new grad in the ER?

depends on the hospital. Our hospital here allows new grads, some require 2-3 years or RN experience

:) good luck!

My hospital has an ED Academy for Recent Graduates. You go through 6 months of intense training and you're required to sign a 2 year contract in addition to the 6 months. It's one of the largest ED's in the state! I've had a few classmates who were hired to work in the ED in other local hospitals as well...so it varies per facility! I think they prefer you have ED experience as a nurse's assistant or maybe even experience as a nurse's assistant in an acute care setting.

One large (900 plus bed level one adult and pediatric trauma center) medical center in my area hires new grads in the ED. Before being hired, you must have your RN, BCLS (basic cardiac life support), and ACLS (advanced cardiac life support). You must be willing to get PALS (pediatric advanced life support), TNCC (trauma nursing core course), ENPC (emergency nursing pediatric course), NRP (neonatal resuscitation program), and BTLS (basic trauma life support) within one year of being hired.

I would highly recommend doing ACLS while in nursing school. I did it last month, and found it to be very easy compared to the nursing program. I will start third semester next month, and have about 11 months to go until I graduate from my program. After graduation I hope to get a new grad critical care residency at the hospital I just mentioned. I want to work in STICU (surgical trauma intensive care), CVICU (cardiovascular intensive care), or NSICU (neurosurgical intensive care).

In your case, I would also recommend doing PALS while in nursing school. I have no need for PALS, as I don't want to work in pediatric ICU, but I would get it if I thought I wanted to work in the ED. If you are certified in ACLS and PALS when you graduate, then you are much more likely to land a spot in the ED as a new grad. A lot of major medical centers have residencies for the ICU and ED, and they offer new grads a spot in them each year. Look for a hospital that offers an ED residency.

One large (900 plus bed level one adult and pediatric trauma center) medical center in my area hires new grads in the ED. Before being hired, you must have your RN, BCLS (basic cardiac life support), and ACLS (advanced cardiac life support). You must be willing to get PALS (pediatric advanced life support), TNCC (trauma nursing core course), ENPC (emergency nursing pediatric course), NRP (neonatal resuscitation program), and BTLS (basic trauma life support) within one year of being hired.

I would highly recommend doing ACLS while in nursing school. I did it last month, and found it to be very easy compared to the nursing program. I will start third semester next month, and have about 11 months to go until I graduate from my program. After graduation I hope to get a new grad critical care residency at the hospital I just mentioned. I want to work in STICU (surgical trauma intensive care), CVICU (cardiovascular intensive care), or NSICU (neurosurgical intensive care).

In your case, I would also recommend doing PALS while in nursing school. I have no need for PALS, as I don't want to work in pediatric ICU, but I would get it if I thought I wanted to work in the ED. If you are certified in ACLS and PALS when you graduate, then you are much more likely to land a spot in the ED as a new grad. A lot of major medical centers have residencies for the ICU and ED, and they offer new grads a spot in them each year. Look for a hospital that offers an ED residency.

you can get ACLS & PALS even if you are not an RN (licensed)? reason i ask is i know they involve medications and honestly speaking that crap wasnt even covered in school..at least not yet and were almost done.

thank god for a paramedic fiance, so read his acls/pals etc books for leisure *nerd* hahah

you can get ACLS & PALS even if you are not an RN (licensed)? reason i ask is i know they involve medications and honestly speaking that crap wasnt even covered in school..at least not yet and were almost done.

thank god for a paramedic fiance, so read his acls/pals etc books for leisure *nerd* hahah

good question..med students can do the ACLS, why not RN?

You can indeed do ACLS and PALS while in nursing school. As a nursing student, you have all the skills required to partake in these classes. You know how to start IVs, you can perform basic life support, you know about administering drugs, and you should know the basics of the heart and common rhythms.

I personally thought ACLS was a breeze, and I had no problems with it. If you're interested in pursuing the ED or a critical care unit after graduation, I would highly recommend going ahead and getting these certifications.

Where would one go to get PALS, ACLS, etc? I would definitely want to get those certificates while in nursing school because I believe it won't hurt and might make me more marketable as a new grad (potentially). I am just not sure where one would obtain them. Any suggestions would be appreciated

These are American Heart Association courses - you can call your local AHA office, and they should have lists of providers of the classes. Or you can Google for the certification in your area... there are several private companies here in D/FW that provide them for example that I found on Google. I'm graduating in December, and planning to take ACLS and PALS if I can in the fall. Back a number of years ago, when I was a paramedic, I used to teach ACLS at the hospital I was employed at. I figure it's changed a lot since then, but hopefully the concepts are the same. :)