ems courses for nurses

I was an EMT for 20 years prior to becoming an RN. I am not aware of any special courses for RNs who wish to get an EMT certification. There are three levels of EMT but not all states utilize all three. The levels are Basic, Intermedicate and Paramedic. The EMT Basic class is normally 200 hours or less and is often offered as a 1 semester class through junior colleges. EMT basics as a rule do not do meds. National Registery allows EMT basics who have been properly trained to administer EPI pens and D50 if they are IV certified. Some states do not allow Basics to do IVs. The Paramedic is the most advanced and allow emergency drugs, intubation, and IV therapy in additon to many other skills. Your local EMS agencxy would be a good place to start to find out about local classes and levels used in your state. Also check into Advance life support (ACLS), Pre-hospital Trauma Life Suport (PTLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Trauma Nurse Course (TNCC), Emergency Nurse Pediatrics Course (ENPC). The director of your local hospital ER may have info on these courses. The Basic EMT course includes many splinting bandaging skills as well as cspine immobilization that is seldom addressed in nursing course. I think it would benfit any RN to have at least and EMT basic certification. If you have specific questions I'll be glad to address them as best I can otherwise contact your local folks for info. All EMS agencies I worked with would have been happy to get an RN involved in our programs.

I live in Burlington Cty. It may be similiar to Mercer Cty. First, go to (call) your local EMS services building and talk to the Chief. She/He will advise you regarding the process. You will need to become a member of that station. You can go to other stations outside your immediate area, but factor travel time for meetings and coverage areas for special events. The station will then sponsor you to take courses offered by the certifying body + the state of NJ, such as PHTLS, and other courses, like Pedi Toxicology, PALS, NALS. Eventually, if you decide to get your Paramedic, that will involve more training and time. PA has a Registered Health Professional designation that I believe puts you on the same level as a Paramedic, but I'm not certain of the restrictions or requirements for training. There is reciprocity between the states, NY??? You will be required to followed the terms of your station, i.e 24 volunteer hours per month to satisfy the $$ expended on your training. This varies from station/squad to station/squad according to their by-laws and by the county. An RN may challenge the written exam, but prior to doing that you need to do some mandatory courses in addition to completing the EMT Refresher course (3dys), the AED, Blood Borne Pathogens course, and have a valid CPR for health care provider card. Depending on schedules (yours and the courses), this will affect your time line. Of course, the county you live in may have certain procedures you must follow, but start with your local EMS station's Chief first. My son offered me this challenged to become an EMT, so I inquired in 9/00, was sponsored in 10/00, took the EMT course in 10/00, the written exam in 12/00. During that time, you are able to run with the squad as a non-EMT observer as long as they have the room and a senior EMT willing to mentor you during your availability. As an RN, you know a lot of clinical, but the rescue and the immediate intervention phase requires more intense prioritization and triage than what is seenor done in the health care facility. I have a 20 year critical care/trauma background, but I am in awe of some of the "stuff" I have seen EMS do on scene. I have been running with my squad since October and am starting my driving course after I learn radio communications 101. 10-4. If I can help you more.... *)8-D

In Illinois they are called Field RNs and have to pass tests just like the EMT-P and you basicly work on the same level as the Paramedic- You are limited by your regions accepted policies and protocols which include what meds that you can give. The EMT-P have to keep up to date with CEUs/year which the Hospital RNs are not currently required to do with the state. We do not have any Field RNs in our area currently. Any Field RNs out there to give us your point of view?????

I have always thought that it should be part of the nursing ciriculum that EMT-Basic should be in there.I beleive to many nursing schools convince students that being a CNA or HHA or a tech of some sort is the way to go, when a Basic is already learning/doing pt assesment and treatments not to mention paperwork. I think it would help aleve a lot of the animosity between pre-hospital and hospital. I have done both emergent and non emergent sides of EMS and have all to often gotten funny looks about doing certian things for patients and the required paperwork we need to move them. In some ways a Basic does more than an LPN does. No disrespect to all you LPN's out there. Here in South Carolina EMT-Basic's can intubate orally, administer pt assisted meds, perform pt assesment, sterile suctioning, O2 therapy just to mention a few. Intermmediates can both nasally and orally intubate, intiate IV's both perphealy and Inter Osseous.

My spelling is gone today been up all night and it rained yesterday so we had a quite a few car accidents over the last 24 hours, so I aplogize for it. EMS is a great field and a lot of people in health care don't understand the role of the pre-hospital provider, with that said I would love to see more RN/LPN/CNA come over to our side of the house. I think a lot of you would be surprised how much you would enjoy it. Kev

You might want to check at your local community / junior college.

Ours offers all three levels of EMT and during some of my "free" time I plan to start Basic. There is actually an undergraduate degree in this field! (Western Carolina University).

Being an E.D. nurse plus being married to a ParaMedic has really opened my eyes to the need for "in-house" nurses to go out and get some experience in the field. Things are a lot different out there "in the mud, and the blood, and the beer"....let alone the cold and dark. Basic courses are fun, very educational and within reasonable time periods, so you don't have to give up a life or job to attend. However, in Wyoming, an R.N. is not allowed to practive as an R.N. in the field, IF HE/SHE HAS CERTIFIED as an EMT. The R.N. has to practice at the "lower level" of education. EMS had a powerful lobby when that statute was written, and ensured that R.N.s wouldn't be coming on board to oust them out of jobs. Take the course and take the knowlege, there's a lot to learn!.

gidget,

I have been an EMT for 10 years, and an RN for 5. I reside in union county. You can go to your local first aid squad to get info or I can give you a few names and numbers. I do know of a hosp. that may be hiring for critical care transport(RWJUH). I found that actually doing EMS gave me an appreciation for what happens pre-hospital and in route to one. I've been on a few transports that would have been much worse if I didn't know how to work all the gadgets in the back of the ambulance(the EMT with me just got her cert the day before and I question how she got it).

I think that the nursing field needs to seriously look into developing its own emergency pre-hospital training with its own certification and get the legislation pushed through. They did with NP. I have worked in both the ems field and the nursing field and if we could merge the two it would be great. Some will say that there is already a program out there "paramedic", but I feel we need our own program. Something like "Field Trauma Nurse" because it could be a great "NURSE" expansion area.

How about paramedics working in the hospital?