What is an ICU nurse?

An intensive care unit (ICU) nurse is a registered nurse who works with critically ill and medically fragile patients who need the support of the ICU. Their patients require close monitoring in a controlled setting. They may be on life support and need intubation, ventilators and medications. The treatments and interventions ICU nurses provide keep patients alive and help them stabilize or recover. Specific duties include:

• Administering medications and treatments
• Caring for wounds
• Monitoring life-saving treatments, including life support equipment
• Taking vital signs
• Notifying ICU doctors when patients’ conditions change
• Responding to emergencies within the unit
• Education patients and family members

What is an ER nurse?

An ER nurse is a registered nurse who works in the emergency department of a hospital. They see a wide range of patients who come into the ER for treatment. Some of their patients experience life-threatening emergencies, such as a serious car accident or heart attack. Others need medical care outside of normal medical office and urgent care hours.

Common duties include:

• Triaging patients when they arrive
• Assessing symptoms and injuries quickly to help determine severity
• Assisting ER doctors in treating and stabilizing patients
• Performing CPR and other life-saving measures
• Placing IVs and administering medications and other treatments
• Caring for wounds
• Educating patients and families on follow-up care

Similarities between ICU nurses and ER nurses

To become an ICU nurse or ER nurse, candidates need to complete all registered nurse requirements for their state. It’s common for both types of nurses to have additional certifications, although the specific certifications they earn vary.

Both ICU nurses and ER nurses should have the ability to stay calm in emergencies and make quick decisions in life-threatening situations. Working in both the ICU and ER requires knowledge of a variety of illnesses, injuries and medical conditions. They work in fast-paced environments, tend to both patients, provide updates to their loved ones and need to understand how body systems work together. They must also be familiar with a wide range of treatments.

Differences in ICU nurse vs. ER nurse roles

The following differences between an ER nurse vs. an ICU nurse will help you compare the options for your organization.

Pay

There is a slight difference in ICU nurse vs. ER nurse pay rates. According to Indeed Salaries, an ER nurse averages $74.22 per hour plus $12,500 in overtime per year. The average pay for an ICU nurse is $66.84 per hour plus $12,375 in overtime annually.

Working environment

ER nurses work in the emergency department, while ICU nurses work in the intensive care unit. In addition to being in different parts of the hospital, the working conditions for each role are quite different.

The ER is constantly changing and often very active. ER nurses need to be able to respond to a wide range of medical events and may work in different exam rooms and triage patients throughout the ER.

Conversely, ICU nurses work in a highly structured, controlled environment and must be prepared for sudden changes in patient conditions.

Interactions with patients

The length and type of interactions with patients vary for an ER nurse vs. an ICU nurse. ER nurses serve patients for a short period until their condition has stabilized, at which point they may be discharged or transferred to another department. They don’t typically get to know the patients or see them through the full treatment.

ICU nurses may take over for ER nurses when patients are admitted to the ICU. Because patients typically stay in the ICU for longer periods, ICU nurses often work with the same patients for many consecutive days or weeks, allowing them to build relationships with the patients and their families.

ER vs. ICU nurse: Which do you need?

Which position should you choose when deciding between an ER vs. ICU nurse? The following factors can help you decide:

• Current staffing: Look at your ER and ICU to evaluate your current staffing. Determine which department has staffing shortages and would benefit from an extra employee.
• Statistics: Reviewing metrics within the departments is another way to identify where you can improve with new talent. For instance, check the average time patients wait to see a provider and how long patients spend in the ER. In the ICU, metrics include mortality rates, lengths of stay, incidents reported and patient satisfaction. If one department has consistently lower metrics than the other, it may benefit from adding an experienced nurse.

When to hire an ICU nurse

Consider hiring an ICU nurse under these circumstances:

• An ICU nurse recently left or is planning to leave.
• Your ICU nurses can’t keep up with the workload.
• The metrics for the ICU show room for improvement.
• Your ER is fully staffed and functioning well.

When to hire an ER nurse

Hiring an ER nurse may be an ideal choice when one or more of these conditions exist:

• One or more ER nurses have left.
• The ER has a long wait time.
• You want to serve more patients in the ER.
• Your ER doctors need more help.

FAQs about ER nurse vs. ICU nurse roles

Which role is more challenging between an ICU nurse vs. an ER nurse?

Both jobs can be challenging because they are both critical care nursing roles. The pressure is often high and both environments require fast responses to emergency and critical situations. For example, some RNs prefer the consistency of working with the same patients each day in the ICU. Others prefer the challenge of seeing new cases throughout the shift and thrive in fast-paced environments.

What qualities work well for an ICU nurse?

When hiring for an ICU nurse vs. an ER nurse, look for detail-oriented, organized candidates. ICU nurses keep track of a variety of critical treatments, such as medications that must be administered precisely. Organizational skills help ensure care procedures are accurate. While the patient load might be more consistent in the ICU, they still need to be prepared for medical emergencies in the unit and sudden changes to patients’ conditions.

What qualities work well for an ER nurse?

ER nurses can make sound decisions quickly, even in a fast-paced, frequently changing environment. They’re able to shift from one emergency to the next. Being able to stay calm and adapt to rapidly changing conditions can help the ER nurse treat their patients properly.