Anyone taking an EMT too?

[Mariposa88]

Is anyone an EMT while a nurse or while in nursing school? I'm doing pre nursing classes right now and also taking an EMT-B class and hoping to get the certification too. Has anyone else done this? Do you think it will further help my career as a nurse, I am hoping to do emergency room or trauma nursing.

Thanks for the input!

[RDW13]

do you do clinicals in an EMT class? Like ride alongs in ambulances?

Our class required ambulance ride alongs with at least 5 transports to the hospital, and we also had to do clinicals in the ER for three 8-hour days. I think it would be beneficial to have more clinical time/ride alongs, but our area is swamped with requests for student clinicals that they just cannot accommodate any more.

[callmekipling]

I got my EMT this past summer, and started not-just-gened nursing classes this fall.

Thing about an EMT-B is that you're focusing mainly on keeping the person alive long enough to reach people that can actually do something to *fix* the condition. If that makes sense. Now an EMT-P is a lot more like an ICU nurse, though working alone and in an awful hurry :) but if you're already in school I'd say don't spend the extra money (and time, and worry, and work) trying to get both - once you've got one it's a darn sight easier to get the other.

Though as a nurse's aide, I can say that getting my EMT let me work alongside ALS providers (that's paramedics) which helps a LOT when working codes or ER.

[jeninthedesert, BSN, RN]

I think experience in EMS can be very useful to potential nursing students. Good luck and enjoy!