Emergency Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Emergency Nursing - Essay Example experience in critical care. Some nurses have a Baccalaureate degree, others have diplomas and associate degrees as their base education. Some hold Masters degrees as well. PALS- Pediatric Advanced Life Support and ACLS- Advanced Care Life Support are other certifications that can be obtained in specialized areas (NHT, 2008) A minimum of one year work experience is preferred and critical care skills.The nurse must be an independent thinker, be comfortable with and capable of using nursing skills and procedures and be able to make a decision in a timely manner. Assertive and non- emotional nurses are preferred, with excellent communication and critical thinking skills. An excellent understanding of Anatomy, Physiology and Pathophysiology is also required (NENA, 2003) Emergency nursing requires expertise in several core competencies. The emergency nurse must be able to interpret data, perform objective assessments, interpret diagnostic results and select nursing interventions to manage the following areas of competencies. 1. Triage 2. Respiratory 3. Cardiovascular 4. Neurological 5. Maxillofacial/ eye/ear/nose/throat 6. Gastrointestinal 7. Genitourinary 8. Obstetrical client 9. Musculoskeletal/ Integumentary 10. Multi-system traumas Emergency Nurse Role 4 11. Environmental Emergencies 12. Immunological/Hematological/Endocrine systems 13. Knowledgeable in Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault 14. Toxicology 15. Mental Health 16. Infectious Disease 17. Psychosocial 18. Discharge Planning/ Client Education 19. Professional Practice Issues/ Legal & Ethical Issues Triage refers to the practice of grouping patients from the most critically ill/injured to the least. This is to ensure that... Patient Care-Emergency nurses care for patients and families in hospital emergency departments, ambulances, helicopters, urgent care centers, cruise ships, sports arenas, industry, government, prisons, military, poison control centers