EMT Starting RN program anyone else go down this road?

Nurses Men

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I started an EMT course 2 years ago and my original goal was to become a firefighter, but the longer I worked as an EMT the more I realized that RN would be a better fit for me. I'm currently 21 and hopefully if my loans get approved ill be starting a BSN RN program. Just was wondering if anyone got into medical to be a firefighter and found out that RN was a way better fit for them than fire.

Let's take this line for line to clarify.

I have never used the phrase "stupid nurse" quit putting words in my mouth and telling me how I feel.

I never said that is what you stated. I highlighted what you said but thank you for the nice illustration of the double standard. It is okay if EMTs and Paramedics publicly tear down nurses.

some nurses like to tear others down and ride a high horse, .

But thank you again for writing another diatribe about how useless EMS is,

Now those are your words. Did you interpret that from the part about some of us who have moved on? If we want to advance our education and take another title, we should not be criticized for it.

and again bringing gender up even though I can't see how it's an issue. .

Didn't you notice this is under the MEN IN NURSING section? Men...gender...

Again mentioning the awful stories EMTs tell even though no one in this thread reports disclosing PHI. .

PHI? Do you think the only think covered in patient privacy is an insurance and billing address? No, it is not okay to talk about your patients on social media and very public forums. Some even go as far as posting photos or they post a news article with "that's me last shift" and start the discussion with all the gory details.

Don't have a chip in your shoulder is good advice, you should take it as well. .

Many of us offering advice here are much older with much more experience. We've been there and done that. When you are young you might not think about the future and the consequences of your actions. If someone is planning a career move, they can expect some changes in their life both good and bad. It might be hard for some to believe that everything they learned in EMT school was not all you needed to know.

I have looked through your other posts and I know you won't stop until you get the last word or another better argument draws your attention. So I have said my peace. You enjoy your next post and last word. All I ask is that it not use the phrase you referring to me, because only I speak for me.

I hate being misquoted. I also dislike those with an EMT or Paramedic title who will turn around any little word to prove they are right for their own "EMT vs nurse" agenda. Some just can not see the other side of the discussion even from those who may know both sides.

The OP will have to look at the reasons why he or she is wanting to be an RN. It is a personal decision. If they can not get past dwelling on being an EMT and wanting to go only by what they have learned there, then they will have a difficult time. They may also lose friendships and acquaintances from their EMS days because of arguments such as what we are having now where it will be nurse vs EMT even if the nurse holds both titles. If they are motivated to go through the BSN for the right reasons, they will do find regardless of their gender.

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Am i reading what im actually reading ??

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A i readoing what im actually reading ??

Unbelievable huh?

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To begin with, i have NEVER heard of a paramedic course being as short as 4 months...thats completely unfathomable. That means the emtb course was what, 2 weeks long ??

Ill admit being an emtb doesnt take much but paramedic s a completely different ball game, and reading traumasurfers soapbox rant, ive got the feeling that they dont really know the difference between an emtb and a paramedic, which in turn makes 90% of their argument moot points.

I dont however want to engage in an EMT(paramedic) vs nurse debacle.

Needless to say, they are 2 different skill sets for 2 different professions, that are made to operate under 2 very different settings to achieve 2 different goals...anyone pick up on my theme here ?

Bottom line is, any experience is good experience.

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I think it's really great when people have some background in medicine before nursing school.

However I think it's foolish when people assume they ''know it all'' because of their background.

This doesnt apply purely to EMT's / Paramedics, but extends to the CNA / LPN category as well.

I see it way too often.

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Specializes in Emergency Department.
To begin with, i have NEVER heard of a paramedic course being as short as 4 months...thats completely unfathomable. That means the emtb course was what, 2 weeks long ??

Ill admit being an emtb doesnt take much but paramedic s a completely different ball game, and reading traumasurfers soapbox rant, ive got the feeling that they dont really know the difference between an emtb and a paramedic, which in turn makes 90% of their argument moot points.

I dont however want to engage in an EMT(paramedic) vs nurse debacle.

Needless to say, they are 2 different skill sets for 2 different professions, that are made to operate under 2 very different settings to achieve 2 different goals...anyone pick up on my theme here ?

Bottom line is, any experience is good experience.

If the Paramedic school is only 600 hours long, it is possible to complete it in 4 months. I'm a Paramedic. My program was in the neighborhood of 1200 hours and took a bit longer than a year to complete. Not all programs in all states are equal. For the most part, I found Paramedic to be relatively easy. Then again, Nursing School is generally easy for me as well. I'm not your typical Paramedic nor Nursing Student. My educational background has made it very easy for me to learn the material as not a whole lot of it is new to me.

All that being said, Paramedics are, in many ways, stuck in the past using treatment modalities that are sometimes less than ideal. They're "designed and built" for a different purpose than Nurses are. While it's possible for a Nurse to work in the field, they'd be dangerous without a proper orientation.

