Kudos to ER Nurses

[ttaylor20]

Recently, I have decided to switch from ER to ICU nursing. I have heard many times that you either love or hate ER- no in between. I find this to be true. After five months in the ER, I loathe it. I dread it when the radio sounds announcing a new ambulance coming soon. I dislike the fact that on some days I can't even spend a couple of minutes to really listen to my patients because I have a million tasks to complete or two ICU holds, or while I'm starting an IV or triaging a pt I'm interrupted by phone calls re: finding placement for my psych pt (after being denied three times by facilities). It irritates me that while I'm in the middle of a code, I have a pt's family member who is upset because I didn't help their spouse use the commode when their sitting right there or I took too long with that warm blanket while I'm running to get meds for pt who can't breathe. I hate the stress of being short staffed all the time but expected to meet all of the time constraints put in place by administration.

I will miss my brilliantly smart coworkers, with their wicked sense of humors! I will miss the teamwork and camaraderie. I have learned soooo much in a short amount of time!! ER NURSES ARE TRULY FABULOUS!!! I will always have nothing but the utmost love and respect for all ER nurses. Day in and day out, you come to work ready to jump right into the fire!!! You take abuse from pts, their family members, administration, docs, other floor nurses, and sometimes each other. But everyday, you show up ready to work and jump back into the fire. People seem to thing that ER nurses have it easy but I beg to differ- they are like magicians and miracle workers everyday, making the impossible, possible!!

ER NURSES ARE THE BOMB!!!

[GrumpyRN, NP]

No shame in admitting that ED is not for you, some nurses just hate it. 5 months is a very short time though. I always tell our new nurses, "It takes 6 - 12 months to turn an experienced nurse into an ED nurse".

What you hate about the ED is what others love about it.

If you have another job to go to then I hope it works out for you, if on the other hand you are only thinking about moving then perhaps give it some time. ICU will always be there but you may actually make a great ED nurse with a bit of time and experience.

God luck with whatever you decide.

[NurseOnAMotorcycle, ASN, RN]

Thanks! I'm in love with ER nursing. I can't see it changing anytime soon but you never know. I'm currently planning to be a "lifer" and be a 20 year vet of bedside ER nursing some day.

[RunnerRN2015, ASN, RN]

I'm a new grad RN who started in the ED at a crazy busy 70ish bed level 1 trauma center. It's been 2 months and holy cow it's been a wild ride! Some days are smooth and other days I'm one step away from crying in the corner from being completely overwhelmed. My co-workers are AMAZING, thank goodness. It's definitely baptism by fire!

[rearviewmirror, BSN, RN]

Thank you, ER is a special place; YOU conform to it, it DOES NOT conform to you :) having that said, I don't care to connect with patients, it's all about work work work and more team work down there. ER is a great fit for me, but it is not for everyone. Best wishes in the unit!\

[That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

I had an ICU nurse one time tell me as I was bringing up another admit "I don't know how you guys do it down there" I politely said come on down and give it a shot it is fun "No way, you are all cowboys with a red hot poker riding a bull all the time" Its a compliment and a very astute observation. I love that nature of what I do. But it isn't for everyone like you said so its a good thing you recognized that and are finding something else that hopefully you enjoy more.