what makes you a good ER nurse?

TazziRN, RN · Nov 4, 2006

Skill level....I've always been in the ER

Personality: when I first started I did not have the right personality for it. I was shy and had grown up sheltered. Within a year I was a different person. I had to change in order to survive. I am not afraid to speak up, either in my defense or a pt's.

CritterLover, BSN, RN · Nov 4, 2006

i am really, really, really good at multi-tasking. for example, i can talk on the phone, enter information into the computer, tell the paramedics where to put an ambulance patient, and answer a doctor's questions all at the same time.

i can do a basic, focused assessment in less than two minutes. and i can complete most of it while walking (or wheeling) a patient from the waiting room to their bed.

when i get really busy, i completley forget how full my bladder is and how long it has been since i last ate/drank something. i can also forget about that pounding headache.

i don't tend to panic. i think quickly on my feet. i ask questions when i don't know. i'm very good at trouble-shooting.

i can sift through a pile of info that the patient/family gives me, and make some sort of sense from it and figure out what is important and what isn't.

i learn very well from mistakes -- mine and others.

Rio, ASN, RN · Nov 4, 2006

when i use to work in the Er i could stay out of the way. i didn't have to be involved in every trauma or cardiac arrest. if you need help, great, i'm there for you. otherwise i would just go about picking up the patients that needed it and try to keep things flowing.

LZRN · Nov 4, 2006

this sounds about right. i am a new grad in the er for three months now and can see this happening to me, although the transformation can be a slow and painful process. i start at 7am and next thin i know it's 2 or 3pm and i have'nt eaten lunch, grap a bite and the next thing i know it's 7pm and time to go home. i love this pace and would have it no other way! knowledge is power, the sooner you build your knowledge base, the better off you'll be!

i am really, really, really good at multi-tasking. for example, i can talk on the phone, enter information into the computer, tell the paramedics where to put an ambulance patient, and answer a doctor's questions all at the same time.

i can do a basic, focused assessment in less than two minutes. and i can complete most of it while walking (or wheeling) a patient from the waiting room to their bed.

when i get really busy, i completley forget how full my bladder is and how long it has been since i last ate/drank something. i can also forget about that pounding headache.

i don't tend to panic. i think quickly on my feet. i ask questions when i don't know. i'm very good at trouble-shooting.

i can sift through a pile of info that the patient/family gives me, and make some sort of sense from it and figure out what is important and what isn't.

i learn very well from mistakes -- mine and others.

scrmblr · Nov 5, 2006

I am growing into an ER nurse every day:) I didn't start with exactly the right personality for it either. I used to believe anything anyone told me:lol But now? I don't believe a damn thing ANYONE tells me;) I can multi task very well too. I didn't realize my adhd would come in handy someday.

Plus, I like doing the skills involved in being a good ER nurse. I LOVE to start IV's. I don't mind intubating bladders or putting down an NG or foley in. I like to have a bunch of "balls in the air" and I really like to work directly with the doc's.

Lurksalot, BSN, RN · Nov 6, 2006

Good organization & prioritization skills, and the humility to ask/find answers if I am not sure of something.

Jen2 · Nov 7, 2006

Assertiveness not aggressiveness. being blunt not mean. The wheels are always turning in my head. I work with the doctors to figure out what is going on. I actually go and review the films with the docs. I assess by eyeballing someone from across the room, and then more detailed later. The biggest thing is a sick personality and a twisted sense of humor. I have yet to meet a ER nurse that couldn't put a drunken sailor to shame.

Trauma Columnist · Nov 7, 2006

Hmm...experience (10 years in a level one trauma center), ability to know what's emergent (ie what I need to act on) and what can wait. The best attribute though is definitely having a sense of humor.

This will carry you through everything!!! (Only ER RN's can laugh and joke while cleaning GI bleed poo from the walls!)

My ER experience has prepared me too for just about anything. Not much rattles me anymore.

treborhon · Nov 7, 2006

how to do a quick assessment?Lets say in about 3minutes or less?Im new here.Im a nursing student...

LeahJet, ASN, RN · Nov 7, 2006

A sense of humor and thick skin.

NewERLPN · Nov 7, 2006

In the last 2 years I have learned how to really advocate for my patient. Even if it means ruffling some feathers or having a doc be completely rude.