Paramedic/EMT vs RN?

[mcknis]

Now I have heard many of you talk on here about having been/are a paramedic/EMT, or your spouse was/is a paramedic/EMT and have one big question (with several smaller ones, too) for you all out there. I am starting nursing school this fall and am so excited about it. I also volunteer in my spare time as a volunteer firefighter and love the adrenaline rush, while helping others. With your experience, is there one career (RN/Paramedic/EMT) that is "better" than the other? I still plan on continuing with nursing school, but I also enjoy the fast-paced, think-on-your-toes environment. Which do you feel is/was more enjoyable?

Which one is allowed to do more? I know each has its limitations, but...

I have also heard that Paramedics and RN's make similar amounts of money. Is this true? Whick has more autonomy? Whick is valued more among the medical community? (i.e. Is there one that is looked down on more?)

Thanks in advance.

[EricJRN, MSN, RN]

I know several nurses from various specialties (including yours truly) who are also involved in EMS, either on a volunteer or paid/part-time basis. For some, once you get into it, it stays in your blood.

[JuliaC]

judging by the dates this is an old discussion but I just wanted to throw my two cents in anyway!

First off, a paramedic and a nurse are both respectful titles.

However, paramedics often get a bad rep for just being "ambulance drivers". What I'm about to say is probably going to annoy some people BUT before anyone gets heated, I'm going to say I'm not saying this as a bad thing or as a put down to anyone but paramedics and nurses do the exact same things practically .. despite the fact that the work environment is very different, they've able to perform all of the same things. My uncle is a paramedic and I'm currently in the process of trying to become one too. Going back to my uncle being a paramedic, his career has taken him all of the world .. He began in Moncton, New Brunswick (Canada) moved on to be a paramedic for the king of Saudi Arabia, and now he works in Qatar, where he started something called "life flight" which is a fleet of air ambulances. Basically what I'm trying to get at here is that just like a nurse, paramedics have just as portable of a job, it can take you anywhere because there's never going to be "too many nurses" or "too many paramedics" same thing with doctors. Also, my uncle has delivered babys in bad storms when they could not make it to a hospital, he's saved many many lives. The primary reason why RN's get payed more is because of the work setting. RN's work mainly in hospitals, they're unionized therfore they get payed more. Paramedics aren't unionized, they don't always work in a hospital but if they do, they get payed more. And also, nurses require more education (a full degree) however, that's changing where I live, they're returning to the 2 year program option because they feel that a 4 year degree to become a nurse is unnecessary. The bottom line is, both jobs are on high demand, both jobs can take you practically anywhere in the world, both jobs are extremely rewarding, but as far as one being better than the other , the answer is no, one is not better than the other. It all comes down to personal choice. Paramedics are first responders, meaning they arrive on the scene of gruesome car accidents, suicides etc. so if you don't mind all the not-so-glamourous things that come along with the job, and you love the excitement then a paramedic would be the right choice. If you feel more comfortable giving continuing care in a hospital setting, then a nurse is probably for you. However as a paramedic you do have a bit more freedom, and are able to make a lot of decisions by yourself, as for a nurse you are usually if not all the time, being told what to do by the doctor, you're not really in the right to go ahead and do your own thing if that makes sense. SO finally, i'll say that I would highly recommend both jobs, but at the end of the day you should weigh in the pros and cons of both and choose what's best for you :)

Thanks for reading!

[ZippyGBR, BSN, RN]

interestingly in the UK where Paramedics are seen by the law as a 'proper' health professional and registered and educated as such the pay is the same. it also helps that EMs in the UK is not used to bolster the utilisation of the fire service ...

[LaRN/Paramedic]

pay has many determining factors. what i have typically seen is depending on the demand in the area. if a particular area has three nursing schools and a large number of rn's are graduated each semester, pay is not as competitive. as an rn i started off at $21.00 an hr, three years ago. experienced and nurses that are trained in particular specialties generally are paid more. if you want to work nights there is typically an additional $4.00 an hr, evening differential. as far as autonomy i work in a cardiovascular recovery unit and i work under protocols that a physician wrote, just as paramedics do. with that being said, i am also a paramedic. i have worked as a paramedic for over 17 years and my salary is approximately $20.00, an hr. as a paramedic i operated with autonomy just as i do as a registered nurse. everyone that does both has positive and negative opinions. each work nights, weekends, and holidays and usually requires 12 hour shifts.

i can only speak in my area of employment regarding the salary of the 2. rn's start off at more per hour because they are required to have either a 2 or 4 yr degree. paramedics are not required as of yet to have a college degree, by most services. i will briefly discuss the function of each fresh out of school. a paramedic is better suited to work prehospital and rn's are more suited in the hospital. paramedics are taught to take care of the here and now and rn's are taught think long term.

opportunities are available to both rn and paramedics, rn's do in fact have many more opportunities than paramedics. do your research on the different areas of specialty an rn can enter.

both professions are rewarding and offer an opportunity to make a decent salary

[EMS/student]

I'm currently an EMT student, I will be finishing my academy and graduating in the next 2 weeks. I currently attend Riverside Community College , and am finishing my general Education , but at the same time I'm working on becoming a fire/medic (taking fire technology classes and joining explorers). I'm doing everything possible to open up opportunities. I just turned 21 in October , and feel like I'm far behind everyone, I don't want to turn 25 and still be living at home with my parents and working on my career. But anyways After all the experience I have gained working throughout my EMS academy, in ride along's with Fire stations, doing 911 calls with AMR, ER shifts with various hospitals. I have to say I am a little curious as to what field to go into?

[AgentBeast, BSN, RN]