Switching units

Very exciting things ahead!

I have experience in multiple ICUs and the ER, currently working in a CVICU. I think this all depends on what kind of FNP you want to be! I think working in the ER is NOT for the faint of heart and you really have to be passionate about the work and enjoy the wildness of it all to survive. You do get to see a little bit of literally everything, however, I don't see a ton of benefit unless you are interested in being an NP in an ER. The NPs I worked with in ours worked in a triage-like position most shifts, and some days they worked alongside residents under an attending doing very similar work. If you are interested in outpatient or ER I think it could be great experience. If you want to work critical care/other inpatient I think there are probably better options for more appropriate experience (managing patient cases longer term). 

Of course none of us can predict if you’ll enjoy being an ER RN. However, there are many pros when it comes to that department. I am a former ER/SICU nurse and current CRNA and absolutely LOVED my experience. First, it’s very fast paced. This helps with time management skills and improves the ability to delegate. Next, you learn to work as a team. Although I loved my fellow nurses in SICU, a lot of the time I felt that I was on my own. In our ER, we worked closely with physicians, RTs, ER techs, and EMTs to care for patients. You build professional relationships with people that can teach you a lot about your future profession. Which leads me to my next point, the ability to pick the brains of people from multiple medical specialities. ER physicians have seen it all, and most love to teach, or at least explain! I learned so much by just asking questions every day. And lastly, and in my opinion most importantly, you learn how to triage patients. This is just ER lingo for asking the right questions and /or doing the necessary exams to get a potential diagnosis. Every patient you encounter will give you their entire life history when you walk in the room. It’s your job to sift through the nonsense and find the critical details you need to anticipate what tests the doc will order. Example: women have different symptoms when having an MI. Understanding that, asking the right questions, and carrying out the appropriate tests when you’re concerned are amazing skills to have as you enter school. After all, that is what you’ll be doing when you graduate. Hope this helps and best of luck!

I think ER experience would serve you well. You'd get to see how different docs handle situations that come up. The puzzling out whats wrong, and full assessments will be very helpful in your new practice.