Thinking about going to ER Nursing

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Hey everyone,

I really need some guidance. I have only been working as a nurse for 2 years. I started out in postpartum because I thought that I wanted to go into L&D and I thought it would be a good stepping stone. After exposure to the field, I discovered that L&D was not the area for me. I planned on staying in postpartum for the meantime because I was working on my Master's degree. After finishing school I was planning on transitioning to a NICU at a large hospital. Unfortunately, the hospital I was working for decided to close down the OB unit. Everyone in my department got laid-off in February.

I am one month away from finishing my Master's degree and have been applying for jobs. I have been wrestling with what area to go into:

NICU or ER?

I haven't received any job offers yet. I specifically want to get into a county hospital in the LA area. Those positions are based on need and availability so the position I potentially could get offered could vary. For those of you ER nurses out there, I was wondering if you could give me some insight about ER nursing: how do you coordinate with the doctors, RN to patient staffing, commonly seen medical events in the ER, etc.

I would also appreciate any tips on preparing for the job and any good resources like textbooks to study.

Also, how do you as an ER nurse cope with the stress you experience? how do you calm yourself down in intense situations?

I appreciate any advice you can give.

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