I'm new to the forum but love the blogs/educational opportunities and discussions and hope to offer as much help as I received here during nursing school.
I just had a question. I've been a medic for about 8 years. Has anyone had any experience with going from medic to RN and whether they will compensate you for your time as a medic or not?? Like when I start applying for a nursing job is that something they will take into consideration you think? Any ideas on the best negotiation strategies in this situation. I'm having a hard time understanding why I'm fixing to get a huge pay cut going from medic to nursing after I just busted my tail for a year. I understand it's a completely different beast, however much of my knowledge and skill set will be much more evident vs a traditional grad. I really love my job as a medic but just want to go home to the fam every night instead of working 24 hr shifts. Plus nursing is much more stable and lobbied?? hope i spelled that right. lol.
I really love my job as a medic but just want to go home to the fam every night instead of working 24 hr shifts.
Thoughts?
Just to point out, although I'm sure you already realize, you won't be going home to the fam every night as a nurse, unless you're doing clinic, OR, etc. We don't do 24s but rotating 12s are the norm for most workplaces.
Is there a vocal lobby in DC advocating for nurses? I never got the impression our profession particularly had much influence with lawmakers. Especially when compared to physicians.
I would say much more than medics. If you do a simple google search of "nursing lobbyists" vs "paramedic lobbyists" wow its a huge difference. You see alot of foreign support for paramedics in their own countries, i.e. australia, new zealand, etc.. but not here. I've heard the ANA does a TON for nursing in Washington. I just pray that it gets better for the prehosp people. I don't feel like I'm taking a step up or down moving careers but I feel like there are more options with nursing and i'll learn more about the long term treatment modalities and tertiary care required for the patient population. I think the transparency is lacking in the curriculum across the country. You should get the same care from California to New Hampshire. In addition, paramedics shouldn't be driving on hour 29 without sleep with your family from point a to point b 2 hours down the road with an unstable patient. Truck drivers have limits, pilots have limits, ground ambulances should have limits. Not in Texas....
Another great reason to move forward with more realistic hours...
I'm in a BSN program so hopefully that will give me more options once I finish (crna vs pa)
I can't tell by this whether you think nursing and physician's assisting are on the same continuum. They aren't. The advance practice RN has much more autonomy than a PA by virtue of the underlying nursing licensure.
Just to point out, although I'm sure you already realize, you won't be going home to the fam every night as a nurse, unless you're doing clinic, OR, etc. We don't do 24s but rotating 12s are the norm for most workplaces.
Sure, I would love to do 12's. And I realize it may run to 14's but I just want to see my bed at my house before the next morning. And granted my son may already be out but it would just be nice to be there. I get to work at 7am and leave for calls at 730 am and come back to our station where we do have beds at 2am the next morning without any rest. Constant motion. You zombie walk to the couch and die. lol. Then at 247am the phone rings and someone needs to go to the hosp for their finger fungus. I understand it's the career I chose but even just doing some simple math with hours work would lead you to find another career. Regular work hours a pay period (48, 72) for medic. Regular work hours a pay period for nursing (48, 36). I'm only 31 but I feel 70 and I HAD to give my wife a diploma after nursing school for being my supporter, a single mom and practically doing EVERYTHING for the entire year I was in nursing school.
Back in the day doing 24's wasn't a big deal. Very common and, based on volume, very feasible. With reduction in reimbursement from medicare/medicaid it's tough ground to stay afloat which is the reason for trying to be most efficient in your everyday operations (aka, more transports with less staff)..
I can't tell by this whether you think nursing and physician's assisting are on the same continuum. They aren't. The advance practice RN has much more autonomy than a PA by virtue of the underlying nursing licensure.
Oh yea that's great to know. I was under the impression they were very similar in practice, autonomy and salary. I understand the curriculum is quite different but I honestly haven't looked that far ahead yet in the curriculum because my theory is one step at at time. Focus on the here and now they move forward. And of course stuff is constantly changing so by the time I get there it may be completely different. Golly geeze though, I'm a newby to the forum and I'm getting some great feedback. This is an awesome resource that lacks existence in the EMS world.
It's my understanding that to be a CRNA you have to earn a masters in nursing correct? So bachelors plus two years?
And for PA you can have a bachelors in anything and your done in 2 years?
I humbly have different opinion than others on this. It is accurate to say that medics and RNs have for the most part have quite similar job functions; you know, taking care of patients. The big difference is, though in my opinion, medics have focus on tasks, RNs on everything including the task (and somewhere in that pie, there's a big chunk called charting that medics are not responsible for). I work in ER and I have couple people doing medic-to-RN bridge program and I must say, it will be a big transition to learn the RN function side, but to say their exp as medics don't count? I have to disagree on that. I can count on my medics very much when critical pts roll in. The medics know what to do and help out big time when STEMI, code stroke, blue, pacing, traumas, and other 1 medical stuff rolls in. Those experiences will be enormous benefits when that medic becomes RN; of course, the scope of responsibility in critical or non-critical situations expand drastically as well, but knowing as simple as what complaints gets labs, line, ekg, close monitoring and what not is such a big plus in ER. Now I have been vouching for medics in ER, and I haven't met any ex-medic RNs on the floor, so I can't vouch for them (most of them work in ER anyways). But yeah, medic exp is a big plus in my book!
