Are Nurses First Responders?

[ScrubADub12]

Hi Guys,

I recently entered a contest for my wedding on facebook and was selected a a finalist among Police, Paramedic, EMT etc. I am just interested to find out if we would consider Nurses to be First Responders? From the moment patient enters any medical institution we are the ones who provide care, but often this can happen before the hospital. I understand that paramedic, police, firemen etc. are typically the first on scene but why are nurses never really given much credit beyond the four walls of a hospital?

[NutmeggeRN, BSN]

To me, a first responder is pre-hospital. On scene shortly after the incident.

[NutmeggeRN, BSN]

Jeana18 said:

I certainly do think that ER nurses should be considered first responders. It's a tough job and many times we are still the first to respond. Along with our EMS partners ?

But you don't get them till EMS brings them in. If they are transported by personal vehicle,that may be a stretch as you are in a contained, clinically supported environment. Please understand, in no way am I dissing ER nurses, it just seems different to me.

[AliNajaCat]

Folks, at the risk of beating a dead horse, this is not a matter of opinion. You can say whatever you think it is, it's (so far) still a free country, and you're entitled to share what you think one is. Doesn't matter.

That's because there is a specific definition of what a First Responder is in the care continuum, and it is not a matter of opinion.

[mel2234]

What about a school nurse, would they be considered a first responder? No other medical personnel around, first at the scene, not in a "hospital" setting, trained for emergencies?

[PMFB-RN, RN]

CelticGoddess said:

My husband is a retired paramedic. He was a first responder and when I read this post to him, he laughed. I am a BSN-RN. I am NOT a first responder because I am not trained on how to clear a scene, I do not know how to treat and stabilize in the field and I have not been trained in emergency first aid. I am a nurse. And my license does not make it legal for me to go out on an ambulance and act as a first responder.

My husband has had to go into burning buildings to rescue victims, he has scaled the side of walls and cliffs, he has had to dive into water. He was gone to an active shooting scene(he did have to wait for the scene to be cleared, and still go shot at) and other such fun things first responders deal with. I don't have to deal with on a regular basis. Yes, I get violent patients, yes we have had an active shooter. That does not mean I am qualified to be a first responder.

I also found your post that those of us who work in non critical areas are somehow lacking to be offensive. I work with a rather fragile medical population that even critical care nurses without the extra training can't work with. I am an onc nurse and to do my job, I need chemo certification so that I can safely hang chemo on my, yes, critically ill patients. My position is neither soft or a "lack of motivation" issue. If you think so, I suggest you take the chemo certification then come and tell me how I am lacking in motivation or have taken the "soft" route. I strive to do my best every day, I learn something new every day.

I doubt seriously you are either an MD or a nurse. A nurse wouldn't spew that much junk. And the MD's I know don't have the audacity to say that I am unmotivated.

In my previous job I was definitely a first responder, often being the first person with any training on the scene. We were a ground and air ambulance crew of an RN team leader, paramedic, and EMT driver /pilot. We most often did facility to facility transports, but also did scene calls.

In my current job as full time rapid response nurse I am the first responder to to any incident that happens on the campus, including the rail station in our parking lot.

If you get a chance to see the skills required to pass the Certified Flight Registered Nurse certification, you'll find that the skills you list above are required.

[Flatline, BSN, RN]

Depends on the specialty. There are RN-medics, RN-FD, RN-police, flight nurses, etc.

This is especially true when you look outside of the U.S. Interestingly enough, when you call emergency in the UK you will even get a physician responding to the incident with the idea that they can initiate care at the site instead of defaulting to a faster transport (with mixed results, see Princess Diana).

[XYRNCEN]

ED Nurses are definitely First Responders. Yes, they are not out in the community like Police, Fire, and EMS, BUT not everything that presents to the ED comes by way of the ambulance. We have drive bys where people are pushed out of cars in front of hospitals, or found down outside. We also have people found down inside. We have train wrecks brought through the front doors. To say that we ED Nurses are not first responders is BS! We are also trained and certified in scene safety and trauma.
Merriam-Webster dictionary quote: A First responder is a person who is among those responsible for going immediately to the scene of an accident or emergency to provide assistance.
So by definition, ED Nurses are First Responders.