While watching a medical TV show or a season, you must have seen that in ER, nurses are all running around and yelling “STAT” while giving care to a critically ill patient. In the ICU, everything is quiet, and nurses whisper to each other. No doubt that both are high-stakes zones where patients are dealing with life and death situations, but both departments have different missions. Let’s break down the differences between ER and ICU, and the role and responsibilities of ER and ICU nurses.
What is the difference between the ICU and ER
Difference between the ICU unit and the ER unit
ICU stands for intensive care unit, where patients face life-threatening situations and need intensive and continuous monitoring. The patients spend days to weeks in an ICU unit. ER stands for emergency room and is the unit in the hospital where patients need immediate attention. The patients are suffering from acute illness or injury, such as broken bones, fractures, etc. Not all patients are in a serious condition and may spend hours or a day.
ER (Emergency Room Unit):
Open 24/7 and allows walk-ins.
- Staff are trained to make quick decisions and know which patient needs immediate attention.
- Their treatment is based on emergencies and not on arrival time.
- They focus on stabilizing the patient and providing immediate care to the serious patients.
ICU (Intensive Care Unit):
- Patients are in serious condition and are on ventilators or sometimes sedated.
- The staff are specialized ICU-trained nurses.
- This place is quieter with fewer visitors because of the condition of the patients.
What is the difference between ICU nurses and ER nurses?
Both ICU and ER thrive under pressure, but the roles of ICU and ER nurses and the care they provide differ.
ER nurses and their responsibilities
For ER nurses, everything is about speed and quick decision-making. They never know what the next second might look like. ER nurses deal with patients with various medical conditions, from a fractured bone to a cardiac arrest. They don’t treat patients according to the time of arrival, but according to the condition of the patient. More serious patients, such as those with cardiac arrest or gunshot wounds, are treated first, then less serious patients, such as those with minor injuries.
- Handle multiple patients with various medical conditions.
- Administer medications, IVS, etc
- Coordinate with other medical staff.
ICU nurses and their responsibilities
For ICU nurses, their job is to continuously monitor patients and look for small signs. They manage 1 to 2 patients at a time and make quick decisions if the condition of the patient deteriorates. The roles and responsibilities of ICU nurses include:
- Intensive and continuous monitoring, such as vital signs.
- Making a quick decision if the condition of the patient deteriorates.
- Change feeding tubes, manage ventilators, etc.
- Provide emotional support to the patient’s family.
Should I be an ER nurse or an ICU nurse?
If you like chaos, always want something new and challenging, then an ER nurse is the right option for you. While working in the ER, you don’t know what’s going to happen the next minute. You deal with different patients with varied medical conditions, from a minor injury to a cardiac arrest. ER is fast and unpredictable, and therefore, you need multitasking, quick triage, and strong communication with healthcare team members. If you are good at it, then you can thrive in the ER unit.
If you want something calmer, like analyzing data, managing complex machines and want to build bond with your patients then ICU is the right career choice for you. The downside of working in the ICU is that you may form a deeper connection with your patients, but some might not recover, and therefore emotional weight can be heavy.
What is the meaning of triage in ER?
Triage is the heart of ER nursing. They are trained to assess the condition of the patient who enters the ER. Upon the arrival of the patient, they are trained to assess whether the condition of the patient is very serious and needs urgent medical attention, or if the patient can safely wait while they deal with other serious patients. In ER, the nurses don’t treat patients according to the time of arrival but according to the seriousness of the situation.
Is ER critical care?
ER is not always critical care, which means that the patients who come to ER are not facing life-threatening situations. But sometimes the patients that come to ER are in serious condition, such as heart attack, gunshot wounds, etc., and need critical care. ER nurses are trained to provide critical care skills to the patients, such as CPR, managing airways, etc.
Conclusion
Both ER and ICU provide care to the patients and play an important role in the healthcare system. Both require skills such as quick thinking, strong communication, monitoring vital signs, etc., but work in different medical environments. For ER nurses, the medical environment is more chaotic, fast-paced, and they deal with multiple patients with different medical conditions. In the ICU, the nurses deal with patients who are in critical condition and need continuous monitoring because their health deteriorates at any minute. The environment is calmer, but it can turn into chaos if the patients’ condition becomes unstable. One of the other differences between ICU and ER nurses is that ICU nurses deal with 1 or 2 patients at a time, and they might form a deeper connection with the patient.
Whether you choose to become a travel ICU nurse or travel ER nurse, the demand for both is high. Become a travel nurse with SkillGigs by downloading our app and grabbing the opportunity to work in top healthcare facilities. With SkillGigs 3d resume, you can get the job of your dreams!
