Become an Emergency Nurse Practitioner in 3 Steps

Nurse Types / Emergency Nurse Practitioner

If you want to use your nursing education and experience in a fast-paced healthcare environment, then working as an emergency nurse practitioner may be a solid career choice. You can use your abilities while saving lives.

Emergency room care is not for every nurse practitioner (NP). You must be willing to diagnose and treat a diverse number of people experiencing a variety of medical emergencies. Medical emergencies can include:

• Cardiac arrest
• Mental health status changes
• Traumatic injuries
• Uncontrolled bleeding
• Upper respiratory infections 

Your specialized training helps you react quickly to emergency medical situations, assessing patients and responding to their immediate needs. 

If a fast-paced environment is part of your ideal nursing career, then becoming an emergency room nurse may be a smart move. 

In this article, you’ll learn:

• What is an emergency nurse practitioner?
• What do emergency nurse practitioners do?
• Where do emergency nurse practitioners work?
• What are closely related fields?
• How do you become an emergency nurse practitioner in 3 steps?
• What are additional requirements of emergency nurse practitioners?
• What are the salary and career outlooks for emergency nurse practitioners?

What is an emergency nurse practitioner?

An emergency NP is a board-certified advance practice registered nurse (APRN). As an APRN, you’ll treat patients of all ages in emergency rooms and urgent care healthcare facilities. You’ll collaborate with a team of other healthcare providers to deliver life-saving medicine quickly.

Working in an emergency care facility doesn’t guarantee you’ll always treat patients who need access to critical care. Some patients visit the emergency room for minor health problems when they don’t have access to a primary care doctor.

Qualities of a successful emergency nurse practitioner

Emergency nurse practitioners (ENP) can see between 20 to 24 patients during a shift. Those numbers can increase depending on certain variables, like mass trauma incidents such as car accidents.

To be successful as an ENP, you must have the following qualities:

• Compassion. This is a hallmark of every nursing professional but is especially important for patients needing emergency care.
• Patience. People experiencing medical emergencies can be short-tempered because they are in pain. You’ll need to practice a lot of patience to cope with their behaviors.
•  Quick-thinking skills. Emergency medical situations require you to think fast on your feet to administer appropriate care and medical interventions to save a life.  
• Strong communication skills. You’ll need to clearly explain to your patient and their family members or caregivers the status of their condition and treatment. You also must communicate with other healthcare practitioners to ensure your patient receives the most appropriate care.
• Teamwork. You must be able to work with other healthcare practitioners to deliver the best and fastest care possible in emergency situations.

What do emergency nurse practitioners do?

Emergency NPs have many responsibilities. If you plan to pursue this nursing specialty, you must be prepared to:

• Assess patients with emergency medical conditions and trauma
• Diagnose patients who come to the ER for medical treatment
• Treat patients of all ages with diverse backgrounds

You’ll be expected to have extensive knowledge and be equipped to treat injuries, life-threatening medical conditions, and traumas.

Sometimes patients come to the ER because they lack a primary care physician or health insurance. As an emergency room nurse practitioner, you are expected to provide primary care services in these situations.

A day in the life a emergency nurse practitioner

A typical day in the life of an emergency nurse practitioner can be hectic. The number of patients you see depends on several factors. Mass trauma incidents and holidays can trigger busier than usual ER traffic.

When you’re not busy administering routine medical care to patients using the ER for primary care services, you can expect to handle urgent cases. Some of your key responsibilities include:

• Assessing patients
• Diagnosing conditions
• Collaborating and communicating with doctors, specialists, and surgeons
• Educating patients and caregivers
• Ordering diagnostic and other tests
• Prescribing emergency interventions and other treatment
• Supervising registered nurses (RNs) and other nursing team members

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Common conditions treated by emergency nurse practitioners

You name it, you’ll probably be treating it as an emergency NP. The expansive scope of practice is one of the aspects of the job many ENPs appreciate.

Each year, more than 130 million people visit emergency rooms across the U.S. Of those, 35 million are for the treatment of injuries. As an emergency nurse practitioner, you can expect to treat some of the following conditions:

• Abdominal pain
• Broken bones and sprains
• Chest pains
•  Foreign objects in the body
•  Headaches
•  Lacerations
• Spinal cord injuries
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Upper respiratory infections

Where do emergency nurse practitioners work?

Emergency nurse practitioners primarily work in hospital ERs. However, you also can use your extensive education and nursing skills in:

• Ambulances
• Critical care hospitals
• Trauma centers
• Urgent care facilities

What are closely related fields?

If you decide you’d like a change from working as an emergency nurse practitioner, there are other closely related fields where you can use your experience and knowledge.

