Emergency Room Nurse

Like the emergency room itself, the job of an Emergency Room Nurse is fast-paced and unpredictable. Patients arrive with problems ranging from a broken bone to a life-threatening injury. And you respond quickly to assess their condition, provide necessary medications, and decide which patients need immediate attention. As an Emergency Room Nurse, you save lives and comfort patients to reduce the stress and shock of the experience.

At the hospital as an Emergency Room Nurse, you work in shifts covering morning, afternoon, or overnight. When a patient arrives, you take them to a room where you determine how urgent their needs are. Sprains, for example, are not life-threatening, while internal bleeding is. So you order patients according to their condition, from the most serious to the least.

You check vital signs like heartbeat and blood pressure, and record your findings in their charts. After examining the patient, the Doctor in charge will inform you which treatments—such as shots or medication—to give the injured person.

In between seeing new patients and administering treatments, you make your rounds to check if patients are in stable condition, and also to reassure and comfort them. At the end of their visit, you explain what was wrong and what follow-up treatment they need. This ranges from medication to visiting their regular Doctor.

In this job, you encounter a lot of people who require prompt medical attention, but are too sick to ask for it. So you act as their voice. You ensure that they get the care they need, as quickly as they need it.