2 job offers..ER VS CDU

[bhayes4]

Hey guys! So I've beena nurse for a yearand my passion has always been to work in the emergency room. I work at a small hospital and was offered an ED position there. The same day I was also offered a position at a level 1 trauma center ED but the position is for the CDU (which is in their ER) due to me only having the 1 year experience. They said it is a good stepping stone to get into ED in that facility but I just don't know which one to take! HELP!!!!!

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

The level 1 for sure to get the best experience. you can always go do the small one later.....

[rearviewmirror, BSN, RN]

I was in CDU before I transferred to ER. From my experience, I didn't learn much from CDU. It's typically a place where you hold patients for couple hrs and then you let them go home. no one acute there, so you won't earn much critical experience. Small ER is small ER but you will learn the flow of ER and grow your frame as ER nurse; when you try to move from small ER to bigger ER, the managers will probably like that you have ER experience from small ER rather than that from CDU.

[bhayes4]

Even if it's just the clinical decision unit rather than the main ED??

[AZQuik]

If someone is in our CDU and is worth their salt they usually get cross trained to the ED once they prove themselves a bit. Much less than a year.

BSN GCU 2014. ED Residency

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[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

Yes. Get the foot in the door with CDU and then work your way into ER. Level 1 experience will be worth it I would think.

[JMCP]

Good stepping stone since you are a new grad is HR and management lingo for: How due I paint this position in a pretty light so as to fill the position cause no one seems to want or desire to work it?

That is totally craziness, to say that because you have one year, you can't learn to work at a trauma 1? excuse me? I just got hired as a new grad for county. Sure my training is super long and I will first start in a med surg for a few months.... but! they are willing to fork the cash out to train me so I will be a Trauma 1 ED nurse.

from experience, I've noticed that HR and management at other hospitals pushed to fill positions less desired. So, i declined them because i refused to work in an area that I didn't feel interest in...

so I say, stay in the small ER and learn there. Unless the trauma 1 wants to hire you for ED. this whole business of stepping stones is not going to happen. Watch, the time will come for you to want to transfer and they will always chose an experienced nurse that they don't need to train over you.

[tarotale]

I agree with JMCP. Be aware, I made mistake of choosing ms over icu as a GN just to learn the "stepping stone" and jesus how hard it was to get out of it and get ER position. Go to the ER if u want ER.

[Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN]

I agree, ER is ER whether small or large. CDU is not ER. Be careful of the "dangling carrot"- the "stepping stone" lure, if you will. I've known plenty of nurses to fall for it and end up getting stuck.