What skills and qualities are needed?

Traumsquad · Oct 24, 2003

I guess the qualities needed for emergency would be tolerance of different lifestyles, the ability to work under pressure, patience in dealing with patients and family members, thinking fast on your feet, an inquisitive mind because you are coming into contact with patients at the onset of thier illness.

Rena RN 2003, RN · Oct 24, 2003

you must be able to think quickly. mere seconds in your assessment may be the difference between simple abdominal pain and a ruptured appendix.

you must concentrate on the presenting problem all the while assessing everything else that could possibly be causing the problem.

you will see more patients in a day than say a med-surg nurse. you have to be able to put personal feelings aside and treat everyone that comes through the ED doors with respect. just remember, regardless of whether that person is in a life or death situation (acute MI vs. common cold), at that very point in time the patient is experiencing a crisis. it's not up to the nurse to judge that crisis. it's the nurse's job to make a positive impact on that patient at that point in time. so much easier said than done.

an emergency nurse knows at least a little about everything. if he/she doesn't know it off the top of the head, he/she knows where to find the information or isn't afraid to ask for the help and knowledge of co-workers.

an ED nurse is a team player. there's no room for personal heroics.

an ED nurse is calm and competent under pressure. "losing it" when a trauma rolls in doesn't accomplish anything. being calm but forgetting what to do when a trauma rolls in doesn't accomplish anything. in some ways, ED nurses go into auto pilot when it comes to certain skills such as IV sticks, foley insertions, etc. an ED nurse combines auto-pilot with quick thinking assessment to try to anticipate a problem before it arises.