My feeling is that certain things about nursing need to be learned in a less stressful environment than the ER. Brand new nurses can make this transition successfully only if they have a lot of support in the early months or have completed an internship in the ER. But, even with this support, they will still be "lost" for the first 6 months to one year, especially if it's a busy ER.

My first job as an RN was on a busy high risk L&D unit in an inner city public hospital. And I had worked for 5 years as an LPN prior to taking this position, so I wasn't green. It still was one of the hardest transitions I have ever made in my life, and I guarantee you that many new grads who didn't have my background simply washed out after the first 6 months because they couldn't handle the stress.

I tend to think that you should work med/surg for a year or so before you go to a speciality unit. Mainly so you can have a good med/surg background. I see others nurses who have come straight to cardiac who do not have the med/surg back ground and they are lost when we get a patient with alot of different problems.

I agree with you... LPN or RN expierience in the medical field gives a better understanding of problems that are in the future....and that is always an asset