Have you witnessed tragic situations like car accidents or calamities? Have you noticed the people who are first respond in the area? Usually, in emergency cases, we always see the common scenario of an ambulance and its roaring siren rushing to the scene. Inside those ambulances are the real heroes who save the lives of many in times of danger. On the other hand, in the hospital setting, they are the front line of the health team. They are the health professionals we encounter first when admitting a patient in the emergency room. By reading this, I am sure you are interested with what this job entails. Yes, you are right. You are likely bound to become an emergency nurse. Knowing more about this job would convince you why you are on the right track.
What is an Emergency Nurse?
Emergency nurses are the health care professionals who take responsibility in caring for patients as they enter in the emergency room or urgent care facility. Aside from being a registered nurse, they should be able to handle crisis situations effectively. Nurses who are in this field of specialty are required to deal with patients efficiently in life threatening events and provide rapid assessments.
Education and Training Requirements
The minimum requirement of an emergency nurse is obtaining a four – year Bachelor’s degree in Nursing and he or she should be a registered nurse to have a license to practice the profession. There are a lot of fields that a nurse can focus and specialize. The registered nurse should decide on their nursing program in which field should they specialize and the program then dictates what series of rotations you will take at the hospital. This would give you exposure and experience to different specialties and afterwards, you are the one who is going to decide on what specific are you have chosen to specialize your career.
Emergency nurses are involved with a certain curriculum to keep their license updated. As a health care professional, you should always see to it that you are up to date with the latest practices and trends in giving health care towards patients. It is also required that as an emergency nurse, you should also obtain a CPR certification for you to be able to deal with different patient situations.
Work Setting
The main place of work of an emergency nurse is a lot different from other specializations of nursing. Their nature of job is to work within an urgent care facility or usually in an emergency room. Ou may not realize it, but the environment where they are in is always flooded with people going in and out as different emergency situations happen inside. Every working day, there are a lot of patients with different cases in which an emergency nurse have to deal with.
Annual Income and Benefits
The median yearly income of a registered nurse is roughly around $57,000 way back in 2006. It also varies depending on the location of work and the specialty of a nurse. Because we are talking about emergency nurses, they are actually earning an income that ranges from $40,000 to $83,000 yearly. They also have benefits like health insurances, paid holidays, and vacations.
Being a nurse would require you to be excellent in anything you do especially if you have a field of specialty. You also need to have that sense of compassion towards patients because you might find yourself working under pressure and stress and not able to live up to the standards of rendering care. If becoming an emergency nurse is your dream, better prepare yourself well and be happy with what your career.
