Question about transferring to ED from another unit

cmh05 · Jan 24, 2011

If your ED is anything like the one I work in, you would do just fine with the transfer. Our ED gives anywhere from 8-12 weeks orientation and during that time you visit other areas such as cath lab, OR, PACU, etc...so that you can see how our departments work hand in hand. Your education department will probably play a big role in teaching things you would need for the ED like moderate sedation protocols, ACLS (if you don't have it), TNCC (if required by your ED). We recently had a nurse to transfer to our ED from the OR. He absolutely felt lost and was questioning his acute care skills, but he hung in there and he has made an awesome transformation! I love having him on our team. And I work in another ED in which the facility transferred our entire L & D department to a larger hospital. We had several of the L & D nurses to transfer to the ED and they were very valuable additions to our team! I say go for it! Good luck!!!!:anpom:

hairtocare · Jan 25, 2011

If your ED is anything like the one I work in, you would do just fine with the transfer. Our ED gives anywhere from 8-12 weeks orientation and during that time you visit other areas such as cath lab, OR, PACU, etc...so that you can see how our departments work hand in hand. Your education department will probably play a big role in teaching things you would need for the ED like moderate sedation protocols, ACLS (if you don't have it), TNCC (if required by your ED). We recently had a nurse to transfer to our ED from the OR. He absolutely felt lost and was questioning his acute care skills, but he hung in there and he has made an awesome transformation! I love having him on our team. And I work in another ED in which the facility transferred our entire L & D department to a larger hospital. We had several of the L & D nurses to transfer to the ED and they were very valuable additions to our team! I say go for it! Good luck!!!!:anpom:

Wow!! 8-12 weeks orientation??? I'm getting 4 weeks and it's a Level I trauma..... :confused:

But so far I'm loving it! Just utilizing the "self-learning" skills and asking all the questions I can. I say go for it, that's the great thing about Nursing, we have options! Good luck! :smokin:

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · Jan 25, 2011

ers vary.... most take and treat everything under the sun... however, i have found that this is not true of all ers. not all take/accept trauma patients. not all have high acuity patients and not all have many low acuity patients. in fact, there are some that split patients (they are geographically close to each other and so if a patient has a problem with l&d for example, the patient is transferred immediatley to the sister/brother er for treatment. in addition, if a patient has a problem with chest pain or being stabbed, he/she is transferred to the trauma center that only accepts traumas... etc)....

thus, you will need to check out the ers nearest you and find the right one. it helps to clarify your goals as an ed nurse. do you want to work with traumas outside of your current practice? or maybe you wish to continue to work with ob and peds but as an er nurse? or maybe you wnat exposure to everything under the sun??? do you need a med surg background to be good in the ed? no, because no matter what floor you worked on in the past, the er is a hard transition. gl!