What can I do to make myself more competitive for an ER RN position?

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My question is what can I do to make myself more competitive for an ER RN position?

I have experience from the military as a Hospital Corpman 4.5 years.

I have worked as a RN in a LTC for 3 months.

I am about to start Medical Surgical unit at local hospital.

I was thinking of enrolling in a EKG 12 lead course, ACLS, PALS, TNNC, and ENPC.

Also finishing my BSN in fall 2015 which will be my second bachelors first is Bachelors in Business Administration.

Any advice would be helpful. I know i need to network and get some experience but thinking would anything help me more. Thanks in advance.

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I can't stress enough that it's all about who you know. Network, network , network! Good luck!

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Specializes in ER, ICU.

I hope your military experience is prominent on your resume. Include detailed information on the level of your training and experience. Many civilians don't know what corpsmen do. Bring up your military experience in an interview. There is huge value in military training that many civilians might not realize. Even as an NCO you would have had a lot of leadership experience and training that other new RNs wouldn't necessarily have. Good luck!

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Specializes in Emergency.

Ask to do an er rotation during orientation

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Specializes in ER, progressive care.
Ask to do an er rotation during orientation

Or once you are able to, see if you can float down to the ED or pick up an extra shift or two there.

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Specializes in Emergency.

Honesty, at my hospital, the number one thing that will put your resume at the front is who you know. It doesn't matter if you have 20 years of emergency nursing experience. If you don't know someone, then your resume will get kicked to the back. Saying that though, my manager and director would always be welcoming and open to a floor nurse who came down to the ER and said they were interested in a job. So it never hurts to give that a try. :) Best of luck and thank you for your service!

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

The ER is my main goal as well. I just started my first position at a small hospital in critcal care. Im super excited about this, and I really hope it makes me more desirable to the ER some day. Im just excited to be in acute care at all, after no one hiring me, I did about 9 months in LTC. Now I feel that I finally get to start my career. Good luck to you!

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