Prehospital Nursing

GilaRRT · Feb 15, 2008

Depends on the area and state. Some places have what are called pre-hospital RN's) PHRN's, and mobile intensive care nurses (MICN's). I worked as a RN for a ground transport (facility transfer) service prior to flying.

suzanne4, RN · Feb 16, 2008

There is much being done in critical care transport, when patients need to be transferred by ambulance from one intensive care unit to another. There are specific medications that cannot be transported by a patient with some IV drips that are infusing, or special equipment that the patient needs that is not routine for paramedics to be using.

Depends also on the state and their specific requirements as well. Be aware that any of these jobs require significant experience in critical care and/or trauma in a hospital setting first.

Best of luck to you on your schooling.

Trauma Columnist · Feb 16, 2008

I live in IL and I'm a pre-hospital RN soon to be licensed at the ALS (advanced life support) level. I've been doing volunteer EMS for almost 9 years now. I have 10 years as a staff nurse in a level one trauma center. I love trauma but like the ER, only about 20% of our calls are trauma - most are medical.

Good luck.

PhilGN · Feb 16, 2008

Thanks for all the great answers. Suzanne, is ER experience good for pre-hospital, or does it need to be ICU or critical care in particular? TraumaRus, you mentioned you had volunteered in EMS, what kind of position did you volunteer in? I thought I had read somewhere else in here that many nurses working in EMS get certified as a paramedic, and I was wondering if you had to do that, or if they had a nurse position for you.

Trauma Columnist · Feb 16, 2008

In IL, there is an actual PHRN license. The medical director in the EMS region where you work then decides if you are certified at the BLS or ALS level. I live in a rural area so our only fire/'EMS is volunteer. I love it.