EMT-P Question

[MikeyBSN]

I heard a rumor that nurses can sit for the EMT-P exam without going through the course as long as they hold an EMT-B and RN. It's probably different from state to state but does anyone know if that's true or in which states?

[Aneroo, LPN]

We do have the TNCC course that is supposed to train RNs on skills like extrication on a longboard with a c-collar. Course, when I took it, the first thing I said when going into the scenerio was "is the scene safe?" The nurse in charge said "I hate that phrase." I thought, well honey, if the car is on fire or has a hot electrical cord lying across it, you wouldn't hate that phrase.

hehehe...Memories! In my EMT-B class, we knew the answer when arriving on scene was 1-Scene Safety and then 2-gloves!!!! We joked about it all the time. -Andrea

[mommatrauma, RN]

Apples and Oranges...I agree...I am both an ER RN and a PH-RN....being an ER nurse did nothing to prepare me for working as a medic EXCEPT...I knew where stuff in the body was, I could already start an IV, and I knew my drugs...thats it....Knew nothing about vehicle rescue...PROPER spinal immobilization...how to needle a chest...how to intubate (doing it in ACLS doesn't count)...Its a different ballgame..trust me..I was the biggest skeptic out there...I can't tell you how many times my boyfriend and I would go around about how hard could it be?? I can speak from experience...it is different...My Ph-RN class was 9 weeks long...I wish it would have been longer, because even some of the things they teach in that class doesn't cover what you need to do on the street....I still take every pre-hosp course coming down the line just to better help me with my decision making and skill competency...I definitely think that their should be some sort of bridge program where it is an abbreviated class...I don't think you need to do the whole thing as their are alot of similarities in both fields...HOWEVER...if you go in with the mindset that being an ER nurse and taking a couple classes and a test makes you a paramedic...you are not only doing yourself a diservice...you are also doing a diservice to your patients...This class has definitely broadened my horizons...it has also made me a better nurse!

[nyccemt-p]

Someone can become certified as an EMT cold off the street in a matter of months?

(Am I the only one that finds that just a little bit scarey?)

Most EMT courses are at least 6 months long. Most Paramedic Programs are AAS. In NY an RN can take a bridge course to be a Paramedic if they have ER/ICU experience, and have been an EMT for a year. The bridge course is 6 months, and still includes ALL the same field clinical experience the full course contains.

[taidan]

With the new DOT Guidelines ALL Paramedic Classes have to be at min. AAS. And there are many great B.S. In paramedicine programs out there.