What is an Emergency Room Nurse?
Doing the job of an emergency room nurse takes skill, determination, and the ability to focus and thrive in situations where life and death hang in the balance. An emergency room nurse must be able to think quickly and make the right decision when seconds matter. From the moment they clock in until the moment they go home, emergency room nurses spend their days as members of a fast-paced medical team that includes physicians, surgeons, anesthesiologists, and surgical technicians.
The Day in the ER
There is no such thing as a typical day in the emergency room. These departments are the hospital's point of entry for everything from automobile accidents to gunshot wounds. Emergency room nurses may spend one moment treating a burn victim who barely survived a house fire and the next moment helping to set the cast of a child who has broken their arm on a swing. As such, an ER nurse must have the ability to "shift gears" rapidly and be able to utilize a wide range of skill sets that match the injuries of patients entering the hospital.
Hospital emergency rooms work in shifts that vary depending on the healthcare provider's requirements. These shifts include morning, day, and night and nurses can be expected to work 8-hours or more during each shift. Because there is a shortage of qualified ER nurses in the country, it is not uncommon for nurses to work double-shifts or shifts that are stacked close to one another.
The Right Stuff and the Right Skills
ER nurses must have superior critical thinking skills. They need to be able to make rapid assessments of a patient's injuries and overall health. This requires being able to read medical charts, detect symptoms, and assess the level of pain and causes of discomfort.
ER nurses depend on details and they must be able to accurately convey these details to other members of the medical team. Additionally, they must be able to take direction from physicians and surgeons when treatment begins.
It is of utmost importance that an ER nurse has the ability to remain calm and focused under pressure. Decisions in the ER are almost always urgent with people's lives hanging in the balance. This requires the ability to remain calm and patient when chaos arises.
An ER nurse must be able to do all this while remaining compassionate and sympathetic. Patients in pain and scared for their lives are under enormous stress and ER nurses must be able to calm them as much as possible in their moments of greatest need.
Finally, nurses must be excellent communicators as they are often the ones who must collect and share information with family members. A nurse's skill in this regard often makes a difference when calming a frightened spouse whose partner was in an automobile accident or comforting a terrified child who is convinced their broken arm will never heal.
The Rewards are Enormous
The stress and sweat that come with nursing return considerable rewards for the men and women who enter the career. The most significant reward is the knowledge that you have saved a life. There is no greater reward and the ability to make a difference in the life of someone who is injured and scared is the reason many people enter the career.
Becoming an Emergency Room Nurse
Are you ready to become an emergency room nurse? If you are already working as an RN and would like to earn your Bachelors of Science in Nursing, consider ECPI University for your education. With an accelerated program of study, you could start working as a BSN quicker than at a traditional college. For more information, connect with a friendly admissions counselor today.
It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!
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