Hi Kate, I see your post is from 2 years ago but thought I would post anyhow in case anyone else comes along reading the question and wondering the same thing. ED Nursing is FANTASTIC! In a sense, you almost work autonomously in the ED - you are allocated to areas, eg, ED obs ward, section one, after hours GP type area etc. You take on the patient load that you like ie., not like wards where you take 6 patients and don't have a choice in the matter. I too am surprised that they take Graduate ENs in ED - they certainly don't in the hospital I work in (tertiary hospital in Perth, WA) - I am assuming you are in a remote or rural area such as Laverton? ED nursing is the same as wards in that it can be very hectic, and it can also be very slow; in particular when a priority one comes in, people get pulled from the floor to assist in resus and if you are out on the floor, you end up with an heap of patients. Some people love ED, some are terrified of it - I usually find the people who don't "like ED" are people who have never tried it. You will still get your strong personality type nurses who most people find less desirable, but most are very pleasant and extremely helpful. You need to be able to think on your toes, i.e., not wait for someone to tell you to do a UA but rather just do it knowing that the person possible has a UTI etc., so ability to think outside the box and be independent is helpful. Everyone who I have known who has gone from the wards to ED have stayed in ED!!! I imagine you are well and truly on your way now but for anyone else who is wondering and contemplating, don't be frightened, give it a go and have confidence in your skills. Good luck everyone.
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