You might have browsed through the various specialties available to nurses. Every specialty demands particular characteristics and skills, which is specifically true for the ones working in emergency nursing. Such nurses have to work in a stressful and fast-paced environment that demands a unique skill set apart from standard nursing skills.
People generally consider becoming an emergency nurse due to their ability to remain calm and composed in urgent situations. According to the best healthcare nursing agency, serving as an emergency room nurse yields higher salaries due to the challenging nature of the job.
Necessary Skills Of An Emergency Nurse
- Calmness – An emergency nurse should be able to perform calmly while treating patients in severe conditions. When patients with serious illness or injuries get panicked, it is the job of the nurse to help ease the minds by staying collected and calm.
- Quickness – When dealing with the patients in emergency situations, the nurse should be able to act and think fast. Even a few minutes of delay in the action can cause irrepairable damage. So, the emergency nurses and doctors should be able to quickly assess the patient as well as administer suitable care without hesitation.
- Coping – Unfortunately, not all emergency room patients end up surviving their illnesses and injuries. As an emergency room nurse, you will not only have to deal with such losses but also with the emotions that fill you while caring for severely injured or sick patients.
- Communication – Both emergency room doctors and patients require nurses who can communicate confidently, accurately, objectively, directly, and honestly. Additionally, you would have to communicate with the patient’s friends and family members in a polite and sympathetic manner.
Responsibilities of an Emergency Nurse
#1 Deciding Treatment
An emergency nurse helps staff prioritize care on the basis of the severity and the critical nature of the patient’s condition. The medical knowledge of the nurse, their attention to detail, and quick thinking lend a helping hand towards assessing the patient’s needs comprehensively, obtaining their personal information and medical history, and seeking the evaluation of doctor immediately for critical issues.
#2 Administering Medications
The doctor prescribes medication and in the hospital, it is the duty of the emergency nurse to administer medicine, whether that involves handing over pills for consuming with water or priming an IV (intravenous) fusion. Sometimes, emergency patients may already be on existing medication that requires to be administered during the patient’s stay there. Nurses will also confirm the current medicine list with the patient and their family as well as obtain in-house prescriptions from an emergency doctor for the medications.
#3 Taking Vital Signs
One of the most important responsibilities of emergency room nurses is logging vital statistics. Taking vital signs involves measuring pulse rate, temperature, respiration, blood pressure, etc. over the duration of the patient’s stay in the emergency room. Noting vital signs is crucial because they provide a general idea about the patient’s state as well as the changes alert the nurses as they may signify conditions that require doctor’s attention.
#4 Administering Patients
It is the responsibility of a nurse to oversee follow-through on orders of the doctor, including making sure all the medications are given, checking on completion of diagnostic tests, and collecting results. While lab technicians usually transport the patient in their bed for conducting a diagnostic test, the nurse can be asked to offer assistance if the staff is short-handed. The emergency nurse also has to inform doctor instantly if the patient’s condition worsens while they are in emergency rooms.
#5 Offering Treatment
Apart from dosing medications, the emergency nurse also has to help with medical treatment regarding kidney infections, sore throat, etc. Nurses may assist with small medical procedures like stabilizing a patient, assisting the medical professionals with suturing wounds, and intubating critical patients.
#6 Charting
One of the duties of an emergency room nurse is to chart the patient’s complete medical history, current condition and medications, contact number, treatment, and their entire electronic medical record throughout the time they have spent in the emergency room. Accurate documentation in the chart of the patient gives other medical team members correct information about the patient. This helps them take suitable steps in case of emergency. Vigilant and efficient charting also protects the hospital and staff from possible legal liability that may take place.
#7 Discharge
In some cases, the patient can directly be discharged from emergency rooms. In such cases, the emergency nurse has to handle the discharge paperwork, explain the patient and their caregiver/family members, and answer the questions they may have. They also have to tell the caregiver of the patient about further precautions, exercises, medications, etc.
The Bottom Line
Working as an emergency nurse also requires patience under high stress, anxiety tolerance, superior communication skills, organizational skills, attention to detail, and a strong ethic and heart to help others. However, it is a highly rewarding profession.