One of the options growing in popularity among ENPs is telehealth nurse practitioner. You can use your skills to quickly assess whether a patient can receive care remotely or if they need to be seen in person in a physician’s office or emergency room.

How do you become an emergency nurse practitioner in 3 steps?

You can become an emergency nurse practitioner by following the steps outlined below. Extensive education and experience are required before you can work in this nursing career, so be prepared to work hard to reach your goal.

Step 1 – Become a Registered Nurse

The first step to becoming an emergency nurse practitioner is to pursue your registered nurse (RN) licensure. While you technically can become an RN with an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN), emergency NPs require a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree, so you may want to earn a more advanced degree than an ADN before seeking licensure.

Earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing 

Earning a BSN degree has many benefits. You’ll learn critical thinking and leadership skills beyond what is traditionally taught in an ADN nursing program. A BSN allows you to pursue specialty certifications and is a stepping-stone toward your destination as an emergency nurse practitioner.

If you’re already working as an RN but don’t have a BSN, you can work while continuing your education through an RN to BSN program. 

Pass the NCLEX-RN exam

Passing the NCLEX-RN exam is the final step to becoming a licensed RN. You can take the NCLEX-RN exam more than once if you fail to pass the first time. You must wait 45 days between attempts.

The NCLEX-RN exam tests your competency in four separate categories: 

• Safe and effective care environment 
• Health promotion and maintenance
• Psychosocial integrity
• Physiological integrity 

Earn an MSN degree

The final step in becoming an emergency nurse practitioner is to earn your Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree. Some nursing professionals choose to pursue a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), which requires even more schooling than an MSN.

If you’re having trouble deciding between an MSN and a DNP, keep the following in mind. Emergency nurse practitioners with an MSN degree can specialize clinically. With a DNP, you can seek leadership roles.

Step 2 – Accumulate experience

After becoming a licensed RN, you’ll want to work in a healthcare environment that helps you build valuable skills for your career as an emergency nurse practitioner. Working in an ER or other trauma-care setting is an obvious choice to gain the experience you need.

Helpful skills and experience

Thinking fast on your feet while serving an above-average number of patients each day are two hallmarks of emergency nurse practitioners. You’ll want to seek out healthcare environments where you can hone both.

Other helpful skills include:

• Analytical skills that can help you quickly assess and treat a patient for a variety of conditions
• Communication skills that allow you to coordinate care with other healthcare practitioners
• Grace under fire that allows you to maintain your patience in urgent-care situations
•  Leadership abilities that help you guide other nurses in the timely and effective handling of emergency situations

Changing your specialty to an emergency nurse practitioner

If you’re already working as an RN under a different nursing specialty, it’s possible to change to an emergency nurse practitioner. One of the most common switches is from ER nurse to ER nurse practitioner.

You can prepare for the switch with targeted continuing education courses that help you build skills for your new career and prepare you for an advanced nursing degree.

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Step 3 – Obtain certifications

You have several options for specialty certifications as an emergency nurse practitioner. Most of the credentials relate to emergency and trauma care.

The most popular is the Emergency Nurse Practitioner (ENP) certification from the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, which demonstrates your competency as an emergency care practitioner.

Other certifications you may need include:

• Basic Life Support (BLS)
• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
• Neonatal Advanced Life Support (NALS)
• Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)

What are additional requirements for emergency nurse practitioners?

You’ll need to be recertified as an emergency nurse practitioner every 5 years. There are two options for meeting this additional requirement.

• Complete a minimum of 1,000 hours of emergency care clinical practice and 100 emergency related CEUs within 5 years of your original certification.
• Retake and pass the ENP certification exam before your current certification expires.

What are the salary and career outlooks for emergency room nurse practitioners?

Demand is high for emergency nurse practitioners because ERs are at the top of the list for the greatest need for skilled nursing professionals at all levels.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), growth predictions for emergency NPs remains at 40% from 2021 to 2031.

The salary outlook for emergency NPs remains rosy as well. The average national salary for ENPs is $119,304. Some of the highest-paying states for ENPs include:

• Hawaii – $123,574
• Massachusetts – $123,141
• Connecticut – $122,349
• Nevada – $122,282
• Rhode Island – $119,403

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Job satisfaction

Most emergency nurse practitioners view their roles in crisis and trauma care as essential to achieving favorable patient outcomes. As with other nursing jobs, high levels of stress can lead to burnout, so you must take time to engage in self-care.

How can emergency nurse practitioners advance their careers?

If you haven’t already done so, earning a DNP degree can open the door to career advancement. ER nurse practitioners with an MSN can enroll in an MSN to DNP program.

You can continue to work in your field while earning your DNP. Once you have a DNP, you can seek clinical and leadership nursing roles.

Need help figuring out what’s best for your nursing career goals? Ask questions and get great advice from our community of experienced nurses.

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