CKPM2RN has 7 years experience as a ASN, EMT-P and specializes in Emergency.
I was a fire-based paramedic since 1999 until 2020 and I worked as an Emergency Department Medic for over 6 years in the mid-2000s. At that point I decided that nursing was for me and looked into going into nursing school. Trying to complete my pre-reqs was a nightmare. With the 24-hour rotating schedule of a fire fighter I had trouble making classes. Then when applying for nursing school I was told by one school admissions counselor that I should quit my job to attend nursing school. (I scoffed because I'm addicted to food and housing.) Then a friend of mine completed Excelsior, so I signed up. One class at a time, an 10 month wait for CPNE and 5 years later I'm an RN! But wait! I live in Washington state, I can't be an RN with an Excelsior degree. I licensed in Oregon, I found a little LTC/SNF that let me work the hours I could around my fire schedule. Now Washington state law has changed and I'm licensed here. I found a great job with an Urgent Care in my area and I enjoy the variety of patients while really pulling from my back ground in emergency medicine. And then... I landed my "dream" job at a local hospital in the Med-Tele unit and after getting floated to the ED, I realize that it made sense there and my promise to never go back to Emergency was not smart. It's where I belong.