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Emergency Room Nursing
Emergency room (ER) nurses are expected to act quickly and decisively every day because their patients can range from those with a cold to those with multiple gunshot wounds. ER nurses must also be comfortable with a great deal of autonomy dealing with patients.
Because of the great variety of patients, as well as the acute nature of their injuries, emergency nurses usually have more stress and burnout than nurses in other specialties. Many ER nurses work in hospitals or trauma centers, but those with this specialty can also work in immediate care clinics, cruise ships and insurance companies, as well as on ambulances, planes or helicopters.
Benefits
According to CNN Money , the salary range for emergency room nurses is $53,980 to $64,517. In addition to salary, emergency room nurses receive paid vacation, professional liability insurance, paid sick time, medical, life and dental insurance.
Education
Most emergency room positions require that applicants be registered nurses. In addition, registered nurses can prepare themselves for an emergency room specialty by taking additional courses or by earning the Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) designation from the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA).
The ENA also offers certification for flight nurses called the Emergency Flight Registered Nurse (CFRN) designation.
Additional course work to prepare for positions in an emergency room setting should include classes in quickly assessing patients (also called triage), cardiac rhythm interpretation and advanced cardiac life support (ACLS).
Job Prospects
Employment opportunities for emergency room nurses are excellent. According to the Department of Labor, the field is expected to grow more than 10 percent every year through 2016. This rate of increase is much faster than the overall average for all other occupations. -
Related Nursing Specialties
Nursing specialties that are related to emergency room nursing are trauma nursing, forensic nursing, flight/transport nursing, domestic violence nursing and telephone triage nursing.