New Grad PRN in the ED

[TarheelGirlx3]

Hey everyone...so I just graduated with my BSN (2nd degree) and will be starting out as a new grad in a coronary care unit in a few weeks. I will go through an initial 2 week general hospital/new grad orientation before moving to my floor for precepting and training, which will last 14 weeks. Really excited about this position! However, I am one that it used to going going and going! My nursing program was a 14 month accelerated program and was really demanding, but I liked it because it kept me busy. I am really wanting to apply for a PRN -ED spot at a small (and I mean very small) community hospital that is right here in my hometown. I worked there as a CNA on the med/surg floor prior to nursing school. The ED there has a total of 8 beds (yep...8!), so as you can imagine not a lot of complicated patients come in, and if they do they are immediately flown out. I say this to demonstrate that I am not putting myself into a situation of a lot of trauma, and I think that my experiences in the CCU and this ED would feed off of each other. I don't mean to say that I would go into the ED knowing everything there is to know, but because of the lower acuity levels I think it would be much more manageable vs. ED's that have formal 16 week+ new grad training. I have read threads on here that are split about whether or not a new grad should also work PRN. Just thinking that with this type of ED and the demand that would come from it, I could handle it. What are you guys thoughts?

[Oh'Ello, BSN, RN]

Figure out how to be a nurse with one job first. The ED and the ICU are vastly different places and you don't know how to do either yet. Even if you did full orientations on both, the day orientation is done... a new grad still basically knows nothing.

[scottaprn]

How will the ED be staffed if you work there? With only 8 beds will you have nurses to learn from or will you be learning on your own? You will probably find that there is a lower acuity when compared to a level 1 trauma center but you also won't be staffed like a level 1 trauma center.

I started out as a new grad in the ED and I can tell you the learning curve is STEEP- not impossible but steep.

If there is a strong support system and orientation it could be a good learning opportunity. If you are flying solo it is a recipe for a disaster. You will have a lot to learn in your CCU job so consider focusing on that first.

[TarheelGirlx3]

When I worked there I never saw less than 3-4 nurses in the ED, but of course it is dependent on Census. I would never be working alone. They are usually pretty nice to new grads and like to take people under their wing for a bit. Thanks for the input from both of you!