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Emergency Room Nurse

What Is an Emergency Room Nurse?

The ER or ‘Emergency Room’ nurse is an exceptional thinker, decision-maker, and multitasker. He or she possesses the training, aptitude, and willingness to adapt to whatever the day brings, as each day in the emergency room is unique. Nurses who enjoy the fast-paced environment and the challenge of not knowing who is walking through the door or what may be wrong with them are best suited for this profession. The ER nurse enjoys assisting patients and does not allow the emotions of traumatized patients to cloud their judgment.

Becoming an Emergency Room Nurse

The emergency room nurse is responsible for assessing and triaging patients accurately and efficiently.

Numerous hospitals engage nurses to work in the Emergency Room immediately upon graduation and licensing. The hospital has a role in providing didactic instruction and an experienced preceptor to assist and coach the new graduate through the intake process.

For nurses who have worked in another specialty, the transfer to the ER is hospital-specific and typically much quicker. Frequently, nurses from other departments can apply for an internal position that has been advertised in order to change departments.

What Education Do Emergency Room Nurses Need?

As with other nursing occupations, Emergency Room nurses must complete a college or university degree leading to an ADN or BSN. Nurses who meet these requirements may then sit for their state’s NCLEX-RN examination. After obtaining license, nurses may use the term ‘Registered Nurse’ or RN and apply for positions as such. These are the fundamental qualifications for the emergency room nursing role.

While the majority of hospitals will gladly hire nurses with an Associate’s Degree in Nursing (ADN), many are now requiring a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) as a competitive qualification. Certain teaching hospitals have lifted the bar and now hire only BSN-prepared nurses. Other hospitals demand ADN nurses to earn a BSN during the first few years of employment.

Are there any required certifications or credentials?

Along with license, the Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) credential is a nationally recognized credential for emergency room nurses. Certified nurses are deemed to have reached a level of proficiency in the standards and practices of emergency patient care, as developed by the Emergency Nurses Association. CEN-certified nurses have undertaken extensive training to improve their practical and theoretical abilities, not to mention the ethics of triaging a steady stream of patients in the most appropriate, ethical, and effective manner possible. To sit for the CEN exam, an ER nurse must have two years of experience as an RN in an emergency setting.

What Types of Jobs Do Emergency Room Nurses Have?

Almost every hospital has an emergency admitting and triage section where injured or ill patients can be evaluated for medical treatment and stabilized as necessary. To ensure optimal safety and efficiency, each triage area must be equipped with adequately trained nursing specialists. While complex situations or substantial patient trauma frequently require transfers to larger, more elaborate hospitals, very few facilities are not ready to receive and admit patients on an emergency basis.

What Is the Role of an Emergency Room Nurse?

The ER nurse collaborates with the diversified team to conduct a variety of activities, from something small such as icing a swollen ankle to performing CPR and treating victims of significant trauma. The common thread running through these responsibilities is a thorough and perceptive examination to ascertain the amount of damage, followed by the formulation of an effective course of action to achieve stabilization while also balancing the requirements of other patients. Typical activities include drug administration, fluid resuscitation, blood transfusions, wound care, and device insertion.

What Are the Duties and Responsibilities of an Emergency Room Nurse?

  • Prioritize patient care according to need, staffing availability, and acuity
  • Observe, collect, and document data about patients in accordance with nursing standards of practice.
  • Recognizes a patient’s difficulties and moves quickly to implement suitable intervention
  • Evaluate each patient’s reaction to interventional measures such as medication and treatment.
  • Administer and record drugs in accordance with hospital policy. On the other hand, does not provide drugs or prescriptions such as opiates via emergency room admission.
  • Keep track of changes in patient status and report them appropriately; keep track of doctor responses to actions that need to be taken.
  • Maintain a treatment plan that includes a component for patient education.
  • Demonstrate leadership among emergency response workers and ancillary personnel in the event that the patient is admitted for additional monitoring or stabilization.
  • Mentor and engage clinical and support employees to develop the department’s education, communication, and leadership as individuals and as a collective.
  • Direct and train family members and advocates of patients in a manner that is respectful of their dynamic and readiness to learn.
  • Assist assigned patients
  • Carry out all technical nursing care requirements that come within the scope of the nursing job at that facility.
  • Carry out all responsibilities accurately and expeditiously
  • Demonstrate physical, mental, and emotional well-being
  • At all times, adhere to the nursing professional code of ethics.
  • Maintain current understanding of nursing theory and practice; be prepared to continue learning in order to address current problems and professional changes.

Salary and Employment Opportunities for Emergency Room Nurses

While some segments of nursing care have remained stable as the general population’s health improves, because accidents do occur at home, on the job, and incidentally throughout our world, there will never not be a need for highly trained emergency room nurses to assess, triage, and stabilize accident victims.

The average salary for an Emergency Room nurse is approximately $62,010, with a range of $46,710 to $92,815. As with other facets of the nursing profession, where you live might have an effect on your compensation.