offer. Despite the chaos and cranky coworkers and changes afoot, I'm really glad I made the move, although I do not look forward to ever training for charge.

It's like super-float: you never know what's coming through the door, what your assignment will be, or how your day will go, but you do know what floor you'll be on. It's attention-deficit theater!

bgxyrnf, MSN, RN · May 30, 2016

I'm a new grad looking to get into emerg, and I'm really interested to hear what everyone has to say when thinking back on their career in emerg nursing.
How long have you been nursing? 7 years
Emerg nursing? 6 years
What decisions would you do all over again? I'd get into the ED as soon as possible. Floor nursing confers no experiential advantage that I can discern.
What would you change? Get into a large, urban ED as soon as possible.
Starting off all over, what would you do?

There's my answer.

And to address the response by an earlier poster, I *was* an engineer for many years and consider the jump to nursing as one of the best decisions that I've ever made (and being north of fifty, I've made a lot of them).

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · May 30, 2016

My answers:

*Almost 4 years as an RN (7 years LPN previously), 1.25 years as a ED RN.

* I wouldn't change a thing...all of my journeys in nursing has allowed me to put good use of my knowledge to my patients.

In terms of starting all over, I would probably have never declined a full ride and would've been an NP working in the ED, but then I wouldn't have this great knowledge, learned each aspect of nursing levels, and skills that transcend specialties, which helps keep me with some essential tools at hand in my position-Pixie summed it up very nicely! :yes:

I plan on staying in this specialty for the long haul and enjoy it immensely.

**NickiLaughs, ADN, BSN, RN** · May 31, 2016

I was an LVN first for 3 years. Variety of gigs. Then did 3 years of ICU. Realized I hated it, went to a case management job for my mental health and then finally got my butt in the ER where I belonged. I've been in ER for 3 1/2 years. I don't regret the ICU experience. It is very useful when I have the super sick patients. I don't shy away from the drips or the vent. :)