How to Become a Trauma Nurse
In a hushed hospital room, a patient slowly awakens from anesthesia. A trauma nurse comes into the room and tells them they’ve been in a car accident. The nurse explains that the care team worked fast to treat their injuries, and that they’ll need a few weeks to recover, but they’re stabilized now. The patient is scared, but they know they are in good hands.
This is trauma nursing — a unique specialty that provides lifesaving care to patients with traumatic injuries. They help patients navigate the aftermath of accidents, injuries, and disasters. Equipped with advanced life support skills, these nurses may be the first person a patient sees in a facility after one of these traumatic events.
If you’re curious about this role, you might be wondering what it’s like to work in trauma nursing, and how you might prepare for a career in trauma medicine. Learn more about the responsibilities of this role, salary expectations, and the steps to take to join this specialty.
What Is a Trauma Nurse?
Every year, more than 2.8 million people are hospitalized for an injury. Trauma nurses have specialized training and expertise to treat patients after severe injuries. They often see patients after car accidents, falls, violence, natural disasters, and other traumatic events. They have advanced skills in assessing, stabilizing, and managing patients in critical conditions, and work only in acute care environments.
Trauma nurses see patients who have gone through events including:
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBI): head injuries that result in neurological damage
- Fractures and dislocations: broken bones, dislocated joints, and post-surgical bone repair
- Burns: chemical, fire, or hot surface injuries that need specialized wound care and treatment
- Internal injuries: organ damage, internal bleeding, pneumothorax, and other injuries that may result from blunt trauma
What Does a Trauma Nurse Do?
Depending on where a trauma nurse works, these are some of the duties that you might do in a trauma nursing shift:
- Blood transfusions: Nurses administer blood products, monitoring patients for adverse reactions, and following proper transfusion procedures.
- Wound care: Trauma nurses bring expertise in wound assessments, cleaning, and dressing changes, including complex wounds, burns, and post-surgical sites.
- Advanced life support measures: Trauma nurses may do CPR, draw up and give life-saving medications, and run an automated external defibrillator (AED) when a patient codes.
- Intravenous access: RNs establish IV lines swiftly and accurately, ensuring timely administration of medications and fluids.
- Pain management: These nurses assess and document patient pain levels, then advocate for and administer proper pain medications.
- Medication administration: Trauma nurses follow best practices for medication administration, and follow them with every patient, every time.
- Preparing patients for procedures: Trauma nurses assist the patient and providers during intubations, chest tube insertion, central line placement, and other emergency procedures.
Trauma Nurse vs. ER Nurse
Both trauma nurses and ER/ED nurses work with patients who are in critical condition. These high-adrenaline roles have some things in common, like the need for fast assessments and critical thinking. But trauma nurses specialize in working with patients with injuries, while ER nurses may work with any patient that comes in the ER doors, like someone experiencing an allergic reaction or a drug overdose.
Nurses who specialize in trauma tend to work in larger hospital facilities with the resources to support critical injury care. In smaller facilities, ER nurses will see patients with critical injuries and help prepare them to be transported to a higher level of care. ER nurses can become trauma certified to work in both emergency roles. Learn more about what ER nurses do.
How to Become a Trauma Nurse: 4 Steps
How long does it take to become a trauma nurse? Depending on where you are in your career, it’ll take you between one to four years. See the steps below to become an RN with a specialty in trauma care.
Step 1: Nursing School
Trauma nurse schooling begins with either a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) or an associate degree in nursing (ADN). During nursing school, you’ll learn essential skills like assessments, documentation, wound care, and more. This will build the foundation for a specialty in trauma nursing. Learn about tips for getting through nursing school.
Step 2: Licensure Exam
After graduation, you qualify to sit for the National Certification Licensure Exam for RNs (NCLEX-RN). Passing this test will make you a newly registered nurse. This exam has been updated to assess your clinical judgment and reasoning. Learn about the new NCLEX.
Step 3: Gain Experience
Once you have your license, you’ll enter the profession as a new graduate nurse. In some hospitals, you’ll be able to go directly into the STICU or ER through a nursing residency program. In other facilities, you may need to get experience in med-surg or another specialty before moving into trauma nursing.
Step 4: Trauma Certification
Once you’ve gained experience in emergency or trauma medicine, you can advance your skill set with a national certification or course in trauma nursing. Check out the leading certifications and courses:
- Trauma Nursing Core Course (TNCC)
- Trauma Certified Registered Nurse (TCRN) certification
Where Do Trauma Nurses Work?
Trauma nurses work in a variety of acute care settings, using their quick assessment and treatment skills to give patients the best outcomes possible after life-altering injuries.
You’ve probably heard a hospital described as Level I trauma, Level II trauma, and so on. These descriptions come from the level of specialization and expertise a hospital has in trauma medicine. Trauma nurses are an essential part of helping a hospital earn this designation. These are some of the areas where trauma nurses work:
- Surgical trauma intensive care (STICU) is a critical trauma unit equipped with resources to handle severe injuries.
- Emergency departments (EDs and ERs) are emergency units where patients with traumatic injury are stabilized before being admitted.
- Medivac and critical medical transport employ specialized transport nurses (sometimes called flight nurses) who help move patients with critical injuries.
- Trauma operating rooms (ORs) may have trauma nurses who assist surgeons and surgical staff when patients need emergency trauma repair.
How Much Do Trauma Nurses Make?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statics (BLS), the average annual salary for RNs in medical and surgical hospitals as $96,830. A trauma nurse salary will vary based upon your years of experience, education level, facility, and geographic location. The states that pay the highest annual salaries to nurses are:
Find the Right Trauma Nurse Job for You
Searching for nursing opportunities? Whether you’re looking for roles in trauma, emergency medicine, or another specialty, we can match you with quality opportunities. Don’t miss out on personalized nursing job alerts from IntelyCare.