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UWorld! Passed last year in 75 Q. Youtube has some great accounts for refreshers.

Oh no, that's a terrible reputation! I can understand not wanting to go there if that's the stigma in your hospital. Maybe switching institutions would be best if you decide on ER route. But I know, covid is ruining it all! IV skills are something you can build up, we put in so many a day you would get a lot of practice and that's the best way to get better! Don't let that hold you back if you ever decide to try it ?

I had a great experience in my fellowship. It was 10 weeks of classroom didactic experience, followed by about 5 months of preceptorship. When first starting on the floor with my preceptor, I felt like I would never be able to be on my own. They started us with taking 1-2 patients, then 3-4, etc. building up our independence with tasks and such. I feel like I learned so much on fellowship and I felt OK to go out of my comfort zone with things because I knew I had my preceptor to ask questions and such. Now, I feel prepared to handle more of those things that were "out of my comfort zone" as a brand new nurse. I had a really good preceptor who would ask me questions and "quiz" me throughout the day which helped me critically think and make those connections so I wasn't just tasking. They tried to get us to see as much as possible on fellowship and if there was ever something rare or cool, other preceptors would share with us, show us the patient, etc. I think the fellowship was crucial for helping me transition in the ED. Some floors you can get away with a less extensive orientation, but for critical care settings like this, I think it's so important. After being off preceptorship and being on my own, I felt nervous but prepared. I still ask for help and ask questions, but there's always a more experienced nurse around to answer. Some days are harder than others on your own, but that will be with anything. Highly recommend a fellowship program if you're able to do one.

If you enjoy codes and emergencies, blood and guts, maybe the ER is for you. Worth looking into if your hospital or others in your area are hiring.

Do you like fast-paced, intense, sometimes very stressful, quickly-changing environments? If so, the ER would be good for you. If not, do not do ER. NICU is great, sometimes hard to go to adults afterwards, a lot of people will stay with neonates/peds afterwards. If you like kids and critical patients, this would be good for you. Very specific though. Med/Surg will be the most general option out of all of these for you. You can go anywhere after it. Great starting place for new nurses to build skills and learn to manage your time. You could make it more specific and try for a respiratory, ortho, GI, etc unit if you like something in particular. All of these choices are quite different. If possible, apply for all and see what opportunities arise. In the meantime, do some self reflection and really think about what you want in your career. What do you envision your dream job like?

Most externships are held during the Summer between junior and senior year of your nursing program. I'm not sure what will be happening with them due to COVID, but they usually are posting online as job postings on hospital's career websites. Best to search by hospital and look on their career sites, or search nursing pages to see if they have info about it. You can also call HR. I found it better to search by hospital rather than just googling "nurse externship _____ area". I would also suggest trying to do a nurse assistant/PCA type of position in the meantime if the externship isn't working out. Like the other reply mentioned, you can keep this job year round and it often leads to jobs down the road. It will be very good experience either way and can help you decide what area of nursing you like or what you want on your floor. Best of luck!

Hey! I work in an ED and did a fellowship program right after graduation with a lot of interviews too. Know your strengths and weaknesses, be able to back it up with experience or short example. Have stories for different situations/patients. For example, most memorable patient. Most complicated/complex patient. Most difficult/challenging. A time when you didn't agree with policy and what do you do. Proudest moment (don't say graduating nursing school unless you have a crazy story). They LOVE to ask situational "Tell me a time when...". For ED, they may ask you to prioritize patients. They'll give you patient A, B, C. Give chief complaints, then ask you who you would see first. (Go back to basics for this). Know about any big projects or research you did. Honestly, think of things that make you unique. I worked at Pier 1 while in college and I had this on my resume. Surprisingly enough, I got asked about this on more than one interview. Who knew that would come in handy? Well, it shows customer service, personality, time management, commitment, etc. Think of those things in your life. For the ED, I got asked what is the most adventurous thing I ever did...which is a funny question to ask on a job interview, but they want to see your personality. Me and the 5 (yes 5...) people interviewing me ended up talking about the farms in Italy I visited and making home made mozzarella cheese. Left that interview feeling great, got the job. Make your personality known! They want to see if you fit in with their team. Best of luck to you!

Only other thing we will do (except for pain management, proper elevation of head, etc.) would be BP management with cardene. Unless neurosx has suggestions on case by case basis.

Hey! I started in the ED as my first job and it was a fellowship program. The first 10 weeks was classroom instruction and we got ACLS, PALS, TNCC (we're level 1 trauma also), followed by months of preceptor training. We got to spend 1 day in the SICU as a part of this, and a couple shifts at the children's hospital since we see peds, too. My training was pretty extensive and I'm very appreciative of it. If I were you, I would speak to your nurse educator and express your concerns. Maybe make a list of things that have gone on in which you do not feel comfortable with and see if they can teach you or have resources. Part of my fellowship included online modules through AACN and one on conscious sedation. I know some are free online and some aren't (maybe your institution would pay for some or reimburse?). I know RNs can insert NG/OG tubes under scope of practice, but at my hospital the providers do it. Again, I would speak to your educator to see what is expected of RNs in your ED and what resources are available. Best of luck to you!

Hey! I work in a large hospital that is a Level 1 trauma center and comprehensive stroke center. I completed an ED fellowship here last year right after graduation from a BSN program. I wanted the same as you - level 1 traumas and to see it all. I live in NY close to the city so there were a lot of options of hospitals (not sure where you're located). I wanted to start my career in a top ED because I wanted to be able to go anywhere after it. They always say you're a sponge your first year of nursing, so I wanted to take advantage of that. The ICU is very similar but also very different than the ED. If your heart is with emergency medicine, then start there. The SICU sees patients after we work them up in the ED, so it would be helpful for you to see the continuum of care, BUT it's a different situation being a nurse for them when they first come in to the ED. I do not think you will be at a disadvantage if you start out in a non-trauma setting. You can always work your way up. Starting at the hospital you were offered a position at will definitely not put you at a disadvantage. Best of luck to you!