[hen-ui-dynamic-experience placement=”aboveTheFold” /][hen-ui-heading variant=”h2″]Emergency Room Nurse[/hen-ui-heading][hen-ui-heading variant=”h2″]What Does an ER Nurse Do?[/hen-ui-heading][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]What is an ER nurse? ER nurses treat people with serious illnesses and injuries when they arrive at the hospital. Many specialize in trauma, cardiac, pediatric, or geriatric emergency medicine. [hen-ui-link href=”/nurse-practitioner/”]Nurse practitioners[/hen-ui-link] or physicians provide medical care and write orders for the ER nurses, who are tasked with supervising nursing assistants.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Key ER nurse responsibilities include the following:[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-dynamic-experience placement=”belowTheFold” /][hen-ui-heading variant=”h2″]Where Do ER Nurses Work?[/hen-ui-heading][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]ER nurses work in a variety of settings, each of which comes with different responsibilities.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-list variant=”unordered” bullet-style=”bullet”] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-flex direction=”column” gap=”xxs”] [hen-ui-heading variant=”h3″][hen-ui-icon icon=”minus” color=”primary” aria-hidden=”true” /]Critical Access Hospital[/hen-ui-heading] [hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]ER nurses in critical access hospitals help stabilize patients for transfer and treat serious injuries. They often have fewer resources for treating patients.[/hen-ui-text] [/hen-ui-flex][/hen-ui-list-item] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-flex direction=”column” gap=”xxs”] [hen-ui-heading variant=”h3″][hen-ui-icon icon=”minus” color=”primary” aria-hidden=”true” /]Urban Hospital[/hen-ui-heading] [hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Urban hospital ER nurses often respond to a variety of illnesses and injuries and sometimes assist in violence prevention.[/hen-ui-text] [/hen-ui-flex][/hen-ui-list-item] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-flex direction=”column” gap=”xxs”] [hen-ui-heading variant=”h3″][hen-ui-icon icon=”minus” color=”primary” aria-hidden=”true” /]Academic Medical Center/Teaching Hospital[/hen-ui-heading] [hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]In academic centers, ER nurses are most likely to boast specialties, use advanced equipment, and apply experimental treatments.[/hen-ui-text] [/hen-ui-flex][/hen-ui-list-item][/hen-ui-list][hen-ui-heading variant=”h2″]Why Become an ER Nurse?[/hen-ui-heading][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]ER nursing jobs can be tremendously gratifying, but they can also be physically and emotionally draining. Sometimes ER nurses experience trauma and even develop PTSD from incidents with multiple casualties, such as disease outbreaks, natural disasters, mass shootings, or terrorist attacks. Like most nurses, however, ER nurses enjoy salaries above the U.S. average for all occupations.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-heading variant=”h2″]How To Become an ER Nurse[/hen-ui-heading][hen-ui-heading variant=”h2″]How Much Do ER Nurses Make?[/hen-ui-heading][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Demand is high for ER nurses. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 7% job growth rate for RNs from 2019 to 2029, making ER nursing an attractive career. ER nurse salaries are well above the average [hen-ui-link href=”https://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/central.html” target=”_blank”]national median salary[/hen-ui-link] of $51,920 and the national average salary of $34,250.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]On average, nurse practitioners with ER skills earn [hen-ui-link href=”https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Nurse_Practitioner_(NP)/Salary/7f09aed8/Emergency-Room-ER” target=”_blank”]$100,721 each year[/hen-ui-link]. The additional education and certification is a good investment for ER nurses seeking more compensation, responsibility, and autonomy.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-article-card title=”Find State-Specific Salary Data” href=”/registered-nursing/” size=”compact” border=”stroke”][/hen-ui-article-card][hen-ui-heading variant=”h2″]Frequently Asked Questions About ER Nurses[/hen-ui-heading][hen-ui-separator /][hen-ui-heading variant=”h3″]How long does it take to become an ER nurse?[/hen-ui-heading] [hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]It takes two years to earn an ADN or four years to earn a BSN. Candidates must hold a BSN to secure some ER nurse jobs, especially at larger hospitals. A BSN is also necessary to pursue an advanced degree such as an MSN or [hen-ui-link href=”/degrees/dnp//”]DNP[/hen-ui-link]. In addition, many hospitals will require some nursing experience when hiring someone for the ER.[/hen-ui-text] [hen-ui-heading variant=”h3″]What specialties are available for emergency nurses?