Which should I choose?

I love your question because this is me. When I went to school I wanted to help people but I knew floor nursing, geriatrics, peds or OB was not for me. I went to school for a month at a clinic and it was a great 9-5 weekends off job but no skills for me to practice. For the last 6 months I have been at a small ER getting all kinds of great experience and hands on skills. One thing you need to know, along with the traumas and resucitations, come the n/v/d, baby with fever, migraine, and drug skeekers. Although I have not been at it long, I definately know the ER is the place for me. I love the fast paced action, and also the daily interactions with different people that I truely know I have helped by the time they walk out of here, which is generally >3hours. My kind of place for sure. Good luck!

When do you graduate? As a new grad, you may not be able to land your dream job right away. I don't know anyone who *loves* to do the cleaning up stuff. It's just a part of the job that needs to be done, and done with the patient's dignity in mind. I don't know what it's like in the ER compared to the acute care unit, so I can't speak to that. However, in my unit, most patients are ambulatory and have few self care deficits, so the cleaning up stuff isn't the biggest part of the job, but it is a part of it nevertheless.

Sure jobs like that exist.

They are in high demand by other nurses thinking the same thing you are.

You will have to compete against nurses with years more experience for these jobs. Experienced nurses also have a network of other nurses who can help them find jobs not widely advertised.

The jobs often pay less than patient care.

With some perseverence and experience you might land one of the jobs you are looking for.

Things you see on TV are far from reality. Most areas of nursing involve dirty work. In nursing school....you will have to perform this type of patient care. And, chances are, your first job as a new grad will not be a dream position. I would worry about getting into and completing nsg school before worrying about a specialty. So, I guess my point is that you probably could get into an area that fits your criteria for a job, but it may take a long time and require some experience first.

In ER you give bedpans, you clean up incontinence.You give some baths,you dress people who need help.You log roll patients. No there is not a clean up crew for dirty patients. If you do not like cleaning up, this is basic nursing for one and all. It is all part of being a nurse.

From my understanding, most nursing runs the risk of having to do such tasks....they are not glorious, but they are part of the job.

Are you even in nursing school yet?

And no, in the ER you do not mainly deal with emergencies or traumas. I think anyone who has worked in an ER will tell you most of the people who come in really don't need to be there.... your also going to be dealing with a last of nasty, smelly, mean patients who will be puking, ******* their pants, pooping who knows where, etc. The last time I worked in an ER I will never forget the patient who was homeless and smelled SO BAD of urine, it was making me gag even out in the hallway the smell was that strong--I had to go in and cath him without gagging and embarrassing him. That is the type of patients you will get and you have to care for them as human beings.

I used to think I wanted ER as well until I actually worked in a trauma center ER.