K1,RN

Thanks! No offense taken :) I have had several people (including nurses) take a look at and edit my resume, but a few more wouldn't hurt. So far though, it seems the problem mostly is what I can't put on it (without lying lol); actual ER experience. Hence my question as to which additional experience is likely to help more. The idea to shadow a nurse is good too. I've always been told that shadows, clinicals, etc are like working interviews--even if they aren't hiring. Thank you!

Great pep talk :) Problem so far is, I have applied (many, many times) and not been accepted. So I'm looking for additional experience, certifications, etc to make my resume more full/appealing to HR/ER managers.

I should clarify, the EMT part would be as a paramedic assistant in a rural area that has EMT-IV techs

I really want to work in ER. Not a new grad, not a passing interest. ER is what I want. I graduated in an economy (hiring) slump so ended up settling for primary care family practice where I have been for 3yrs. Two options readily available to enhance my acute care experience are to pick up hours at an affiliated urgent care, and/or take an EMT class and volunteer as medical-only at my local fire station. Which would you advise? Or both? And anything else I can or should do? I have certificates for ACLS, PALS, PEARS and NIHS (stroke assessment). My developed/trained skills include triage of adults and pediatrics, time management, interdisciplinary communication, care coordination, facilitating staff and patient education, and task-y nursing interventions such as IV starts, blood draws, wound care (acute and chronic), injectable medications, immunizations, ear washes, and assist with I&D. The triage I referred to near the top is over the phone to determine disposition of hospital, clinic, or home care advice as well as in-person walk-ins for acute symptoms including shortness of breath, chest pain, and altered mentation. Solid advice for better shaping my career trajectory would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Alternate phrasing: "I want to transition to the hospital because I want to work with a well-structured team to focus on providing a smaller number of high-acuity patients with the high quality, compassionate, patient-centered care they deserve."

I need help with phrasing my cover letter. I graduated in 2011, job searched for 6months and finally took the first one offered to me. I have since realized it probably wasn't the best idea as I have now been "stuck" in an out patient treatment center for a primary care clinic (I signed a two year contract in exchange for a transition to practice program). My dream occupational home is an ICU. Eventually (think 20yr plan lol) I would like to become a Doctor of Nursing practice focusing on adult gerontological acute care and doing research. The advice I have received/followed so far is to: Apply to medical/surgical (med-surg) floors and then change departments after experience Apply to residencies/transition to practice programs Make sure to craft the resume and cover letter to highlight my transferable skills (IV start and maintenance, wound care, injectable medications, etc) I have done all of the above, though probably not applied frequently enough (yet). What I am mostly concerned about is the phrasing in my cover letter about why I want to transition to hospital. Basically, primary care does not have a standardized acuity/staffing model. I frequently find myself on the verge of providing unsafe care because we see so many people, so quickly (record is during flu season four of us saw 298). I want to be able to focus on a few patients at a time (5 in med surge, 1-2 in ICU) and give them quality care, not just (barely) safe care. I also want to go home at the end of my shift knowing that someone else is taking care of the patient while I sleep (not worrying about remembering to call the patient day the next day, etc). And last but not least, every possible career trajectory I am interested requires 2-5 years of hospital experience. My current cover letter phrasing is: "I want to transition to the hospital because I want to work with a well-structured team, in a time-sensitive environment, to provide high quality, compassionate, and patient-centered care to a few high acuity patients at a time." Besides the fact that I'm pretty sure it's a run-on sentence, it sounds really stilted. And my Aunt (who is not a nurse, but very good at cover letters) thinks the phrasing could imply poor work ethic (laziness! ). Wow long post! but now you know the whole story :) Please help? Thanks!