New psych nurse but wanting ER

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Specializes in Psych.

I just got hired at a state hospital. I wanted the hospital because of the benefits & also because the ER is a trauma 1 hospital. I got into the hospital as a psych nurse & not a med/surg nurse or ER nurse. I am an EMT for a volunteer company & I worked in the ER as a nursing assistant at a community hospital and enjoyed that experience. Is it possible to go from psych to the ER or is psych so specialized that it's difficult to switch or cross train?

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).

As Neil Diamond sang, OWalrus, "Except for the name and a few other changes, you could talk about me- the story's the same one".

I was an NREMT in 1981, worked with a voluntary Emergency Corp, got my LPN in 1983, and hired as a psych nurse in '84. I went to OR as a scrub nurse in '86-'87, and eventually got a position in a small community hospital in 1992, right after working in a state hospital. I got my RN in 1990.

The hospital where I worked in psych sometimes pulled me to ER to help out or go on non-emergent runs, such as transporting patients to other facilities.

It seems that if one keeps their head in other areas of nursing, the transition isn't nearly as difficult.

Good luck to you, OWalrus!

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Whether your employer does it, I don’t know. However, on any given day, a huge number of people with mental health and/or substance misuse disorders end up in the ER. And of those who come to the ER for “physical” issues, many also have mental health and/or substance misuse disorders.

I would think not only is it possible, nurses with mental health training would be welcomed with open arms.

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Specializes in ICU/community health/school nursing.

One of my nursing school classmates started in psych, and now works the ED. Her skills are valued and prized especially with those recurring patients. Be where you are for a year and then see where you can go. Do whatever additional training you can that would make you better qualified when an ER position opens up (ACLS is one class, and there are probably others).

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Specializes in Psych.
Just now, ruby_jane said:

One of my nursing school classmates started in psych, and now works the ED. Her skills are valued and prized especially with those recurring patients. Be where you are for a year and then see where you can go. Do whatever additional training you can that would make you better qualified when an ER position opens up (ACLS is one class, and there are probably others).

I actually just paid for my ACLS/PALS & NRP training. I wanted to know if I can go for anything else. I was thinking of even continuing to volunteer as an EMT or volunteer as an RN somewhere during disasters or something so my resume will look really good. Thanks for the response also. I planned to stay 6-9 months but I would stay a yr or whatever.

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Specializes in ICU/community health/school nursing.

You might post the question to the Emergency Nurses specialty. Or better yet, pop on there and search. This has bound to have been asked and answered.

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Specializes in Psych.
10 minutes ago, ruby_jane said:

You might post the question to the Emergency Nurses specialty. Or better yet, pop on there and search. This has bound to have been asked and answered.

Thanks. I barely come here so I just posted at what I thought would just be closest.

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Hello,

Yes it is possible.

My first job out of nursing school was on a med surg floor/addiction medicine/med psych unit. I then worked on an acute psych unit, Ms- ortho/spine/onc, ms/tele/dou, psych ed, and now regular ED.

During this time, I got my MSN, psych board certification, shadowed acute care nurses on my day off in different units of the hospital, took a one year refresher course for new grads when I transitioned from psych to acute care, and different certs (acls, pals, ekg, nihss etc). I did what I could to show my department leadership that I would be a good fit as an ED nurse, regardless of where I started.


When I worked as a psych ED RN, I got to know the flow of the ED, patient population, ED nurses, mentored with a senior nurse who had a similar background, and did an ED internship program to become an ED RN. I work at a level 1 trauma center. I also helped the ED nurses with managing their patient loads such as giving meds, labs, vs, dispo, comfort measures- whatever I felt comfortable doing at the time, in addition to doing my job as a psych ed RN. I had a good reputation of being a hard worker and team player- which helped me when I applied for the ed internship program.

I also work per diem at another hospital on a med psych unit. The skills I learn from the ED allows me to be a resource in managing the care of this population and vice versa.

Your background as a emt and in psychiatry will be very valuable. There are a lot of psych patients that come in during an acute crisis, substance abuse, suicide attempts, for managing their medical comorbidities, as traumas, etc. knowing how to communicate and provide empathy with this population will be very valuable and make you a good ed nurse. Also, it is important to recognize psych patients are not experiencing a medical emergency prior to sending them to a psych hospital. In my opinion, some of the best and most compassionate ED nurses I know have a background in psychiatry.

best of luck to you! Stay patient and trust your journey.

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