2 years experience wanting to venture to ER

Specialties Emergency

Published

Hey guys! Well to start off, I've been a nurse for a little over 2 years. I started in the NICU for a year and then moved to a medical preschool with kids with special needs for a little over a year now... Still working PRN in the NICU. Neither of those jobs are my dream job. I want to be in the ER. I loved my ER clinical rotation in school and always said it's something I wanted to do after. It's out of my comfort zone, but I wouldn't be a good nurse if I didn't want to push myself and challenge myself! I need....more.... I want to see everything that could possibly happen and learn from it and be knowledgeable. Where I'm at now feels pretty stagnant. I just worry that what if I'm not a "quick enough thinker" for the ER.... But then I think, I will never know if I don't learn and try! Because I've been with babies and pediatrics my 2 years, I would LOVE to buy a book or app to refresh, do y'all know any good ones that would help me get a good baseline info for ER? I guess I just need to hear some encouraging words too lol. I'm still young with only 2 years under my belt, the er would "feed my mind", I'm craving more experiences! :)

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Specializes in ER, M/S, transplant, tele.

Yay for you! I love, love, love the ED. So I can't think of any books off the top of my head but I know of one way you can get into the ED and see if it is what you really want and/or if you feel you are capable (I'm sure you are)...there are many facilities that have pediatric ER's. Since that is your primary background it would be a great place to start so you don't have to deal with learning the ins and outs of ER nursing AND have to deal with learning everything adult. However, if you have your heart set on adult or combined ER nursing...I say just go for it. When you interview or when you are considering where to work though, I would definitely ask about the orientation process...ie. length of time, education and training, certifications etc. Whichever you decide, I wish you luck. ER is amazing!!! (frustrating, dirty, dangerous BUT rewarding). Oh wait! I have a book in my room: Fast Facts for the ER Nurse: Emergency Room Orientation in a Nutshell by Jennifer Buettner, RN, CEN this will give you a review and some of the most common things you will encounter.

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My goal used to be NICU but I found my niche in the ED... been in the ED for 4 years and will never leave.

I would give Ms. Buettner's book a pass in favor of Sheehy's Manual of Emergency Care and Emergency Nursing Procedures.

I own all three but the latter are the two which were most useful and which I still consult in my work.'

http://www.amazon.com/Sheehys-Manual-Emergency-Care-Newberry/dp/0323078273/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405829132&sr=8-1&keywords=Sheehy%27s+Manual+of+Emergency+Care

Emergency Nursing Procedures, 3e: 9780721603414: Medicine & Health Science Books @ Amazon.com

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Specializes in Emergency Department; Neonatal ICU.

I did NICU for two years before transferring to an adult/peds ED. It was a big learning curve but I managed it and I have never regretted it. My biggest challenge was convincing my co-workers that neonatal was different from pediatrics and that I was not the "resident peds expert" - lol. I felt like a new grad again but it was so worth it. I love emergency nursing.

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HikingEDRN, you are so right, NICU is definitely not pediatric nursing :)! I'm so glad to hear that you managed the transition. When the time comes, I definitely feel like I'm going to feel like a new grad all over, but I'm ok with that!

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Specializes in Emergency.

Change that avatar.

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Emtb2rn- I haven't updated it in a long time, is something wrong with it? Lol. Is it because it's an identifier of who I am maybe? Well I changed it, thanks for a reminder :up:, I like my new little character better!!!

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