EMT Starting RN program anyone else go down this road?

akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P · Mar 16, 2017

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!

If you're considering doing Paramedic followed relatively quickly by nursing, I would suggest that you spend more/most of your time over the next year or so doing nursing prerequisite coursework instead of going Paramedic. Now then if you're going to work as a Paramedic for a while (at least 2 years) then it might make sense to go that route before starting Nursing School. It's not that I want to discourage you from becoming a Paramedic, rather I want you to take a moment to really look at what you want to do and not waste time doing something other than going after your ultimate goal.

Learning how to be a Paramedic is not a bad thing, but the thinking process a Paramedic uses is different from the process a nurse uses. When you're Paramedic trained, that's the hardest thing to change.

offlabel · Mar 19, 2017

Learning how to be a Paramedic is not a bad thing, but the thinking process a Paramedic uses is different from the process a nurse uses. When you're Paramedic trained, that's the hardest thing to change.

why change? I'd advise to learn how nurses are supposed to think and pick the one that works the best.

ArrowRN, BSN, RN · Mar 25, 2017

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.

Yep...EMT turned RN here. There one thing though. I do find I still like the medical model of my EMT training over nursing. There's just some stuff in nursing I find to be non productive. Over 2 yrs later, I floated to many floors, I liked the ED most, I guess due to my history but I thinking of pursuing ARNP in acute care next or Nursing Leadership to get aways from bedside, while doing that I'm considering Trauma ICU as an option because I work at a level 1 trauma center. Who knows, but in any case I think it was a step in the right direction and lots more flexibility.

ArrowRN, BSN, RN · Mar 25, 2017

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!

FYI in some states RN's can challenge the Paramedic exam if you are already EMT. I'd check your state health dept. That may be an option you had not known of. Also remember Paramedics are trained under the medical model. Nursing is a different way of thinking, that was the hardest part for me.

Dallas_RN, BSN, EMT-P · Mar 26, 2017

I was an EMT-P prior to nursing school. You will have an advantage in nursing school just having that previous knowledge base.

Guest849204 · Apr 24, 2017

I did. It was a HUGE advantage during nursing school. So many test questions can be answered with the priority framework (i.e. Airway, Breathing, Circulation). They of course teach everyone that in nursing school, but as an EMT its ingrained in you. Another advantage is I found I was much calmer during clinicals than my classmates, especially at the beginning. As an EMT you are trained to handle the worst case scenario and probably have some experience with CPR calls so in clinicals you can focus more on what your doing and not worry about what to do if the SHTF!