So many questions, I don't even know where to start...

[ParaBandAider, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

Hello all,

I'm so lost, I don't even know where to start or what questions to ask first, so I'll start simple: I've recently been admitted to a BSN program that starts fall 2015 and I'm a firefighter.

The longish story:

My career is going great, I landed my dream job at the age of 22. I've always had a passion for all things medical and rescue. When I started in my current position I realized that there was much to improve in the way which we cared for our fellow firefighters when they were injured or I'll; this coupled with my position being seasonal lead me to set becoming a nurse as my new goal. To me being a nurse meant having a steady job when there was no fire to fight and skills to help my comrades when there was.

I pursued this goal aggressively and completed my prerequisite in short time, I completed all but one co-requisites, then I submitted my application to every state school I qualified for. I was rejected by most and wait listed by a few. Undeterred I reapplied to those schools kind enough to wait list me. In the mean time I finished my last co-requisite. When it came time to find out my fate, I took it in stride that I had been wait listed again; I applied to paramedic school and set my sights on that goal. Talking to the programs I applied for I was assured a slot due to field experience.

Feeling a new wind in my sails with the prospect of paramedic school I was feeling great about life when tragedy struck in the form of opportunity, I was offered a year round position. Not taking the position would have been foolish, it was rare that a year round slot opened up, it also meant I received full benefits. I accepted the position and when the paramedic schools offered me a slot I kindly told them I'd reapply next year when my department could fund me to attend. That was last year, I talked it over with my supervisor and I got the green light to reapply, but the funding was still in limbo. As a backup plan I submitted my application to the local state school's BSN program, I never thought I'd be accepted, but I was. As I walked in to tell the overhead at work I assumed I would have to make a difficult decision whether to pursue school or continue to work, I knew they couldn't fund nursing school and I felt like I'd be settling if I went to paramedic school now. To my surprise I was told I could go to school and they'd flex my work schedule to accommodate my classes!

I know this sounds very positive, but now I feel like I'm burdened by opportunity, lost as to which direction to take. Questions abound.

Would it be wrong to go all the way through school to never actually work as a nurse?

Will this really help me take care of my fellow firefighters?

Did I choose wrong picking nursing school over paramedic school?

Do I have what it takes to make it through school and work at the same time?

Do I really want to be a nurse?

What opportunities are out there to work as a nurse in fire?

And so many other questions

I know I have to answer most of these on my own, but maybe one of you kind folks can give me some insight or advice.

Thank You

[level1]

Well, you've definitely got a lot of stuff to sort out, to say the least. At one point, I too was deciding between paramedic and nurse, but after a lot of research I chose nursing. Honestly though, if paramedics earned a higher salary and had opportunity for advancement, I would've went that route. I am only choosing nursing because I am determined to work in Emergency, that's the only specialty that excites me. What areas of nursing do you like? Will you be happy serving non-EMS people? Are you patient, observant, cooperative?

Have you shadowed a nurse and a paramedic? Do you only want to work paramedic if you can get on a Fire service? Could you do private ambulance serving the nursing home demographic? Paramedic is great, but who's the oldest one you've seen? I seen nurses into their late 60's early 70's,

[Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN]

First, I would give some serious thought to what your end goal is (sounds like you have given it some.) Do you want to help initially at the scene, or help pts through their hospitalizations/beyond? With regards to fellow firefighters, nurses are not trained as first responders (beyond BLS anyway.) Of course you are one, but nursing school content isn't really going to add much to that particular skill set.

On the hospital side, they would likely be getting care in a burn unit for thermal or inhalation injuries, possibly in a trauma unit if injury due to a fall or blast. I typically don't advise anyone to become an RN for a specific specialty because odds of landing that dream position are not in their favor....especially if the specialty in question is one of the higher demand units. There is no nursing shortage.

Nursing school is quite demanding, and I personally would never go through the stress unless I wanted to be a nurse. Plus, spots are limited. Someone who wants to be an RN didn't get a spot.

I used to work with someone who worked FT in the hospital as an RN, and PT as a firefighter. His two roles were completely separate, but he enjoyed both so did both. If you work 12 hour RN shifts, that gives you 4 days a week to pursue other things. Something to consider if you decide to go the RN route.

[sfla123456]

In some states you can challenge the paramedic exam with your RN license and your EMT-B... You can do your BSN be a firefighter-medic have your benefits and pension, make extra money working per diem as a nurse.

This all depends on your end goal though and what you want to do.

[NurseGirl525, ASN, RN]

I have a cousin who is a firefighter/paramedic. Her plan is to go to nursing school when she retires. She is eligible in the next couple of years I think. She absolutely loves her job now, but knows it's not realistic when she hits her 40's. She's in her mid-thirties now and has been doing this since she's been 19.

Persinally, I wouldn't go to school unless my end game was to be a nurse. Anytime your coworkers get injured, they are going to go to the ER anyway. You wouldn't provide any care on scene beyond what a paramedic or EMT does anyway. I'm sure that a regulation somewhere. It honestly protects against lawsuits.

Good luck with whatever you decide. If you love being a firefighter, stick with it. I'm guessing you like that rush of adrenaline. Someone had said they only want to do ER. But when they are a new grad, they may not get into that speciality at first. Some areas only take people with years of nursing experience in the ER. Those areas are the ones already saturated with nurses. You may have to start in med/surg and work your way into ER. Just some food for thought.

[ParaBandAider, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

I put a lot of thought into my decision to pursue nursing, I shadowed both paramedics and nurses, albeit they were fire medics and flight nurses for the most part (due to my work contacts). My advice from most of those who I shadowed was to be a fire medic and do flight nursing if I wanted to make money, but stay in my current position as long as possible if that is what I loved doing. Ever since I made the decision to pursue a higher qualification medically I knew I would aim to get licensed as both a paramedic and RN. My decision to put nursing school ahead of paramedic school was twofold, first I want to finish my bachelors degree and second I know of a paramedic program specifically tailored to nurses who work in EMS/fire. These decisions were made when I thought I was only working half the year though. Having year round work made my educational goal shift to finishing my bachelors degree.

Right now my motivation to go to school is to get my bachelors and manage my agency's EMS program locally. This means being able to train EMRs and EMTs, coordinate with hospitals to provide oversight, and manage records for the most part. I know a BSN will allow me to do this, but so would other degrees. Clinically my goal is to keep employees out of the hospital and in the field(think telemedicine, preventive/rehab care, and occupational health and safety). If someone is injured to the point of going to the ER the highest level of care that is normally needed is honestly that of an AEMT, however there are some injuries that require a scope that is more unusual and above a paramedic's scope, it would be more physician/surgeon level. I do know of flight nurses and combat medics given authority to do some of theses procedure though.

My career is full of unique opportunities and as they pop up my end goals change, this is why I feel so lost. I am committed to going to school, but I find myself second guessing my decisions time to time. Honestly right now I'm only driven by finishing my degree in something that will give me a good job if I get hurt and cannot fight fire anymore. What is required to maintain your RN license in the state of California anyways?

Thank You