Becoming an Emergency Room Nurse

Being a nurse in the emergency room means having the ability to work at a fast pace and work as a team with other nurses and physicians to provide care to a patient. I chose this job because my mom really enjoys it, and I want to know more about it. ER nurses are required to monitor health conditions, give medicine, and perform minor medical operations. While it may not be an easy job, it is rewarding.

Preparing to become a nurse actually starts in high school. To become a nurse, you must first get a high school diploma. Aspiring nurses are encouraged to take 3 or even 4 years of math during high school. After that, you must get an ADN (associate’s degree in nursing) or BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) degree. A local college to get either of these would be Florida State University. Assuming you live in Georgia, out-of-state tuition is about $21,673. My dream college is Auburn University, where out-of-state tuition is about $29,640 per year. Tuition isn’t cheap. Luckily, there are nursing scholarships that help to cut down the cost. The NSNA (National Student Nurses Association) awards more than $330,000 annually to undergraduate and graduate students. These scholarships range from $1,000 to $5,000. To receive one, students must be enrolled in a state-approved nursing school for their first degree in nursing. Now that tuition is out of the way, what classes are required? Freshmen at Auburn must take classes such as pre-calculus with algebra, statistics for biology, and nutrition and health. You must also have a “C” or higher to continue into the higher classes.

Once college is over, it is time to get a job. The average salary for an emergency room nurse is about $62,010. However, it can range anywhere from $46,710 to $92,815. Some hospitals that are hiring in this area would be Capital Regional and Tallahassee Memorial, which are in Tallahassee. Nursing is expected to be one of the fastest growing professions between 2014 and 2024, with a growth of 16%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

While being an ER nurse, it is helpful to have some of the following traits. The first is having the ability to speed up your pace as it is needed. This means being able to work faster as you need to. The second is to remain calm through chaos. The emergency room can be very busy and chaotic at times, and it is important to keep cool, especially around patients. The third is to be able to multitask. It’s important to get things done in the ER. Lastly, you must be agreeable, open, and extroverted. These are needed because you must work as a good team.

To sum up, being an ER nurse isn’t always an easy job. It requires a lot of focus and good grades in school. It’s also very stressful. But if you ask me, I think saving lives for a living makes up for it.