Some info?

[4321mo]

Hello everyone,

I'm new here and am about to finish my first semester of nursing school. I might be jumping the gun a bit, but my different interests have been making me question what part of nursing I want to focus on.

I guess the simplest way to ask my questions are like this:

1. I'm interested in the ER, but my experience as an EMT has exposed me to the 90% of patients that end up in the ER for next to nothing wrong with them. I definitely don't want to be on the receiving end of endless BS patients who are there for paper cuts/had a little too much to drink/just want a warm bed. Is that really how things are as an ER RN?

2. I feel like the Peds ER would be more "legitimate" in terms of patient acuity, although I've had my fair share of panicked mothers calling 911 and taking their children to the ER for fairly trivial things. I just feel like there would be less "BS," am I wrong?

3. With my aforementioned fears of putting up with a lot of nonsense in the ER, I've starting to look towards the ICU or NICU. Thoughts? Are they reasonable fields to pursue right out of school?

4. Most importantly, the OR. I grew up thinking I'd become a surgeon, but now that I want time for a family life, I moved away from that. As an OR nurse, besides an RNFA, how hands on are you in the OR?

5. If what I think about OR nursing is true, I'd absolutely LOVE to become a surgical NP (I hope to become an NP someday regardless), can anybody shed some light on the responsibilities of a surgical NP and what kind of lifestyle a surgical nurse has?

6. And last, but not least, how difficult is it to switch units? For example, if I had my cert as an ICU nurse and I wanted to move into trauma, or the ER, or the OR, would I effectively have to start at the "new grad" level (minus the hospital's orientation)?

I know these questions are all over the place and I'm kinda just starting out, but I like to have a plan. It has been really bugging me and I just don't know enough Nurses to ask one from each of the units I want to try. I may be a little gung-ho, but I just want to get a solid feel for the things I'm interested in before jumping in head first.

Please help!

Thanks ?

-Mo

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

23 hours ago, 4321mo said:

2. I feel like the Peds ER would be more "legitimate" in terms of patient acuity, although I've had my fair share of panicked mothers calling 911 and taking their children to the ER for fairly trivial things. I just feel like there would be less "BS," am I wrong?

General Peds dept at your local hospital will be very small and low acuity. Children's hospitals will provide you with the higher acuity peds patients. You will still have to deal with the occasional difficult parents.

23 hours ago, 4321mo said:

3. With my aforementioned fears of putting up with a lot of nonsense in the ER, I've starting to look towards the ICU or NICU. Thoughts? Are they reasonable fields to pursue right out of school?

Adult ICU, PICU, NICU will provide you with higher acuity patients. Since they will be on your unit for extended periods of time, you will get to know the patients and families better. I started as a new grad in the NICU. We have babies born 16 weeks early (24 weeks gestation), so they will be with us for the next 4 months. Some nurses get to know those babies and parents very well.

23 hours ago, 4321mo said:

4. Most importantly, the OR. I grew up thinking I'd become a surgeon, but now that I want time for a family life, I moved away from that. As an OR nurse, besides an RNFA, how hands on are you in the OR?

OR nurses help set up the room for the surgery, do the charting during the surgery, and get extra supplies during the surgery. They do not scrub-in during the surgery, so no hands on during surgery.

23 hours ago, 4321mo said:

6. And last, but not least, how difficult is it to switch units? For example, if I had my cert as an ICU nurse and I wanted to move into trauma, or the ER, or the OR, would I effectively have to start at the "new grad" level (minus the hospital's orientation)?

The more specialized the unit and the more different the units, the more difficult the transfer.

OR to floor nursing will be difficult.

NICU to adult will be difficult.

NICU to PICU (or reversed) not too difficult.

ER to ICU not too difficult

ICU to Cath Lab or PACU- not too difficult.

Cardiac step down unit to ICU- not too difficult.