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Emergency Nursing

An emergency nurse makes a difference every day through providing critical care during trauma situations such as performing CPR, administering medications, and caring for wounds. To become an emergency nurse, one needs to graduate from an AND or BSN program, obtain RN licensure, and have at least two years of emergency nursing experience to qualify for the Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) certification. Emergency nursing provides diverse learning opportunities but can be high-stress due to the fast-paced environment with multiple life-or-death situations. While teamwork is important, emergency nurses are constantly busy and face emotionally draining experiences.

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88 views2 pages

Emergency Nursing

An emergency nurse makes a difference every day through providing critical care during trauma situations such as performing CPR, administering medications, and caring for wounds. To become an emergency nurse, one needs to graduate from an AND or BSN program, obtain RN licensure, and have at least two years of emergency nursing experience to qualify for the Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) certification. Emergency nursing provides diverse learning opportunities but can be high-stress due to the fast-paced environment with multiple life-or-death situations. While teamwork is important, emergency nurses are constantly busy and face emotionally draining experiences.

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Cayla Dietz and Bridget DePascale

Emergency Nursing

An emergency nurse makes a difference in the lives of people every day during every
shift. To become an emergency nurse, one can be hired right after graduation from an AND or
BSN program. More hospitals are preferring nurses to have a BSN title. Nurses also must be
licensed RNs after taking the NCLEX-RN examination. Once the nurse is licensed, they are able
to be hired as an emergency nurse. After two years of emergency nurse experience, the RN can
take the Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) exam. The CEN is a nationally accepted certification
for emergency nurses rewarding their expertise on standards of practice. This is not a required
certification, but emergency nurses can opt to take the exam for credentials.
Before deciding to work in an emergency room as a nurse, there are specific
responsibilities to be mindful of with the job. As an ER nurse, one must be a great multi-tasker,
quick at making decisions, and have great critical thinking skills. Sometimes there is no time to
stop and think about a plan of action, especially during a trauma situation. ER nurses perform
tasks such as icing injuries, performing CPR, giving medications, administering IV fluids, giving
blood transfusions, and caring for wounds. ER nurses also prioritize patient care based on
severity of symptoms. The ER nurse needs to be able to document patient data efficiently,
communicate between patients and family members, and show professional behavior.
One of the advantages of an ER nurse would be that there are a lot of different tasks that
they can do. No two cases are the same at an ER, so for each patient, there will most likely be a
different task that must be performed. Another advantage of being an ER nurse would be that
there are many learning opportunities. Because the ER is so diverse, there are many opportunities
to learn valuable procedures and tests. A final advantage of being an ER nurse would be being in
a team. In the ER, teamwork is critical to get the most efficient, quality care for a patient.
Although there are nice advantages, there are also disadvantages of being an ER nurse.
One of the disadvantages would be that it is a very high stress environment. The ER is so fast
paced, and there can be multiple life and death situations presented. These can be a cause of high
stress for ER nurses. Other than serious injuries, another stressor could also be the fact that all of
the cases in the ER are unique. Another disadvantage would be that it is emotionally draining. As
mentioned before, the ER often presents life and death situations. It’s great when they’re able to
save a patient, however, there will be times when saving the patient is no longer possible. Other
than death, you could see cases of severe abuse, severe accidents, and violence. A final
disadvantage would be that ER nurses never stop moving. Because the ER is open 24/7, there are
never any lulls. When you’re on the floor, there’s always going to be constant movement.
An ER nurse’s schedule is typically a 12 hour shift, but they can end up working
overtime and get in 13 or 14 hours. However, going past 12 hours increases the risk for error, as
well as being too tired to function effectively. The median salary of an ER nurse is about
$73000, but it also depends on the area that you practice. An ER nurse can go on to become an
ERNP, which is an emergency room nurse practitioner, and they can also become instructors.
References
Emergency Nursing- Is it right for you? (2020). Emergency Nurses Association.
https://www.ena.org/membership/why-emergency-nursing.

Emergency Room Nurse. (2020, July 9).


https://www.registerednursing.org/specialty/emergency-room-nurse/.

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