I’m in the my last semester of nursing school. Can I start out in the ER/ICU? That is where my passion is.

Yes

I would advise a year or two on a med-surg floor to get some background knowledge so you can decipher a true trauma. I have an ICU and trauma background and my med-surg experience was priceless.

Definitely! Do not let someone tell you that you need a foundation in med/surg. That's bogus! However, do your research! Find hospitals that have 6 month to 12 month new graduate programs that train you properly as an ER nurse! Learning as a new grad is be important and there are many things in the ER/Trauma that you MUST know! School is all the general ed thrown at you for you to binge at once. Getting out is time to practice and learn how to implement all of the excessive information but also really see how real life works. It can be overwhelming! That's why a new grad program is IMPERATIVE! You can definitely do it! Grab an amazing mentor also! ❤️ You've got this!

Yes, you can! That’s exactly what I did. I graduated from nursing school In December 2006, started off as a brand new RN in the SICU (Surgical ICU) and had a preceptor take me under her wing for 3 months. When I felt comfortable, I was checked off of orientation. I worked in the ICU for 2 years then I wanted to transfer to the ER. My mother, who’s been a nurse for 55 years and was working in the ER at that time, told me before I graduated nursing school to “start out in the ICU, get that experience then you can work anywhere”. She was 100% correct. After I transferred to the ER, there were times when my mother was requesting me to help her set up for an A-Line or triple lumen insertion bc those aren’t done routinely enough in the ER for some nurses to feel comfortable setting up the supplies. I highly recommend it. I still have most of that ICU knowledge in my brain.

I immediately work in ER after license. I like it and love it 14 yrs later still in ER. But I wouldn’t recommend you working immediately unless facility willing to shadow you for 6 months. Because ER is fast pace and possibility of getting 1 ambulance and 1 walk at the same time. Im not trying to discourage you because you cant be reading books when you work in ER. They expect you to know what to do and your skill sets is a must plus you need to be FAST. I have seen new grad work in ER and quit. But if your EMT in ER while doing your BSN then you will thrive and be successful. This is just my opinion.

Yes. Will say it will be easier to get a non-level 1 trauma ED position gain a few years of experience ( even seen a soon as a year experience) and then transfer to trauma center if that is your desire. More often than not in those hospitals you’ll be competing against experienced nurses for the position for trauma centers.

We had several "fresh out of school" nurses starting in our ED through the "STAR RN" program. Do you have access to such a program?