OR TO ER? Help?!

[ChristyJ]

I have officially been an OR nurse for almost 7yrs now🤤😱. I can't even get over that lol. I'm looking to broaden my horizons, is the ED a good choice for me? Yes, I know OR and ER are different beasts...but the adrenalin and chaos im very familiar with. I think if I were to choose anything else I'd be bored. My institution has a training program I applied for...thanks everyone!

[shaunrn]

ER will obviously be a culture shock, but your ACLS skills will be utilized. You should absolutely take the risk and try it out, especially if you want to and your facility offers training. You will know a little bit about everything and not everything about anything (unless you want to!) The physicians will most likely be a lot nicer, at least in my experience they have been, love the ER!

[campesina]

I think the ER is a shock to anyone, ranging from experienced ICU nurses to med-surg nurses to brand to grads. It's very fast paced and you have to be on your toes, and also the learning curve is immense. But with all of that being said, I'm sure you can do it! Like shaunrn mentioned too, ER doctors are typically much more pleasant to work with than surgeons. Give it a shot, and if you don't like it, you can always go back to the OR or try a new specialty!

[mmak]

Go for it! It's a fun environment and honestly, as long as you're not totally incompetent, you should be able to swim with a little help from your friends. I hope you love ED - it's the best!

[tigerlogic]

Two of our best ER nurses came from the OR, that said the newest one really took to training with the attitude that he was a like new grad and was starting from scratch. I think that humility really helped him become great in ER as a new specialty. Expect to be overwhelmed at first and study hard and have a great time.

Have fun!