Trauma Nurse: Career, Training, & Certification

Trauma Nurse

One of the most high-stress yet rewarding nursing careers is that of a trauma nurse, who must respond immediately to emergency conditions and make snap informed decisions about patients whom they may have little to no prior information about. They help those patients who are suffering from multisystem trauma and shock form accidents including car crashes, poisoning, or drowning, among other emergency situations. This requires the ability to act independently and decisively under extremely high pressure, handling patient and family grief, establishing trust with strangers, and a high level of assertiveness. They may be thrust into difficult situations several times in one day and be required to work extremely long shifts. As a reward to all of this stress and pressure, they get to effectively save lives on a daily basis.

Salary Outlook

The salary range can vary amongst trauma nurses depending on who they are employed by and what their level of experience is, especially out in the field.
 
Average Annual Salary
$57,000
 
Salary Range
$45,000-76,000
 
Work Environment

Trauma nurses work individually or as part of a team, often being dispatched out at odd hours into the field for emergency or rescue missions. This can include battling the elements or hostile individuals, and working under any number of extreme circumstances. Trauma nurses are often part of military organizations, or work for the police force. Hospitals and clinics also have their own teams of trauma that are highly skilled at responding to everyday accidents and emergencies. Emergency Medical Systems, or EMS, is probably one of the biggest employers of trauma nurses.
 
Requirements
 
The minimal requirements to become a trauma nurse include licensing as a registered nurse, either through receiving an Associate’s degree, diploma, or BSN, which is preferred and/or required in many states and organizations. A few years of clinical experience are also required. Many times those trauma nurses in training will go out with a mentor for a year or two of experience before being able to perform such heavy duty decisions on their own.

Career Outlook

Because this is part of the rapidly rising healthcare industry, the need for trauma nurses is expected to boom in the next decade. This is not a field that has ever had a lack of jobs, as turnover can be relatively high due to the stressful nature of the job. Yet, with an aging population and never-ceasing supply of disasters, the demand for qualified professionals in this field is poised to continue at a steady if not exponential rate.
 
Professional Organizations
 
Society of Trauma Nurses
1020 Monarch St.
Suite 300
Lexington, KY 40513
Phone: (859) 977-7456
www.traumanurses.org
 
Emergency Nurses Association
915 Lee Street
Des Plaines, IL 60016-6569
Phone: (800) 900-9659
www.ena.org