Study explains why ER nurses do what they do

SYDNEY, Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Being a nurse in a hospital's emergency room or emergency department is quite a bit different than being a nurse in just about any other capacity. So it would follow that ER nurses have special characteristics that help them thrive in their distinct environment -- and new research has confirmed as much.

According to a new study by researchers at the University of Sydney, nurses in emergency departments are more extroverted, agreeable and open, traits that help them manage stress and succeed in the hectic and fast-paced world of emergency medicine.

Researchers gave ER nurses personality surveys as a way to better understand by some nurses thrive in emergency departments while others burn out quickly. The results -- having been compared with personality test results from a control group -- proved ER nurses posses a distinct demeanor.

The study's authors hope the results can help emergency departments better recruit nurses that will thrive and thus help minimize personnel turnover.

"Emergency nurses are a special breed," explained Belinda Kennedy, researcher at the Sydney Nursing School and a 15-year critical care vet. Kennedy helped lead the personality survey.

"My years working as a critical care nurse has made me aware of the difficulty in retaining emergency nurses and I have observed apparent differences in personality among these specialty groups," Kennedy said.

The study is detailed in the latest edition of the journal Australasian Emergency Nursing Journal.