Emergency Nursing: Roles To Play

Accidents happen all the time. That’s why the emergency room of the hospital is almost never empty. Inside you will find patients, doctors and of course, nurses. To be more specific, they are emergency nurses.

Emergency Nursing is an area of specialization in which nurses care for patients who are in the critical phase of their injury or illness. Every second counts in emergency nursing. That's why each emergency nurses specialize in quick assessment and treatment especially during the initial phase. Emergency nurses are adept at detecting problems that endanger life and prioritize the urgency of care. They also quickly and effectively carry out immediate treatments and procedures to a wide range of conditions, from a simple sore throat to a heart attack to third degree burns caused by a fire disaster. They should also be able to provide information and emotional support both to the patient and to his or her family. Aside from these, emergency nurses can play any of these three important roles.

This is the primary and the most important duty of an emergency nurse. Although the patient is the top priority, nurses should also take care of the family of the patient who may turn hysterical and can have complications themselves. Patient care does not just happen in the emergency room of a hospital. It should be provided to the patient inside the ambulance, on the helecopter or in urgent care centers. You will also find emergency nurses in the government, cruise ships, camps, sports arenas and other places where a medical emergancy may occur.

Emergency nurses can also provide information and education to the public. This can be done through programs that will prevent injuries and promote wellness such as child passenger safety, gun safety, alcohol awareness and domestic violence prevention.

Emergency nurses may also work as managers, administrators and researchers in order to improve emergency health care.

There are also areas of specialization in emergency nursing. These include pediatrics, geriatrics, trauma and injury prevention. However, because in emergency nursing, there is a wide range of conditions to treat and nurses are expected to provide care for almost any cases they may encounter, specializations are very, very rare.