Emergency/Trauma Nurse Job Description – Salary, Education and Career Guide for Becoming an Emergency Room/Trauma Nurse

Job Description

Emergency and trauma nurses specialize in both rapid assessment and treatment of a patient, often when the patient’s life is dangerously on the line. Emergency and trauma nurses must always be ready to treat a variety of sicknesses and emergency conditions.
 
Trauma/emergency nurses must respond quickly to a variety of single as well as multisystem traumatic conditions. Trauma nurses work with patients of all ages, genders, and backgrounds. A trauma nurse must decisively respond to problems during medical trauma, and often assess, treat and stabilize patients. Because of their vital role in a patient’s critical health, trauma nurses work highly independently.
 
An emergency or trauma nurse must be ready for anything. For this reason, there are emergency/trauma care nurses in many locations, not just hospitals. Emergency nurses can be found in ambulances, helicopters, urgent care centers, cruise ships, sports arenas, and any other location where emergency medicine may be required. Trauma nurses often work in hospital emergency rooms. A typical emergency room nurse job description includes working with patients under critical conditions to treat and stabilize them as quickly as possible in a variety of locations.
 
An emergency nurse job description may also include educating others about health and safety. Emergency/trauma nurses often provide education to the public through programs that promote wellness and prevent injuries. Emergency nurses may design programming that promotes alcohol awareness, child passenger safety, gun safety, and bicycle safety, as well as programs that educate women about domestic violence.

Salary Guide

The median salary range for the average RN is about $46,782. For the emergency/trauma nurse, salary may vary by geographical location, practice, and the size and resources of the hiring institution. Since there is currently a shortage of nurses in the United States, hospitals often give new nurses incentives such as sign-on and relocation bonuses. An average emergency room nurse salary is about $59,000, and the highest salaries for emergency/trauma nurses can reach $90,000.

Education and Training

In order to become a nurse, one must complete at least one of the following four educational programs.
  • four or five year study at a college or university
  • one year of training to become a Licensed Practiced Nurse (LPN)
  • two year program in a junior or community college, combined with some hospital training
  • three year program run by a hospital or school based on nursing.
 
After the schooling, aspiring nurses must pass a national licensing exam.
 
The educational requirements for an emergency nurse are slightly different from a regular registered nurse (RN). An emergency nurse must have a specialized education and experience in caring for emergency patients. To become a registered trauma nurse, a special examination is required in order to demonstrate this level of knowledge.

Prior Work Experience

If you are considering a career as an emergency or trauma nurse, there are many jobs that you can try that will prepare you for the demands of this role. If you are in school, you may be able to intern in a hospital’s emergency room or shadow an emergency nurse while she works. Any job in healthcare, particularly in a fast-paced environment, can help prepare you for a job as an emergency nurse.

Career Advancement

In addition to providing for emergency care for patients, emergency/trauma nurses can also work as administrators, managers, and researchers who work to improve emergency health care. If a nurse decides to stay in the emergency/trauma field, they will most likely advance to care for more patients and earn heightened responsibility.

Related Associations and Groups

Emergency/trauma nurses may wish to join one of the following groups or associations:
  • Board of Certification for Emergency Nurses
  • Emergency Nurse Association Foundation
  • Emergency Nurses Association
  • Emergency Nurses CARE
  • Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
  • Society of Trauma Nurses.
 
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