What kind of degree do I need to be an ER nurse?

akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P · Mar 10, 2015

First things first... you will need to be a nurse. While it seems like a "duh" thing, this discussion starts from there. How you get to that license is only part of the issue. You have to look at the education that a particular ER or hospital is looking for. I am a new grad starting in the ER and I've got an Associates Degree in Nursing. Most of the hospitals in my area will hire an ADN into the ER if the "right candidate" is found... mostly that means a nurse that's experienced and therefore isn't a new grad. There's at least one hospital that won't hire ADN nurses. They'll hire new grad BSNs and may consider an ADN that's got quite a bit of experience and is going for their BSN.

To figure out what kind of degree you'll need to be an ER nurse, you'll just have to figure out what degree the hospital is looking for and pursue that degree. Then you'll have to find out if they'll hire new grads directly into the ER. Some places will, many won't. I feel that I got lucky and found a place that took a chance on me.

roser13, ASN, RN · Mar 10, 2015

What is DNI?

klone, MSN, RN · Mar 10, 2015

You need to have an RN license, which you get through either an Associate's degree program, or a BSN program. Many hospitals are preferring their nurses to have a BSN. I have no idea what DNI is, but I suspect it's a for-profit trade school like ITT. If so, run. Far and fast. Look at your local community colleges and state universities.

klone, MSN, RN · Mar 10, 2015

Aha!

Associate Degree of Nursing Program | Dallas Nursing Institute (DNI)

Their ADN program costs around $50,000. They are also not accredited for their nursing program (through ACEN or CCNE), but only accredited as a trade school (much like ITT). Again, run far and fast.

You want to look for a program that's accredited by either ACEN or CCNE. Again, that would be your community colleges or state universities.

allnurses Guide · Mar 10, 2015

You want to stay FARFARFARFARFAR away from DNI. The debt you will incur will be insane. The same degree you get from DNI I got for $5000 from a local community college. It also bears noting that local hospitals in DFW will not hire from DNI. They are not accredited and have a poor reputation for those who do manage to pass NCLEX after completing the program.

Look at the Dallas County Community Colleges as well as Collin, Grayson and other local counties. They all have nursing programs, as do a ton of four year institutions, such as Baylor, TCU, TWU, Texas Tech and many others.

As far as getting into the ER in DFW...you need a BSN (four year nursing degree), pass NCLEX (the licensing exam) and then to get hired into an ER internship as a new grad. Our local hospitals only hire new grads through their internships, which come twice a year and don't always offer ER as an option to apply for. If you don't get into an ER internship, you mightâ€‹ be able to transfer into the ER after you have a few years of experience doing floor nursing, if someone is willing to give you a chance. Breaking into the ER in this area can be tough, mostly because there are tons and tons and tons of new grad nurses being cranked out quarterly into the DFW job market, all competing for the same few available slots. Most wind up either unemployed, working in rehab and SNFs or in other jobs not in their specialty of choice.

Research this career very very well before you embark on it and then wrap your head around the likelihood that you will not get into your specialty of choice right out of school. Only then can you decide if you want to put in the time, effort and money to pursue nursing. And run away from DNI as fast as you can. It looks like a shortcut. It isn't. It is the least respected school in this area and will leave you with 50K+ in debt and very likely without a job.