Paramedics rank higher than LPNs?

Nurses Relations

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Specializes in Nursing Home.

This has always been one of my favorite topics. EMS vs Nursing. My perception is that Paramedics do outrank LPNs in the medical profession, because they have more education than LPNs in most places for example, Louisiana LPN training programs are 14 months and Paramedic programs are 24-27 months. And Paramedics perform more higher liability emergency medical tasks than I have ever seen an LPN perform. Paramedics also earn a higher salary than LPNs do here. It seems to me like EMTs and LPNs are about on the same level and Paramedics and Associate Degree RNs are about on the same level. It's been said too that EMT-Basics and CNAs are on the same level, but I don't see how that holds true either. EMT-Bs from what I understand perform more complex medical tasks such as using defribilators, appyling splints, dressing wounds, assisting with IVs, administering Oxygen Therapy, Inhalers, epinephrine, nitroglycerin, and assesing patients, where CNAs could never dream of performing these tasks??? Anyone else want to give input on EMS vs Nursing?

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

It's really not a matter of rank. It's a matter of licensing as a nurse. If a paramedic is applying for a position that requires a nursing license, the title of paramedic won't mean anything.

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Why does it have to be a competition? We should all work as a TEAM. Not to mention that the jobs are different and BOTH important. Paramedics keep them alive long enough to get to the ER and nurses help finish the healing process. Where I am from there is no comparing and paramedics make considerably less (about $8hr less) than LPNs. Length of a program is no reflection of an individuals capability or critical thinking skills, either. It makes sense that EMS would be allowed to perform more skills in the field because they are emergencies and time is of the essence. However when an EMT or Paramedic is employed at a hospital in the ER, your tasks will be limited to that of a PCT..where I am from anyway.

This is really one of your favorite topics?

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Specializes in Nursing Home.

Yes, I was reading some of the previous threads of EMS vs Nursing, and its some long long arguments. But paramedics who work in the hospital really arent working under there EMS Licnese just as a Hospital Tech. Paramedic requires an associate degree here.

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.

It seems to me like EMTs and LPNs are about on the same level and Paramedics and Associate Degree RNs are about on the same level.

*** I disagree. I used to work full time on a mobil critical care transport rig (still do causual). We ran with an RN / Medic team and an EMT driver. The RN is the team leader, not the medic. The RN is paid a lot more too. The medic brings certain prehospital skills that some RNs don't have. however since all our RNs used to be medics it's kinda mute. As a former paramedic and current rapid response RN with ICU/ER experience I don't feel the paramedic is the equal to the RN. The basicaly prepared medic has more prehospital skills than a basicaly repared RN, however any RN working trauma or in a prehospital enviroment has good training available in prehospital.

In my state there is no requirement for medics to have an associates degree, though they can choose to go that rout. Most of our medics do not and nobody cares.

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Specializes in Peds/Neo CCT,Flight, ER, Hem/Onc.

OP, if you read the previous threads on this subject and saw how contentious they are why would you even want to start it all up again? This thread is absolutely pointless. Unless your purpose is to stir the pot. Which I suspect it is.

Seriously folks...don't take the bait. It's not worth it.

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

It's not matter of one being 'higher than" or "better than" another.They are two different jobs with two different educational paths.

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
If you read the previous threads on this subject and saw how contentious they are why would you even want to start it all up again? This thread is absolutely pointless. Unless your purpose is to stir the pot. Which I suspect it is.

Seriously folks...don't take the bait. It's not worth it.

*** Oh my bad. This is the only discussion I have seen on this topic. I wasn't trying to feed any trolls.

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EMS vs Nursing.

What did Rhet Butler say to Scarlett? "Frankly, my dear...

The truth is, paramedics do acute care in the field (unless they are ED based) and once they step over the hospital threshhold, the LPN/LVN or RN takes over care. LVN/LPN and RNs are trained to care for the whole perrson (bio/social/psycho) as well as long term care.

In the ED the paramedic and LPN have similar as well as dissimilar duties. As far as education, the paramedic and LVN are about the same--at least in my state. However, should the LVN desire to obtain a ADN, the LVN must obtain the prerequisites (if they have not already been obtained) as well as the AA degree. Last I heard, if a LVN wants to go for the ADN, the prerequisites take about 2 years full-time and then there is the actual 2 year ADN program. Some states do allow paramedics to become LVN/LPNS but should the paramedic wish to become an RN, the paramedic must obtain all the prerequisites and the nursing education to be eligible to sit for the NCLEX.

What you are doing is trying to compare apples to oranges. Both are fruit but they have different nutrients, etc.

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Specializes in Emergency Department.

The biggest differences between paramedics and nurses is not so much what they do, it is their educational background. They do similar tasks with different goals in mind. In many areas, in the prehospital setting, an RN is not superior to a paramedic. It is usually the paramedic that is responsible for patient care and RN's function primarily at the BLS level unless that RN is an MICN or a PHRN. In terms of education, a paramedic is probably somewhere between an LPN/LVN and an RN. Paramedics do not "collect data", they do their own patient assessment and formulate a field diagnosis. Their education is very specialized to the field.

A new grad RN is not as immediately capable as a paramedic is upon graduation from their program to begin working, given the single role of the paramedic, this is expected. An RN is expected to be able to learn any new role that he or she is given but this takes the form of a specific orientation to that unit, which can take time. RNs are also provided a lot of backup within the hospital setting, whereas in the field, this is not the case, so paramedics are specifically trained to function more or less on their own.

Given the appropriate prerequisites, training, and orientation, I believe that a paramedic could function equally well as an RN in hospital in any setting. I also believe the same is true for RN in the field given appropriate training and education. They really are two different jobs with education commensurate with the expectations of that job, and really shouldn't be compared directly.

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Specializes in Oncology.

I hated to give up my EMT-B license when I came back to school to get my BSN because I know that I will never go through the training to get it back. Here in ND, if an RN works on an ambulance service, they are operating under their own medical license rather than the license of the medical director, which means that there aren't many nurses working on ambulance services unless they are separately licensed as an EMT. When I took my EMT course 15 years ago, I had 3 nurses in my course, 2 of whom were struggling with the material. Not so much because of the material covered, but because each license has different levels of skills that are allowed. An RN working as an EMT on a BLS ambulance service is not allowed to start IVs or push drugs that they would be allowed to administer in a hospital setting. I agree with several of the posts that you really can't compare the 2. Even though I spent 15+ years working on ambulance services and earning advanced skill certifications and being an EMS Instructor at the state level, does NOT mean that nursing school or finding a job after graduation will be any easier for me than any other nurse.

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Hrrrm...can these two levels really be compared?

At my college, a Paramedic is an Associates degree. Where as LPN is just a diploma.

I think it would be more fair to compare Associates RN degree and Associates Paramedic Degree (in the case of educational equality)

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