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Gifted is celebrating Emergency Nurses Week from October 10 - 16! This year's theme is "Grit," which is something all emergency nurses have lots of.
Emergency nurses are willing to do what it takes to provide their patients with excellent care no matter the circumstances. They are resilient, ready to face any problem that they encounter. We are honored to support the incredible work of nurses across the country — they have been vitally important on the front lines of COVID-19 and beyond. These nurses are true heroes, and they are the perfect example of true grit.
Here's a list of reasons why they are so important and unique!
What Makes Emergency Nursing Unique?
Emergency nursing is one-of-a-kind. The RNs occupy a variety of different roles and facilities, but all of them specialize in rapid assessment and treatment of patients.
There are about 90,000 emergency nurses in the United States. Emergency RNs must be knowledgeable about many kinds of care because they treat a wide variety of conditions and illnesses for patients of all ages, which range from common colds to heart attacks. Emergency nurses see it all.
In a sense, emergency nurses must be a jack of all trades, remaining on alert and ready for the wide range of situations they can be presented with at any time. They also must be prepared to handle a high volume of patients with compassion and professionalism -- for example, a triage nurse in a busy emergency room can see as many as 100 patients in 12 hours.
According to Nurses for a Healthier Tomorrow, the nurses' responsibilities fall within three major categories:
- Patient Care — Emergency nurses care for patients and families in hospital emergency departments, ambulances, helicopters, urgent care centers, cruise ships, sports arenas, industry, government, and anywhere someone may have a medical emergency or where medical advances or injury prevention is a concern.
- Education — Emergency nurses provide education to the public through programs to promote wellness and prevent injuries, such as alcohol awareness, child passenger safety, gun safety, bicycle and helmet safety, and domestic violence prevention.
- Leadership and Research — Emergency nurses also may work as administrators, managers, and researchers who work to improve emergency health care.
Different Types of Emergency Nurses
There are so many different kinds of emergency nurses. They usually switch between several or many roles over the course of their career.
Trauma Nurse
Becoming a Trauma Nurse requires special training and years of experience. Trauma Nurses work in Trauma Centers, caring for emergency patients transported by ambulance, helicopter, or personal vehicle.
Code Nurse
Code Nurses care for the sickest patients in the Emergency Department. They work with physicians to care for critically ill patients in cardiac arrest and other severe ailments. Code Nurses must earn both Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) Certification and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certification.
Triage Nurse
Triage Nurses are essential for successfully running an emergency department and producing successful patient outcomes. They collect information about patients who are seeking emergency care and make decisions on how quickly they require care based on their complaints, vital signs, and the resources they require.
Disaster Response Nurse
In the event of a disaster, all emergency nurses become first-responders. During a local crisis, emergency nurses become the first point of contact for victims of the event. All ED nurses should have annual training in disaster response per the policy of their facility.
Charge Nurse
The Charge Nurse can be considered the captain of the emergency department. They are responsible for staffing, patient assignments, communication with physicians and nursing leadership, and more. Charge Nurses are the leaders responsible for ensuring the department continues functioning optimally when the going gets rough.
More Roles
The list above is not comprehensive. See below for more emergency nurse roles:
- Military Nurse
- Flight Nurse
- Critical-Care Transport (CCT) Nurse
- Pediatric ED Nurse
- Burn Center Nurse
- Geriatric ED Nurse
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