Fellow nurses I need you advise (ER OR MED/SURG)?

Question

Quick story. A doctor I know very well is the ER Physician, and i routinely go to ER do to STAT draws. One day he pulled me to the side and said " I know your going to be working here after you finish nursing school, and we could really nurse another guy nurse down here". About a week later another doc up where med/surg is told me basically the say thing regarding his floor. Im really torn about what direction i want to go with this. I have had more then a few docs and nurses tell me they need me down in ER because of all the crazy people they get in there, and most respect the men more then the women (i work at a inner city hospital). I have the chance to pick where ever I want basically due to the amount of openings there. Any ideas??? Thanks

Answer 1

I am Chad P's wife. As an ER nurse who has worked med/surg, the best move is the ED! Let me explain. The ER is a fast paced environment vs. the med/surg floor. Patients who come to the ER come in with anything, from the cough/ sorethroat to code blue. Your turn over of patients is generally fast as well, depending on their problem. A cough may be out the door in less than an hour, or you may have a critical patient who may spend a few hours in the ED. You will deal with everything- psych too. If you work on med/surg, you will have a team of patients that you may be taking care of for your whole 12 hour shift. I've had some pretty annoying families and patients. I'd rather see them in the ER for a couple of hours vs. 12 hours. The other plus of the ER is that there is always a doctor right there. None of those nasty phone calls in the middle of the night to the primary physician until the pt is admitted or needs consultation. None of those long med passes. I consider male nurses in the ER as an asset- they are nice to have around, especially around pts whose behaviors often get out of control. I work with some male nurses and they often do well with the critical patients, as well as the heavier patients. I could go on and on- good luck!

Answer 2

Ugh! Been in your position and it's not fun! Only difference is, I have ovaries but I've been in medicine for over 14 years. The thing is, don't let them draw you into their floor just because you're a guy. There's a ton of opportunities no matter the gender in the medical field. You have to follow where your heart's at or your going to get burnt out quickly. I've seen a ton of people come and go in medicine because they felt they were doing the doc a favor by going to their floor but it wasn't where they really wanted to be. Besides, you're not done with school yet so take some time to look around and see where you think you'd like to go. Whatever you decide to do, just be diplomatic about things since you don't want to slam any doors.

Personally, I love being in the ER. Sure it's high stress but it's always something different and I get to deal with all age groups. I've worked med-surg, ortho and pain management as well but I get tired of the repetition.

Good luck!

Answer 3

There are pros and cons to each, of course. My favorite position in the hospital was as a float nurse. This position allowed for the most learning opportunities IMO. Medical/surg floor let's you work with the same patients for a few days and watch their progress. Oftentimes it's the nurses who spend a few days with patients who put the pieces together and give the Dr insights into the disease process. On the other hand, the ER can be exciting and you'll learn to operate on adrenaline. You may be able to make a huge difference in someone's life in little time. You may have noticed doing lab draws that both ED and Medical floor have a lot of repeat customers. Most of the male nurses in this area gravitate to CCU because they enjoy the complexity of it. Wherever you're drawn, you'll be granted a multitude of opportunities to impact lives. I wish you the best.

Answer 4

Just from your question it sounds like you're leaning more towards the ER. Maybe I'm reading into it too much, but You have to go with your heart. Good Luck. Even weighing it out in my mind I think on one hand I'd go ER and on the other hand I'd go OR. Again I say GO WITH YOUR HEART and what works best for your life.

Answer 5

that's no longer that problematic to capture a affected person mendacity. basically seem from some conflicts in the tale. attempt to think of how this individual became into injured and the injuries he/she is showing you. they gained't experience. I in many circumstances understand while a affected person is including some better info, yet I not at all say something. as an occasion, there's a difference between a frequently used headache and a headache led to from a hangover. the numerous factors describing it do basically no longer experience.

Answer 6

i once faced the same situation such as yourself i will give to you the best advice and fellow nurse my own mother gave to me follow your heart it has to be your calling follow your heart your going to make one awsome nurse young man

Answer 7

I would worry about passing school/state boards etc. first