By the way, pleased to greet as an ex-etx here. I was with the cherokee green (only east texan would know what that means right;))
I humbly have different opinion than others on this. It is accurate to say that medics and RNs have for the most part have quite similar job functions; you know, taking care of patients. The big difference is, though in my opinion, medics have focus on tasks, RNs on everything including the task (and somewhere in that pie, there's a big chunk called charting that medics are not responsible for). I work in ER and I have couple people doing medic-to-RN bridge program and I must say, it will be a big transition to learn the RN function side, but to say their exp as medics don't count? I have to disagree on that. I can count on my medics very much when critical pts roll in. The medics know what to do and help out big time when STEMI, code stroke, blue, pacing, traumas, and other 1 medical stuff rolls in. Those experiences will be enormous benefits when that medic becomes RN; of course, the scope of responsibility in critical or non-critical situations expand drastically as well, but knowing as simple as what complaints gets labs, line, ekg, close monitoring and what not is such a big plus in ER. Now I have been vouching for medics in ER, and I haven't met any ex-medic RNs on the floor, so I can't vouch for them (most of them work in ER anyways). But yeah, medic exp is a big plus in my book!
By the way, pleased to greet as an ex-etx here. I was with the cherokee green (only east texan would know what that means right;))
Absolutely! Thanks for your kind comments. Believe it or not we too have a TON of charting. Literally after every call I have to sit down for at least an hour on just a random CP or SOB or something like that. Now, a CODE is a completely different beast. If I have a cardiac arrest it takes at least 2-3 hours depending on if we worked it 20 min and called it or if we got ROSC, swapped the KING to a tube and started hypothermic induction, dope, etc.. All of these things make it a mega time consuming ordeal so I feel you on the paperwork. Nevertheless if I have on code and you have a full 12hr shift with 19 patients you took care of that day. . lol. . you definitely drew the short stick....
I was originally wondering if the medic could help with salary b/c my buddy just went to your old stomping ground and got 3% for the first 5 years he's been a medic added to his salary. I just didn't want to ask for it necessarily if noone thought it would be supported. That would make me look selfish, so I thought I'd ask here about it.
A lot of these comments are illustrating the misunderstanding that I believe nurses tend to have about medics. As well as working as a paramedic for 17 years so far, I worked for 6 years as a "Health Care Associate (HCA) in a local ED which sees about 65,000 patients per year. I worked closely with the RN's and quickly learned the differences and the nursing process. I also realized that I was using a lot of the nursing process in my job as a paramedic, but I realize most medics don't operate that way. Could there be something about me that was going to lead me to nursing anyway?
Two friends of mine are paramedic to RN and are very happy at their jobs, they understand the change in scope of practice and accept it, even embrace it. I believe that is the key, understanding that although related, it IS a different role in the care of a person and I'm looking forward to ending my career as a medic and moving on to nursing. I do know medics who want to become PA's because they couldn't stand not making the decisions, that's not all of us. I no longer want the short-term exposure to the patient, I wan't to be a part of the healing process, or help to ease the dying process if that is what happens.
I plan to use my history as a paramedic to improve my value as a nurse by bringing my years of patient and family interaction, my ability to competently perform skills under pressure, my real understanding that people come from many backgrounds (intercultural nursing) and my ability to work on a team. I know this won't give me hiring preference or a pay bump, but I don't care. I will start as an ADN and work towards my BSN just like a lot of the nurses out there. If I can change one thing though, I would like nurses to better understand us medics. Some are full-on cowboy a-holes, I won't deny it! But a lot of us are also caring and adaptable.
Oh, to answer the posed question, medic experience does count, maybe not tangibly, but it counts as knowledge you can bring to your patient care scenarios, but just don't forget your scope of practice.
P.S. #1 Apologies for the rambling, I'm a little emotional about the topic.
#2 My role as an HCA was sort of like being a nurse-tech. I worked with an RN on patient care, I reported to that RN and also assisted physicians with minor procedures. i.e. collecting swabs, setting up suture trays, and the like. Unfortunately the role has been phased-out.
Oh god, the charting. And now we have lovely electronic patient care reports too. Medics chart but we don't chart all day on one patient. Reyndonn, don't you love trying to reconstruct the scene to chart after a "yard sale" code.
Your skills, both tactile and critical thinking will be invaluable as a nurse.
Medics have to take in information, often under duress, quickly analyze situations and act accordingly.
When you start as a nurse, there will be areas in which you will be far ahead of other novice nurses. Much like competent, experienced CNA's have a leg up.
While your skills and knowledge will be valued in the work environment, they won't be valued by accounting. Beginning nurses generally get the same pay.
You only have as much autonomy as your employer deems you can have.
I can't tell by this whether you think nursing and physician's assisting are on the same continuum. They aren't. The advance practice RN has much more autonomy than a PA by virtue of the underlying nursing licensure.
Just to point out, although I'm sure you already realize, you won't be going home to the fam every night as a nurse, unless you're doing clinic, OR, etc. We don't do 24s but rotating 12s are the norm for most workplaces.
I work 24s as a medic too and there's a huge difference. When I work a 24 I do not get to go home and sleep in the same bed as my husband or get to put my kids to bed. Working 12s at the hospital you get to do both and you get to do that every night if you're on days. Big difference.
Coffee Nurse, BSN, RN
955 Posts
Just to point out, although I'm sure you already realize, you won't be going home to the fam every night as a nurse, unless you're doing clinic, OR, etc. We don't do 24s but rotating 12s are the norm for most workplaces.