EMT first?

[akcw1981]

Hello everyone I am starting school for either nursing or respiratory I'm still indecided. Either way I will not meet the January start date with prereqs so I will have to go on and wait until January 2017:( I will however have time to complete the one semester EMT basic and possibly work the summer as an EMT and maybe even part time through school! So my question is has anyone gone that route? Any opinions for or against it?

[203bravo, MSN, APRN]

If you just have a high interest in being an EMT then it may be a good option.. But have you considered CNA? This route could be faster than a semester and give you more exposure to actual nursing than pre-hospital can.

This advice coming from a LOOONNNGGG time paramedic :)

[akcw1981]

Well thank you but how about respiratory therapy would cna or emt be best for that?

[203bravo, MSN, APRN]

CNA would still give you better in-patient bedside experience... As an EMT you would only be allowed to give O2 and help patients to administer their own prescription medications (such as albuterol inhalers during an asthma attack).

Also, just from a pure patient experience - I have worked from major urban ambulance services to very small rural services and both types have one thing in common, most of our transports are routine transfers.. so you would honestly have a greater chance to see more respiratory patients as a CNA than as an EMT.

Don't get me wrong --- I love EMS and would encourage anyone with an interest in it to pursue it, just not as best option as a very temporary stop gap until nursing school (or RT school) :)

Best of luck.