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

[swtgal]

Hello my fellow Nurses!

I'm confused . I interviewed for a Med/Surg/Tele position and after interviewing with several people, I was offered the job on the spot. Today, I had an interview for an ER position. I felt that the interview went pretty well and I find out on Monday if I got the job or not. Now IF the ER hires me as well, I don't know what to go for.

I just want some opinons/advice for this matter...maybe your experiences can help me put things into perspective. If you were a new nurse (with no experience) how did you like the fast paced, you-never-know-what-you're-going-to-get ER environment?

Thank you all in advance :)

[nurseap]

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! :)

Congratulations! In this job market I'm impressed by your ability to land those interviews and the job! May I ask where you're located?

[swtgal]

Thank you!!!

I'm in Austin, TX! I graduated in December 2011 and was having a hard time finding a job and then out of the blue I got a few phone calls for interviews for a couple of positions all in like two weeks...it was very weird and unexpected lol. I know Austin definitely does not have a shortage of nurses. It took a few of my friend from 6-8 months to find a job. I'm just very thankful..I was ready to take any position offered lol

[WesClinicRN, MSN, NP]

swtgal,

If you ever think you want to work ER, do it now. I worked MedSurg for 3 years to try to "get my skills." When I tried to switch to ER, there never seemed to be an opening, or they would take new grads in front of me. And it was not just me, I had many other nurses tell me the same thing. They said that they literally had to quit the company and lose their seniority to be able to get jobs in different departments. Now, this may only be at the hospitals I worked at but I doubt it.

And as far as skills go, you will get MUCH more and BETTER experience working in the ER than you ever would on a Medsurg floor, mainly because you will be taught the right way to get it done the first time without wasting time.

TRUST ME, go ER! :-) Later, you will be glad you did.

[brainkandy87]

I went into the ER after working a step down/tele unit for about 8 months. I wanted ER starting out but didn't get the job. Cardiac was my weakest subject in school, so I'm actually glad I did SDU first. Tons of cardiac stuff in ER, really need to know your rhythms, drips, etc. If you're someone that adapts easily, hop into ER and have the time of your life, I love every day I work. If you think you'll have trouble with time management, head to the floor and learn that. It's an essential skill for the ER.

[swtgal]

Hey WesClinicRN!

I didn't get an offer from the ER...they wanted someone with experience b/c they had already hired several new grads/nurses a few months ago! :/

I hope I don't have trouble when I try switching! Seems like I probably will! Thank you for your post though! I'll keep what you said in mind!

[swtgal]

Hey brainkandy87! ()

Your situation sounds similar to mine! Hopefully after gaining good experience on the med-surg/tele unit I'll be confident and great with cardiac patients which will prepare me for the ER! Cardiac isn't my strongest subject either but it's fascinating and I like it! My new job will be challenging and a great learning experience for me so I'm excited (& nervous! lol).

Thanks for the post! :)