Want to do trauma - should I pick ED or ICU?

[Irock]

I am currently working on a tele unit, and I have about 1 year of RN experience. I have been wanting to be a trauma nurse since I started nursing school, and I originally saw myself working in the ED. Then during school, I decided that I wanted to work in ICU (still caring for trauma patients). Here's the situation now:

I just interviewed 2 days ago for a position in the CCU, which is not my 1st choice, as I want SICU (where the traumas end up, typically). However, I was willing to take CCU, to get my foot in the door of the ICU Dept. BUT, I had also applied for an ED position, not thinking I'd get a call. But, they called me and I interview tomorrow!

Both of these positions are in the hospital I currently work in, so I'd be transferring, not leaving the facility. I'm leaning towards taking the ED position, IF I am offered it, but if I do, and I change my mind, will an ED experienced nurse have a hard time getting a job in an ICU position 2-3 years down the line?

BTW, I work in a Level I trauma center, which is part of the reason I picked this hospital in the first place.

Any advice would be appreciated. Not sure if I'll get an offer from either dept, but if so, I'm torn about which one I'd rather have...

[tathmrn]

i stand corrected. i guess it depends on the facility.

[Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN]

Keep in mind that TNCC guidelines call for the presence of an ICU qualified nurse at the bedside of all trauma cases.

Requirements for staffing and resources of the different levels of trauma centers in my state are regulated by the state Trauma System, and there is no such requirement, even at Level 1.

The requirement is 16 hours of trauma life support education for RNs, to be repeated every 4 years. The TNCC Certification is what my facility uses to fulfill this requirement.

I work at a Level 2 Trauma Center, and for traumas, the ICU nurses come to the ED to function as scribes. It is the ED RN who is at the bedside from the patient's arrival to the ED until their disposition from the ED. The ICU gets the patient once they've been stabilized from the initial trauma.

RNs in the ED in which I work are rotated through the different areas. One shift, you might be working in the Fast Track area, but the next shift, you might be assigned as the Trauma Nurse.

As far as future job prospects, ED RNs where I work have a very good chance of transferring to the ICU, and vice versa. Both areas are considered critical care.