The emergency room is the battleground for survival, and when it comes to emergency care, two nurses emerge as heroes- ER nurse and Trauma nurse. Behind every lifesaving action these two nurses are working tirelessly. But what do ER nurses and Trauma nurses do? Both have very important but life-altering roles. In this blog we will understand the duties of ER nurse vs Trauma nurses and what do they do.
ER nurse’s vs Trauma nurses
Er nurses and trauma nurses are two groups of specialized nurses who work together to navigate the chaos in emergency room. But what do they do and how do their duties differ from each other? Well, let’s dive deep and understand the difference between ER nurses and Trauma care nurses.
Focus of care
Focus of care for ER nurse’s vs Trauma nurses are:
ER nurses: ER nurses, also known as emergency room nurses, provide effective, quick and lifesaving care to patients suffering from different medical conditions such as injuries, infections, strokes etc. They work with different types of patients with different medical conditions at the same time.
Trauma nurses: Trauma nurses are specialized nurses who provide care to the patient with severe injuries caused by traums such as accidents, violence or falls.
Work settings
ER Nurses: ER nurses work in the emergency departments of a hospital where they treat patients who need immediate care. They can also be found in urgent care centers, critical access hospitals, trauma centers and military medical facilities.
Trauma Nurses: Trauma nurses work in trauma centers or intensive care units (ICU) where they take care of critically ill patients.
Educational requirements
Both ER nurses and Trauma nurses must get a nursing degree such as BSN ( Bachelors of Science in Nursing) or ADN (Associate Degree in Nursing). And after that they have to pass the NCLEX-RN exam to get their nursing license. Other =certification requirements for ER nurse’s vs Trauma nurses are:
Certifications for ER nurses:
Thei focus should be on a range of medical conditions, not just trauma, as they deal with patients with different medical conditions.
- Basic Life Support (BLS)
- Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS)
- Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)
- Trauma Nursing Core Course (TNCC)
Certifications for Trauma Nurses:
Their focus should be more on trauma specific certifications, and they deal with traumatic patients.
- Trauma Nursing Core Course (TNCC)
- Advanced Trauma Care for Nurses (ATCN)
- Trauma Certified Registered Nurse (TCRN)
Role and responsibilities
Both ER nurses and Trauma nurses have the duty to save the life of the patients and provide effective patient care but the roles and responsibilities of both differ such as:
What do ER nurses do?
The role of ER nurses is:
- Triage and prioritization mean assessing the patients and seeing who needs immediate medical condition.
- Performing quick patient assessment such as checking vitals and gathering medical history etc.
- Administering medications and assisting with medical procedures, performing CPR etc.
- Managing pain and providing comfort to the patients.
- ER nurses handle a wide range of medical conditions such as infectious diseases, cardiac arrests, strokes etc.
What do trauma nurses do?
The role of trauma nurses is:
- Assess the patients and identify life threatening conditions.
- Stabilizing the patients, for example managing their air way, breathing.
- In trauma situations they assist with procedures like IV access etc.
- Preventing complications and working with other healthcare workers such as surgeons, anesthesiologists etc.
Are Trauma nurse’s vs ER nurses the same?
No, Trauma nurses treat patients with life-threatening situations and severe injuries such as accidents, gunshot wounds etc. whereas ER nurses treat patients with various medical conditions such as infections, strokes, etc.
What is the key difference between ER nurse vs Trauma nurses?
The key differences between ER nurses and Trauma nurses are that trauma nurses focus on patients with traumatic experience and are more focused on trauma specific cases. whereas ER nurses deal with patients with different kinds of emergencies including infections, falls etc.
Conclusion
Both trauma nurses and ER nurses focus on providing effective patient care and saving the lives of critically ill patients, but the trauma nurses need additional specialization and training as they deal with, the trauma patients such as gun wounds and accidents. The main difference between ER nurses and Trauma nurses is that ER nurses provide care to the patients with different medical conditions such as infections, stroke, heart attacks etc. Trauma nurses provide care to patients who are facing life-death situations such as gun wounds, accidents, severe injuries, etc. If you are an ER nurse and looking for a high paying travel job, then Download our SkillGigs app to get the best job notifications. Why wait? Make more money with SkillGigs.
