Emergency Medicine Nurse Expert Witness

An Emergency Medicine Nurse expert witness testifies about Emergency Room (ER) care including triage, trauma, intravenous lines, and resuscitation.  Emergency Department Nurses treat patients in the Emergency Department (ED) who are suffering from trauma, injury, or a medical condition that requires urgent treatment. From abdominal pain to a heart attack, many conditions with varying degrees of severity are treated in the ED. In order to be an Emergency Nurse, one must obtain either an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) or a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing (BSN), and also pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX). The nurse will then undergo further ED-based training and continuing education courses in order to effectively treat and stabilize patients in the emergency setting. Some ED Nurses earn additional qualification as a Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN). Alongside the interdisciplinary team, Emergency Nurses performs a variety of tasks including nurse triage, medication administration, splint application, intravenous access, patient discharge, and even CPR. In order to perform these tasks, the ED nurse must complete a thorough assessment to determine the extent of injuries in order to develop an appropriate care plan to achieve stabilization and meet all patient’s needs. Just like the wide variation that exists in Emergency Medicine, there are several specialized roles an Emergency Nurse may undertake within the department:

• Charge Nurse: As a leader and a resource, the Charge Nurse oversees the emergency department and is responsible for staffing, throughput, patient assignments, communication with providers, and administration.
• Trauma Nurse: In order to be a Trauma Nurse in the Emergency Department, the nurse must have completed the Trauma Nursing Core Course (TNCC) and have two years of experience in the ED. Examples of cases that Trauma Nurses participate in include motor vehicle accidents, gunshot wounds, and crush injuries.
• Triage Nurse: The Triage Nurse plays a pivotal role in the ED and is typically the first point of clinical contact for patients. The role of the Triage Nurse is to quickly assess and evaluate patients using the Emergency Severity Index (ESI) to determine their level of need for medical assistance. In order to triage in a compliant manner, a Triage Nurse must have at least one year of experience in the ED.
• Emergency Department Nurse Director
• Emergency Department Nurse Manager
• Flight/Transport Nurse