Will taking TNCC help me transition easier to ER?

[Lizzie1968]

I am a recent graduate nurse currently working in med-surg and I would like to transition to ER. It seems that without prior ER experience, however, no one wants to hire newer nurses. Does anyone know if taking the Trauma Nursing Core Course would give me a better chance of getting hired?

[CrazyCatLadyRN, BSN, RN]

This might be appealing to an ED manager, but it means nothing without experience. I work in a trauma center and you work for 6 months to a year before they put you in the course.

[amzyRN]

I think TNCC is helpful if you work in a trauma center. Minor traumas are pretty straight forward. I think you will find that the ED is very different from what you expect.

I was surprised that I would be doing a lot of primary care type stuff, and the codes and traumas are a minority of what you see (at least in my ED). I'd review a text book about common practices/procedures you see in the ED and that would be more beneficial than having TNCC.

[CX_EDRN]

I took TNCC before I applied to my ED, but I don't think it was all that pivotal in a) getting the position or b) helping me in traumas. I was able to audit it a few months later (after being hired in the ED) and it was a much better learning experience.