Emergency Nursing: Everything You Need to Know About Being an ER Nurse (2024)

FAQs

What questions should I ask in an ER nurse interview? ›

WANT AUTONOMY

In this environment, ER Nurses have more freedom to decide how to treat their patients than in other units. Having to work with critical patients, you learn quickly how to adapt to urgent situations and work autonomously.

Although working in the ER might be too fast-paced for some nurses, I have found it to be an incredibly rewarding field. As an ER nurse, I have learned valuable leadership, communication and critical thinking skills, while also expanding my nursing knowledge and expertise in a variety of specialties.

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Do ER nurses do stitches? ›

Generally, suturing a wound closed is considered to be a “minor surgical procedure.” As such, it is not within the purview of most nurses. But advanced practice nurses and emergency room RNs can sometimes place stitches.

Key Responsibilities of an ER Nurse

Triage and stabilize incoming patients. Perform minor medical procedures, such as setting broken bones. Clean wounds and apply sutures. Draw blood, start intravenous lines and administer medications.

Now, working as an emergency room nurse isn't for everyone. More than 50% of nurses say they work shifts longer than 10 hours, and the ER is about as fast-paced and exhausting as any medical environment can be.

Emergency Room nurses are called a number of different names including ER Nurse, Trauma Nurse and Critical Care Nurses.

But Nurse.org found that nurse educators, home health nurses, nurse managers, OR-perioperative nurses, and pediatric nurses reported the highest levels of job satisfaction.

Having empathy to interact with the patient and their family and helping them to cope with problems is very important in a nursing position. Having the ability to understand and share those feelings with the patient and their loved ones is an essential strength for a nurse.

An emergency room (ER) nurse is a medical professional who provides urgent care to patients in critical condition. Despite their name, their work extends beyond emergency rooms in hospitals. They also work in other locations where people are likely to need urgent care, like sports events or during rescue operations.

In this role, you will provide exceptional patient care in a fast-paced environment, responding to injuries, trauma, illness, and allergic reactions. As the first line of patient contact, you must be able to assess and prioritize patients, assist doctors, and ensure a high quality of nursing standards.

WHAT ARE THE ABCS OF triage? ›

The mnemonic “ABCDE” stands for Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, and Exposure. First, life-threatening airway problems are assessed and treated; second, life-threatening breathing problems are assessed and treated; and so on.

The triage categories used in both systems are: Red (immediate evaluation by physician), Orange (emergent, evaluation within 15 min), Yellow (potentially unstable, evaluation within 60 min), Green (non-urgent, re-evaluation every 180 min), and Blue (minor injuries or complaints, re-evaluation every 240 min).

Trauma Nurse at a Glance. _{Trauma Nurses specialize in treating and diagnosing traumatic injuries or illnesses that put their patient's bodies and lives at immediate risk of physical duress. The word “trauma” refers to a disturbing or distressing experience.}

Emergency Medicine is an exciting and rewarding specialty. It requires a very specific set of skills including an ability to think quickly on your feet, a fondness of procedures and an unshakeable comfort with potentially harrowing traumas.

Answer “what is your greatest weakness” by choosing a skill that is not essential to the job you're applying to and by stressing exactly how you're practically addressing your weakness. Some skills that you can use as weaknesses include impatience, multitasking, self-criticism, and procrastination.

California is the only state in the country to require by law specific number of nurses to patients in every hospital unit. It requires hospitals to provide one nurse for every two patients in intensive care and one nurse for every four patients in emergency rooms, for example.

It's way more work than it looks like on paper

Traditionally, nurses work 12-hour shifts, three shifts a week. It's less than a 40-hour work week, but it's exhausting. There's virtually no downtime and you're physically on your feet, running around during the entire shift.

An emergency department (ED), also known as an accident and emergency department (A&E), emergency room (ER), emergency ward (EW) or casualty department, is a medical treatment facility specializing in emergency medicine, the acute care of patients who present without prior appointment; either by their own means or by ...

Are nurses allowed to intubate? ›

Intubation can be performed by various healthcare professionals, such as physicians, Anesthesiologists, Nurse Anesthetists, and other Advance Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs).

It is best for a person to have a healthcare professional remove their stitches. A doctor or nurse can make sure that the wound has healed and that the stitches are ready to come out. They can also ensure the safe removal of the stitches to minimize the risk of infection.

