Essay 2: Rough Draft

Michelle DeShazor

Professor Kerr

English 101-12

5, March 2013

                                                                ER Nurse vs. Medical Surgical Nurse

                Nursing is a career in which there is a broad spectrum of fields to choose from. One can work in a hospital, nursing home or doctor’s office. Within those career options are countless positions in which one can choose to pursue. In a hospital alone there are multiple positions that one can choose from. Two of those options include an ER Nurse and a medical surgical nurse. Both are typically found in a hospital, but the aspects of the job could not vary more greatly. When deciding if the position of an ER nurse or a medical surgical nurse is best, one has to take into consideration the job description, pay, and qualifications needed. 

                The job descriptions of an ER nurse and a medical surgical nurse vary greatly; they are two completely different jobs when it comes to the assignments that have to be performed. An ER nurse treats patients who have sustained serious and even life-threatening injuries. Most patients consist of car accident victims, suicide attempts, and work related injuries (learn4good.com). An ER nurse needs to be able to handle urgent, demanding situations quickly and in a calm manner. One’s main duties consist of providing adequate care to patients in emergency situations, administering emergency procedures (CPR), operating health care machines, and acting fast and thinking on his/her feet. There are many different places that an ER nurse can work including hospitals, emergency departments, helicopters, ambulances, and even airplanes. Overall an ER nurse’s job description includes emergency situations and caring for patients with serious injuries. On the other hand, a medical surgical nurse provides care to patients undergoing any surgical procedures. The main duties of a medical surgical nurse include providing preoperative, inter-operative, and post operative care, educating patients on surgical procedures, managing pain, discharge planning, and maintaining the patient’s physical and psychological health (learn4good.com). A medical surgical nurse can work in acute care units, hospitals, long-term care facilities, outpatient clinics and home care settings. The chief job description of a medical surgical nurse involves patient care before, during and after the surgical procedure.  Medical surgical nursing is the largest group of professionals in the field of nursing (wikipedia.org). Based on the job descriptions of these two nursing careers, they are very different in respect of the duties that must be carried out.

With any job one decides to enter, there are qualifications that one has to complete and requirements that must be met; nursing is no exception to this norm. In order to become an ER nurse, one must complete the required qualifications. One must complete Diploma courses in Emergency/Trauma Nursing, which can take up to one year to complete. This diploma consists of modules in health care management, pharmacology, trauma nursing practice, HIV/AIDS care, and health care and the law (learn4good.com). In order to become a medical surgical nurse one must become properly certified; this certification is granted by The Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Board. Some qualifications that one must achieve are having a current registered nurse license, a minimum of two years experience as a registered nurse, one year full-time experience in Medical Surgical Nursing within the last three years, and completion of 30 hours of Medical Surgical Continuing Education within the last three years (learn4good.com). There are different requirements that need to be met for these nursing positions, but they share the need for education and qualification.

Salary is a huge deciding factor when it comes to employment; nursing is a profession that has good pay in just about every field of work that is offered.  An ER nurse’s salary is about $66,000 a year depending on experience, benefits and location (salary.com). Hours can include days, nights, weekends and holidays; patients need 24-hour care. The average salary for a medical surgical nurse is about $50,000 a year (simplyhired.com). But depending on the company one works for, the area he/she is in, and the experience one has, the salary is going to vary. Salary usually is not a huge issue in the career of nursing; nurses are very well paid for their work regardless of the field they work in.

Nursing is a career where positions vary, job options are vast and career advancement and changes are welcomed. An ER nurse works mostly with emergency situations involving serious injury and life-threatening situations, while a medical surgical nurse works with surgical procedures and helping patients at all stages of the procedure. When comparing the job description, pay and qualifications needed to become an ER nurse and a medical surgical nurse, one can see the full picture of both fields of work. Medical Surgical nursing and ER nursing are two very different fields of nursing, and yet they have the same intention, helping those who are in need.

Works Cited

“Nursing Career Choices/Education.” learn4good.com.

http://www.learn4good.com/nursing/careers_choices_nurse_education.htm. © 2013 Learn4Good Ltd.

Web. 5 March 2013.  

“Medical Surgical Nursing.” Wikipedia.org.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical-surgical_nursing.  4 March 2012.

Web. 6 March 2013.

Simplyhired.com.

http://www.simplyhired.com/a/salary/search/q-medical+surgical+nurse.  © 2013 Simply Hired, Inc.

Web. 6 March 2013.

Salary.com.

http://www1.salary.com/Staff-Nurse-RN-Emergency-Room-Salary.html.  ©2013 Salary.com

Web. 6 March 2013.