How to Become an Emergency Trauma Nurse

If you want an exciting career as part of a team that saves lives, trauma nursing can be an emotionally and financially rewarding choice. Trauma nurses provide nursing care in emergency departments and other emergency care settings.

This guide describes how to become a trauma nurse and how to earn your trauma nurse certification.

Trauma nurses provide lifesaving care during emergencies. While most trauma nurses work in hospital emergency departments, they also work as part of first responder teams, natural or human-made disaster relief units, and in standalone emergency departments. In a large hospital, they may also work in specialized emergency services, such as burn units.

To be a trauma nurse, you must be able to think quickly during a crisis, work as part of a team, and have exceptional observation skills.

While trauma nurse certification isn’t legally required to work as a trauma nurse, many employers require or strongly prefer it, especially for higher-level positions. The average annual salary for a trauma nurse, according to ZipRecruiter in February 2022, is $91,030, making it one of the higher-paying nursing specialties.

You must first earn a nursing license to become an emergency trauma nurse. Check your state’s nursing license requirements for details, as these vary by state. You can earn either an associate degree in nursing (ADN) or a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN), but many employers prefer a BSN for higher-level or administrative roles.

A BSN also makes it easier to earn a master’s and become an emergency nurse practitioner.

An ADN takes two years and focuses on practical nursing, while a BSN, which takes four years, includes more advanced courses and conceptual courses related to nursing leadership.

The National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) is a multiple-choice exam on nursing skills, hygiene and infection prevention, communications, and legal/ethical aspects of nursing.

When deciding how to become a trauma nurse, consider the school’s NCLEX-RN pass rate and its graduation rate.

Like all entry-level nursing jobs, your first job in emergency or trauma nursing provides you with on-the-job training. You can gain this experience in many different settings, such as an emergency department, intensive care unit (ICU), burn unit, or other emergency unit.

The Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN) offers TCRN certification. To be eligible, you must have a current and unencumbered nursing license and pass the examination. The BCEN recommends but does not require two years of experience as a trauma nurse.

Trauma nurses are in demand in a variety of hospital and emergency care settings. You can find jobs through professional nursing association job boards or networking opportunities (the Emergency Nurses Association is the largest association), general job boards, or nursing recruiters.

Most hospitals have trauma nurse openings or accept resumes in anticipation of future needs.

You can become a trauma nurse and earn trauma nurse certification with either an ADN or a a BSN degree. However, some employers prefer or require a BSN. A BSN also prepares you to enter a master’s nursing program to become an emergency nurse practitioner, if you are interested in a higher salary and more professional autonomy.

An ADN degree takes two years, compared to four years for a BSN. Tuition costs and entry requirements for an ADN are generally lower than for BSN programs.

This degree is best suited for those who want to start work as a nurse as soon as possible or whose academic record doesn’t necessarily reflect their nursing potential. However, a BSN degree is more valuable if you want a higher-level position, to work at an academic medical center, or earn a master of science in nursing (MSN).

A BSN degree is a four-year degree that covers more advanced topics and includes more leadership and administrative courses than an ADN. If you want to earn a master’s or become a nurse practitioner, you will need a BSN or earn the equivalent through an RN-to-MSN program.

This degree is best suited for those who want to work as a manager or other nursing team leader, work at an academic medical center or other prestigious workplace, or want to become a nurse practitioner.

Sometimes people ask how to become a trauma nurse without an RN license. This is not possible, since all states require a nursing license to practice nursing. If you want to work in emergency care without a nursing license, you could become an emergency medical technician or a certified nurse assistant.

Trauma nursing is a high-stress position. Learning how to become a trauma nurse includes learning how to manage stress and maintaining calm and resilience under pressure.

Because of COVID-19, trauma nurses are in especially high demand, both to cope with the pandemic and in response to many trauma nurses retiring because of the pandemic. While the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 9.0% growth between 2020 and 2030 for all nurses, trauma nurse jobs may grow faster.

The average annual salary for a trauma nurse, according to ZipRecruiter, as of February 2022, is $91,030, which reflects the high demand. You can find trauma nurse jobs through job boards, professional networking in nursing, recruiters, or applying directly to employers that interest you.

Trauma nurses work in several settings, including:

It takes at least two years to earn an ADN, but many emergency trauma nurses earn a BSN, which takes four years. The BCEN recommends but does not require two years of experience as an emergency trauma nurse for certification.

An emergency trauma nurse provides the nursing care needed to stabilize a patient, while a critical care nurse provides care once the patient is stabilized. Most critical care nurses work in an ICU, while emergency trauma nurses are more likely to work in an emergency department.

Trauma nurses help surgeons during emergency surgeries, typically in the emergency department but sometimes in specialty units such as burn units. They monitor the patient’s vital signs and provide other assistance during surgery. They also offer nursing care before and after the surgery.

Emergency trauma nurses can become nursing team or nursing unit leaders or nurse administrators. Trauma nurse certification is very helpful for earning these promotions. They can also earn an MSN and become an emergency nurse practitioner. Nurse practitioners enjoy higher salaries and more professional autonomy, but they have more responsibilities.

Page last reviewed January 31, 2022