Because suturing is considered a minor surgical procedure, it doesn't fall within the general scope of nursing duties unless your state specifically allows it. States more often allow advanced practice nurses to suture than RNs without an advanced practice degree.

How Many Hours Do ER Nurses Work? ER nurses usually work in shifts of 12 hours a day. An ER nurse can expect to work between 40 hours and 60+ hours per week or every day for months due to high demand.

In the ER that I recently started working in, the majority of nurses work variable shifts on both days and nights meaning, there is no set time you work for example the traditional 7-7 nights or 7-7 days. You will work 5a-5p one shift and 13-01 another shift.

The ER is a stressful environment

Healy and Tyrrell report that ER nurses and other staff members are routinely involved in stressful incidents, including resuscitation efforts and witnessing the deaths of patients. Working as a travel ER nurse can also be physically demanding, heightening stress levels.

Many said seeing patients die after doing everything to care for them is the hardest part. Other challenges include long shifts, having to use time-consuming technology, and a lack of respect from other people in the healthcare industry.

Results: The results of this study indicated that emergency department nurses experience stress in their work settings. Stress is experienced predominantly because of problems in dealing with patients and their families, high workloads, and uncertainty concerning treatment.

The ICU lacks the urgency of the ER, but the stakes are still high with patients fighting for their lives. The ICU nursing skills that come in handy are the ability to follow procedures and a sharp eye for detail. “Keen observation skills are paramount in the ICU,” Allec says.

Exam Scoring Questions

The CEN exam consists of 175 items (150 scored and 25 unscored pretest items).

Are ER nurses in demand? ›

You can choose the patient population you provide care for, the work environment, even the dynamism level of the job. Emergency Nursing remains one of the most in-demand and fulfilling career tracks for nurses among the myriad of options.

The job of an occupational health nurse can be one of the happiest nursing jobs as this type of work is typically low-stress. The OHN nurse works with employees who are interested in their health and typically appreciate the nurse's input and help.

And frankly, the easiest and fastest way to get a job as a new grad is to go to a med/surg floor. They are always some of the most challenging floors to keep staffed in the hospital and are usually the most willing to hire new grads.

Although working in the ER might be too fast-paced for some nurses, I have found it to be an incredibly rewarding field. As an ER nurse, I have learned valuable leadership, communication and critical thinking skills, while also expanding my nursing knowledge and expertise in a variety of specialties.

Interview Answer

Depending on the situation, I will have to be kind and caring of people's fears but also assertive as it could be important for the guests to follow the rules. Overall, I would try my best to stay calm and collected while putting the guests safety first.

“TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF!” for Nursing Interviews ... - YouTube

In the emergency department “triage” refers to the methods used to assess patients' severity of injury or illness within a short time after their arrival, assign priorities, and transfer each patient to the appropriate place for treatment (5).

Now, working as an emergency room nurse isn't for everyone. More than 50% of nurses say they work shifts longer than 10 hours, and the ER is about as fast-paced and exhausting as any medical environment can be.

What do ER nurses do on a daily basis? ›

Key Responsibilities of an ER Nurse

Triage and stabilize incoming patients. Perform minor medical procedures, such as setting broken bones. Clean wounds and apply sutures. Draw blood, start intravenous lines and administer medications.

Answer “what is your greatest weakness” by choosing a skill that is not essential to the job you're applying to and by stressing exactly how you're practically addressing your weakness. Some skills that you can use as weaknesses include impatience, multitasking, self-criticism, and procrastination.

Strike up conversations with nurses and people from other healthcare disciplines, and exchange business cards. Keep in touch online and try to meet again in person, if possible. Also attend social events sponsored by your company to meet people from other departments. Connect on social media.

Monster.com suggests you state the professional weakness but emphasize the positive and add your solution for overcoming this shortcoming — because all weaknesses are opportunities for growth. Any time you mention a weakness, it's wise to mention what you're actively doing to overcome the hurdle.

The triage categories used in both systems are: Red (immediate evaluation by physician), Orange (emergent, evaluation within 15 min), Yellow (potentially unstable, evaluation within 60 min), Green (non-urgent, re-evaluation every 180 min), and Blue (minor injuries or complaints, re-evaluation every 240 min).