New NURSE...Stuck between ER or Med Surg!

EDRN10 · Mar 2, 2012

I started in the ER as a new inexperienced RN. However I did have approx 6months of ER experience working in a student position in the ER. I personally don't think you can go wrong in either place as both will offer lots of unique experiences for you to learn and grow as a nurse. If you think you want to do ER before you make up your mind I would highly recommend at least job shadowing for a few shifts first. Ask which days of the week are typically the busiest and try to job shadow on those days. ER is not for everyone so try to make sure its going to be a good fit for you. Also make sure the ER offers a good training program for new nurses. Mine offered 4wks of classes along with 8wks of preceptorship that I felt was a big help in easing the transition into the RN role in the ER. Good luck in where ever you end up.

swtgal · Mar 2, 2012

Thanks for the reply!! :)

Having a 6 month ER experience..even as a student is very help and pretty awesome! I wish I had the opportunity to do that. Unfortunately, I need to let the managers know what I decide very soon so I will not have the chance to visit the ER and see what its like. I would like that though...it would give me a good feel of what the ER is like and what exactly goes on and how crazy it gets!

I was told there is a 90 day (3 month) period where I will but assigned a preceptor and I will be doing everything with her for these 3 months. After that, I will have a meeting with the clinical educator, manager, and director to see if I feel confident enough to move forward or if continued time with the preceptor is needed.

My main concern is not having much experience with skills....but then again, I know I will trained well. Maybe I should try making a pros/cons list and see what suits me better!

Again, thank you for the reply, I appreciate it much!

nurse2033, MSN, RN · Mar 2, 2012

Which environment suits your personality? If your hobbies are racing, mountain biking, rock climbing, martial arts, or first person shooter games I'd go with ER. If you like knitting, cooking, sunsets, coin collecting, or long walks on the beach I'd go with the med/surg job.

swtgal · Mar 2, 2012

You comment made me laugh b/c I like hiking, running, being on my toes but I also love sunsets, painting, baking, etc. :]

I feel like I could fit in both jobs! :uhoh3:

hiddencatRN, BSN, RN · Mar 3, 2012

I went in to the ED as a new grad. No patient care experience other than clinicals (no senior practicum, no working as a CNA/tech/EMT, nothing, nada, zilch). I think the key is having a good orientation and an environment that is supportive to new grads. The place I work offered both and I do not regret starting in the ED for a moment and I don't think my coworkers or managers regret having me here either Physical skills are pretty easy to learn, and you get plenty of practice on them. Assessment, knowing what to look for and developing a nursing spidey sense is harder, but not impossible.

In the end, it really depends on your personality and what you feel YOU need as a new nurse. Did you get a better vibe from one unit or the other? Did you have the opportunity to shadow with each unit and if not, can you ask to shadow?

Does the idea of potentially having the same patient assignment over 3 days fill you with a sense of satisfaction in getting to know your patient really well and be with them through a major chunk of their hospitalization, or does it fill you with a sense of horror at the thought of having to deal with the same patients for EVAR? I think for the right kind of people, floor and tele and ICU positions can be exciting. Me, I get sick of patients quickly, so even if they're doing crazy interesting things, more than 4 hours with them and I am on the doctor's case to get rid of them (so what's going on with room 12, are they going home, coming in, what what what let's just get them moving along). Even the super sweet and awesome patients I am tempted to take home with me.

Are you a cowboy or a farmer? Love em and leave em or long term relationship? Malcom X or Martin Luther King Jr (wait....I'm getting confused.....)?

Editorial Team / Moderator · Mar 3, 2012

I went into the ED as a new grad RN, but with nearly 4 years of experience as a tech in the same ER, as well as 5 years of experience as a paramedic. Everyone is different ... I have seen new grads thrive and others remain overwhelmed. Good luck in making your choice!!

swtgal · Mar 3, 2012

LunahRN, you certainly have much more experience than I do which makes me think maybe I should start with Med-Surg first. I understand with the ER, I will either love it or hate it!...thank you for the post! :]

whichone'spink, BSN, RN · Mar 5, 2012

Whatever you think you can handle. Can you handle 6+ patients (emphasis on the +) for 12.5 hours every night? With no staff to back you up? Because that is what med-surg is like, and it sucks. Hopefully the ER has adequate staff, and from what I've seen working in the ER, yes it is adequately staffed. More people want to work in the ER than med-surg, that says a lot. I would personally choose the ER if I had the choice.

swtgal · Mar 7, 2012

hiddencat,

i replied to your post and i have no idea where it went! i wanted to thank you for your post! it was very helpful! i did get a better "vibe" from med-surg. the manager and staff just seemed nicer and i felt like i would fit in better with them. something kept telling me to go with that positon so that's actually what i did! & it all worked out b/c the director of the er also said they wanted someone with experience and once i have experience i can reapply for the er position!

lol to your "

are you a cowboy or a farmer? love em and leave em or long term relationship? malcom x or martin luther king jr" comment! i was starting to get confused as well, hehe :]

thanks again!

JesseJ · Mar 7, 2012

I was in your same position back in June after I graduated from school. I worked as a nurse technician for 1 year on a med-tele floor and was immediately offered a position as an RN. I had to wait over a week to hear back about my ER interview but received an offer there. I thought about what I had seen working on the med-tele floor and ran the other way.

For me choosing ER was the best possible thing I could have done. In less than 8 months I have seen more than I would have on med-tele in 5 years. I was scared out of my mind that I would kill a patient for the first 6 months. Just over the last month I feel like I am finding my groove and absolutely love it. If you enjoy an intellectually challenging and fast-paced environment ER is the way to go.

swtgal · Mar 7, 2012

Thanks JesseJ!

I actually accepted the med-surg/tele position! The ER was also looking for something with a little more experience than me. I'll look into transferring to the ER once I have worked for a few months! :]

Glad the ER worked out well for you! I know its a GREAT learning experience b/c you never know what you're going to get! ER a unit I do want to experience working at one day, maybe right now it's just not the time! Again, Thanks! :)