Nurses are completely inadequately prepared for functioning in the field that I originally studied: Sports Medicine. Orientation to that field would take the better part of a year to learn all the material needed to safely function in that environment. There's a whole lot more to it than taping an ankle or throwing an ice pack on a sore shoulder. I can teach someone to do either in less than a day. Learning to manage an injury from before it happens through return to play takes a lot longer. It's a very, very specialized field that is very different from either Nursing or Paramedic, and probably closer to PA and PT/OT than anything else.

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To begin with, i have NEVER in eard of a paramedic course being as short as 4 months...thats completely unfathomable. That means the emtb course was what, 2 weeks long ??

Ill admit being an emtb doesnt take much but paramedic s a completely different ball game, and reading traumasurfers soapbox rant, ive got the feeling that they dont really know the difference between an emtb and a paramedic, which in turn makes 90% of their argument moot points.

I dont however want to engage in an EMT(paramedic) vs nurse debacle.

Needless to say, they are 2 different skill sets for 2 different professions, that are made to operate under 2 very different settings to achieve 2 different goals...anyone pick up on my theme here ?

Bottom line is, any experience is good experience.

Don't do personal attacks unless you have done some looking up of things you don't know or have never heard of.

Never heard of a 4 month Paramedic course? Just type accelerated Paramedic program into Google or whtever search engine. There are also online courses for Paramedic which can be finished quickly. While you are at it type in two week EMT class anx you might be surprised at how many you might find.

There is a difference when a program is based on clock hours used in tech training versus the semester or quarter hours used by colleges. Some states are very lax as to how the clinical hours are spent. Some are allowed to count all hours spent at an ambulance or ALS fire station including those sleeping. Ambulance companies and FDs which had done their own Paramedic training found it easy to get their employees a Paramedic patch by taking advantage of theit stse's requirements.

The OP also clearlt stated EMT was his title. If you want to argue that is the same as Paramedic that might be best done on an EMS forum.

Bottomline, if you want to keep putting the experiences and training you had as an EMT as being the only way to do anything in healthcare, you are not going to be successful in another program. It is not much different than the EMTs who enter into a Paramedic program witb the "EMTs save Paramedics" or " BLS before ALS" mentality.

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wow, where do i even begin here... lets see.

Yes i googled it really quick before making that post, the shortest i really saw was in fact tx, i just skimmed through one forum and the shortest i saw anyone mention was about 6 mos. Didn't really do too much research into it, how about you show me these schools you speak of so i can take a better look?

Secondly, an online paramedic degree ? you're going to base an entire profession based on the fact that some degrees are offered online ? couldn't you do the same thing with nursing ? accelerated bachelors degrees ? programs that offer an MSN or DNP completely online with minimal effort/contact hours ? Just because there are some crap programs out there that offer an easy way to get through, doesn't mean the whole profession is a joke, or archaic. And i know what your rebuttal is going to be

"i never said ems was a joke" blah blah blah, but the fact that you would mention accelerated programs as an argument to a program that can equally have a 2 year route to equate its relevance, shows that you consider them one in the same.

Lastly, theres absolutely no need to "go to an ems forum" to argue titles. Paramedic is higher than EMTb. This is a fact. The OP mentioned his EMT credential however in your posts, you use paramedic and EMTb interchangeably, which they are not. Thats the equivalent to calling an RN a LPN/CNA.

Nobody says EMS was the only way to go. Everyone who commented on this post said its great experience to have going into the healthcare field because, well it is. Plain and simple. Don't know what you've got against people who have stories to share about their experiences with patients pre-hospital, but it is not at all for naught. EMS comes in with loads of --if nothing else--patient contact experience. We get equally as intimate with a patient, except we have a much shorter time frame to do so, as we have to simultaneously earn their trust and be able to treat them in under 15 minutes, rather than over the course of a 12-hour shift for days/weeks at a time.

I won't even acknowledge that "EMT saves Paramedics" line.

But what do i know? I'm just a paramedic well on my way through nursing school. I'm practically drowning here with all of my old fashioned ways of thinking and outdated tools and practices:roflmao:

I'm unsub'ing to this conversation.

OP- No experience is bad experience as long as you're able to take something out of it.

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I started RN school this semester after 18 years as an EMT. The biggest challenge I have seen is having to change how I think. It has given me some advantages. I actually think a CNA, that has worked as one for awhile, has a bigger advantage. There are 50 in my class I would say Im among the top 20.

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Did anyone write about their EMT experiences in their personal statement for nursing school?

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Did anyone write about their EMT experiences in their personal statement for nursing school?

If anything, keep it brief and to the point. Try to avoid graphic issues with what you may have experienced as an EMT. Instead, focus on the points it taught you like:

- Leadership of a team

- Collaborating within a team setting

- Experiencing complex issues and remaining poised through it.

It will get you a lot further if you push that you learned things from it, instead of just mentioning scenarios.

-From a former MD EMT of 6 years at station 41

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Thats me man. I did EMT last year but unfortunately its almost impossible to find a job as one down here so I'm doing Paramedic then nursing. Good luck man!

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