How to be an ER nurse??

Hello all!! I have always wanted to do Cardiac or ER nursing. I have about a years experience (combined Peds and Adult Med Surg). I left the Med Surg unit I was on. Totally not for me....only worked in Med Surg for about 6 months and had a hard time there (moving fast, getting everything straight, etc). I was told by numerous nurses that if you could work on this particular med surg floor, you could work anywhere (it was CRAZY busy). Well I started to finally get the swing of things, but the nurses on the unit were out to get me. It was unbelievable what I dealt with there. So I left that floor and resigned. Anyway, I have always wanted to do ER or Cardiac. Always. I applied for an ER residency program in my area and did not get in. I have offered to work (volunteer) on my local rescue squad to try and get some experience (I am thinking this is the ONLY way I will get into the ER). Do you think volunteering for the resue squad is a good idea?? My family thinks I am nuts because I have two degrees and here I am volunteering. I do not know of any other way to get in. Is there some special certification I should get too that will help?? I have BLS and CPR already.

THANKS for the advice!! :heartbeat
ACLS and PALS for sure. TNCC wouldn't hurt either.

Sorry family, volunteering is not nuts. It shows initiative. Apply, then apply again, then call , then follow up that call, show that you are committed and passionate. Show yourself, do something. This is the only way to get what you want.( wish I would have learned this earlier, but advice eventually was offered to me and has always worked) Besides volunteering is good for your soul. If you decide it was not the right decision, then move on.

Hiring policies do vary from place to place, but where I am located, employees transferring departments within the hospital get priority. ED positions are so coveted that nobody gets hired off the street. My suggestion would be to take an entry level position in the hospital, do your time, then apply for a transfer to the ED when you've got some seniority under your belt.

I wanted to work in ER but there were no openings in my area at the time, so I took a position as PRN float in one hospital near me, during which time I floated to the ER a handful of times. That got me in the door, allowed management time to get to know me, and gave me an inside line to open positions when they came up. It took about a year before a position became available and I got it. Been in the ER almost 2 years now. I think taking a position as PRN is a great way to get in the door for any kind of position that you may want, and I recommend it frequently.