Nursing Assistant

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I'm going to be starting the nursing program in the fall of 2001 (BSN). I would like to get into an ER when finished with school (not immediately). I am a certified nursing assistant and also have worked as a health unit coordinator. Is there anything I could be doing now that would be advantageous to my future ER career?

It is great that you already have some experience as a unit coordinator and cna. This really helps both to help you get to know how things are done and also so that once you are a nurse you know what is involved in other jobs on the unit.

You might want to try to find a job as an ER tech. They usually love to have nursing students, you could see what it is really like to work in an ER plus gain valuable experience.

Good Luck!

The ER tech is the way to go if you want to work in the ER as a nurse. I'm a BSN student and I work in the ED of a Level I Trauma center. The experience is invaluable. Because I'm in school, the nurses let me really get in there and help them as well as grab me when something interesting is happening. I think working in the ED as a tech helps you get used to the pace and the fact that you can go from a casual pace to running around like crazy in just a few seconds. The ED has really helped me develop my assertiveness skills as well, because you frequently have to deal with psych pts., drunks, etc. It's also cool to see so many different types of patients and problems. Good luck!

hi chloe614, just wanted to tell you how much working in the ER has given me great knowledge in the medicine field. Most of the time i know what to do for the patient before the nurses know, especially the new grads. I have been an er tech for 4 years now and will hope to start in the Nursing program soon. I enjoy the adrenaline of the er, if i had to work on the floors I would definitely be bored.haha I have seen it all too, from a cracked chest to massage the heart with my hand to doing an ICP. It is very rewarding and once you are in their you are hooked. Floor nursing is boring but can be rewarding i guess.... er tech dpiocuda

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