[/hen-ui-heading][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]The following includes common ER nurse specialties and special credentials:[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-list variant=”unordered” bullet-style=”bullet”] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″][hen-ui-link href=”/careers/trauma-nurse//how-to-become/”][hen-ui-text tag=”strong” weight=”bold”]Trauma ER nurse:[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-link] treats severe trauma cases[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-list-item] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″][hen-ui-text tag=”strong” weight=”bold”]Triage ER nurse:[/hen-ui-text] determines priorities based on urgency[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-list-item] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″][hen-ui-link href=”/careers/flight-nurse/”][hen-ui-text tag=”strong” weight=”bold”]Flight ER nurse:[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-link] treats patients during emergency air transport (certified flight registered nurse credential required)[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-list-item] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″][hen-ui-link href=”/careers/pediatric-nurse/”][hen-ui-text tag=”strong” weight=”bold”]Pediatric ER nurse:[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-link] treats children in the ER (certified pediatric emergency nurse credential required)[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-list-item] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″][hen-ui-text tag=”strong” weight=”bold”]Transport ER nurse:[/hen-ui-text] cares for patients during transport from one facility to another (certified transport registered nurse credential required)[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-list-item][/hen-ui-list] [hen-ui-heading variant=”h3″]What is the [hen-ui-link href=”/resources//er-nurse-vs-icu-nurse/”]difference between an ER nurse and an intensive care unit (ICU) nurse[/hen-ui-link]?[/hen-ui-heading] [hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]ER nurses treat patients when they arrive at the hospital and focus only on immediate treatment and stabilization. ICU nurses treat patients who are in critical condition, typically in special ICUs after initial emergency treatment.[/hen-ui-text] [hen-ui-heading variant=”h3″]What leadership roles are available for ER nurses?[/hen-ui-heading][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]ER nurses seeking advancement outside of administrative roles [hen-ui-link href=”/careers/er-nurse/how-to-become/”]can become emergency nurse[/hen-ui-link] practitioners by earning an MSN and certification. On the administrative side, ER nurses can become charge nurses, who lead the entire nursing unit in an emergency department. These positions require considerable experience and may require a graduate degree.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-heading variant=”h2″]Resources for ER Nurses[/hen-ui-heading][hen-ui-list variant=”unordered” bullet-style=”check”] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-heading variant=”h3″][hen-ui-link href=”https://www.ena.org/my-account/home” target=”_blank”] Emergency Nurses Association[/hen-ui-link][/hen-ui-heading] ENA provides continuing education, professional publications, and recognition awards for ER nurses. Emergency RNs in the United States and their international equivalents can become full members. Others may join without voting privileges.[/hen-ui-list-item] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-heading variant=”h3″][hen-ui-link href=”https://bcen.org/” target=”_blank”] Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing[/hen-ui-link][/hen-ui-heading] BCEN certifies five different emergency nurse specializations: certified emergency nurse, certified flight registered nurse, certified pediatric emergency nurse, certified transport registered nurse, and trauma certified registered nurse. The organization offers professional education and practice exams.[/hen-ui-list-item] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-heading variant=”h3″][hen-ui-link href=”https://www.traumanurses.org/” target=”_blank”] Society of Trauma Nurses[/hen-ui-link][/hen-ui-heading] The STN mission is to assure that the most effective trauma care is available at a local to global level. The organization publishes research, offers mentor matching, and provides education information on improving trauma care. Licensed RNs can join as voting members and others as associate members.[/hen-ui-list-item][/hen-ui-list][hen-ui-separator /][hen-ui-heading variant=”h2″]Related Pages[/hen-ui-heading] [hen-ui-article-row variant=”slider” ids=”34437,34440,33999,34514″][/hen-ui-article-row][hen-ui-separator /][hen-ui-heading variant=”h2″]Reviewed by:[/hen-ui-heading][hen-ui-flex direction=”column” gap=”lg”][hen-ui-expert-bio name=”Nicole Galan, RN, MSN” img-src=”https://res.cloudinary.com/highereducation/image/upload/c_fill,h_300,w_300,f_auto,fl_lossy,q_auto:eco/e_grayscale/v1599580499/experts/Nicole_Galan.jpg” img-alt=”Nicole Galan, RN, MSN” layout=”horizontal” background=”white” /][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″ slot=”contentRight”]Nicole Galan is a registered nurse who earned a [hen-ui-link href=”/careers/nurse-educator/how-to-become/”]master’s degree in nursing education[/hen-ui-link] from Capella University and currently works as a full-time freelance writer. Throughout her nursing career, Galan worked in a general medical/surgical care unit and then in infertility care. She has also worked for over 13 years as a freelance writer specializing in consumer health sites and educational materials for nursing students.[/hen-ui-text] [hen-ui-text variant=”b4″ slot=”contentRight”]Galan is a paid member of our Healthcare Review Partner Network. [hen-ui-link href=”/healthcare-review-partners//”]Learn more about our review partners[/hen-ui-link].[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-flex]