Hello I was hoping I could ask some questions about nursing and I have quite a few. I'm an EMT Basic but hold certifications as a CNA/CMA and am halfway through a paramedic course. I want to have something in nursing as well on a scale of 1-10 how hard is the LPN program? What course material is covered? What is in your scope of practice? What medical equipment do your instructors emphasize you get comfortable with? (besides the stethoscope)
How many clinical hours are you required to do? how many didactic hours are you required to do?
Are RNs and Paramedics on par education wise? I hear some people say yay others nay.
And most of all is being an LPN or RN fun? (by that I of course mean tolerable we would all preferable to not go to work let's be honest)
It's not that easy. You asked some very broad questions that would take a day or two to answer sufficiently. Did you read the article that I found for you? (Learning how to effectively research is mandatory for a nursing education.)
Besides, no one here can judge your aptitude. Some folks will tell you that nursing school is brutal. Others might say not so bad.
"Easy" & "hard" are relative terms. Relative to basic IQ, study habits, outside influences...... You will just have to research on your own and come to your own conclusion.
What's not easy? I started a post to invite discussion about everyone's past experiences in the medical field and to learn what to expect in nursing school based on what was said would be the deciding factor on if I have the aptitude for it.
Medics know alot about a little, nurses know a little about a lot. It's focused knowledge vs. broad knowledge,I think overall nurses have to know a little more. The two are really apples and oranges though. If you're getting your medic just do a bridge to RN next. It would be silly to go medic to LPN, I've never even heard of a medic-LPN bridge however there are medic-RN bridges.
Ah okay aren't there LPN to RN programs? Is there that much of a difference? Does a bridge program for RN from medic take less time or something? Does it cost less?
From where I'm coming from I like to have a little bit of experience in a given job field especially if (according to my understanding) RNs are higher up in the workforce it helps me gain insight to peoples perspective's a bit better etc.
Medics know alot about a little, nurses know a little about a lot. It's focused knowledge vs. broad knowledge,I think overall nurses have to know a little more. The two are really apples and oranges though. If you're getting your medic just do a bridge to RN next. It would be silly to go medic to LPN, I've never even heard of a medic-LPN bridge however there are medic-RN bridges.
This is especially true of new practitioners in each field who have just taken the NCLEX or the NREMT-P exams. They are very much different animals and can't really be easily compared to one another. One way they differ is that a Paramedic is very specialized from the get-go so it's easier for the new Paramedic to transition into working on their own after graduation. Nurses get a very broad education and then they specialized into a type of nurse from there. It takes longer for the new nurse to transition into the new role but once they're ready to be on their own, they'll have a much deeper education in that field. I'm an ER nurse and I've been working on my own for about a year now. I have a much deeper education in emergency care than I did before, even as a Paramedic but drop me onto a medsurg floor and I'm lost. As a Paramedic, my scope is pretty much set in stone by the Local EMS Agency Medical Director and the State EMSA, regulated by Title 22 (I'm in California). As a nurse, my scope of practice can be a LOT more flexible but there are educational paths to expand my scope of practice formally in nursing.
Want to be a Paramedic? Then BE a Paramedic. Want to be a nurse (LPN/LVN or RN)? Then BE a nurse. In either case, allow yourself the proper TIME to really learn your role WELL.
OP do not bother with LPN as you will not be doing significantly better compensation wise vs Paramedic and you will find your career options likely to be limited in a way you won't enjoy given what draws most to paramedicine. If you want to go into nursing, finish your medic, take prereqs for a BSN program while you work as a medic, and then get your RN and bachelors. You'll learn once you look that most P->RN programs are not worth the money and don't save much time if any, unless you are an old hat medic.
I was curious about this so I just googled Paramedic to RN Program and came up with this site. OP it looks like everything you want to know in one spot, I bet you can find all your answers and see if it is in line with what you want to do.
I went from EMT to nursing, and I still found nursing challenging. It's a different level, I had to switch my mindset from emergent treatment and stabilization, to assessment, care plans, and thinking about what I can "teach the patient" to make a difference. Of course, now I'm working in a level II trauma ED and ICU, so my training as an EMT was helpful. I still work as an EMT maybe once a month.
Specializes in Flight Nursing, Emergency, Forensics, SANE, Trauma.
Honestly as someone who was an EMT before school, went to paramedic school, and then nursing school:
Go straight to nursing school, do not pass go. You can challenge the paramedic exam with a few days of clinical experience with intubation, etc in most states.
Pay rate in my area is about 13$ an hour for paramedic and almost 30$ an hour for nursing.
Nursing is going to be hard regardless of which level of nursing you go into. So is paramedic school. Healthcare isn't easy and you shouldn't expect it to be because humans are complicated critters.
Ah okay aren't there LPN to RN programs? Is there that much of a difference? Does a bridge program for RN from medic take less time or something? Does it cost less?
From where I'm coming from I like to have a little bit of experience in a given job field especially if (according to my understanding) RNs are higher up in the workforce it helps me gain insight to peoples perspective's a bit better etc.
Usually, there are EMT-P to RN programs. People who are RN's can "comp" some of the EMT-B course which is state dependent. But seeing as EMT on every level is going more national, I would look at your state website and find out the specifics. And it may be that they can comp some of the EMT-P studies as well, not sure--and some EMT-P's (and basics for that matter) can go into a PA program.
All depends what you want to do, and what your goals are.
I have been an EMT-B and an LPN for a long time. And the 2 are as different as night and day. For what I like to do as far as a job, it is easier (at least in my area) to find a job as an EMT as opposed to an LPN in a more acute/emergency kind of role. The same goes for a Paramedic--and you may find some ambulance companies that have tuition reimbursement for Paramedic to RN.
So I would get your Paramedic, then decide from there what you want to do. Work as a medic for awhile. If emergency care is not your "thing" after you have worked for awhile, then decide if you want to get a nursing degree. See what kind of jobs are in your area. Because you can be whatever you want, but if there's no jobs then that's a whole lotta debt and no prospects for employment.
Rarely anymore (and I am not suggesting everywhere) do hospitals employ Medics within their scope of practice. Same goes for LPN's. There are facilities that do not hire LPN's for acute care, and extremely rarely for an emergency department setting. And if they do, it is more "aide" like in nature. Now, I know that this is not everywhere, but in the Northeast, this is more common than not.
So find out what kind of jobs there are before you spend money on an education that will not get you where you would like to be.
I do know a medic that works in an ED setting, not anywhere near scope, and supplements with working an ambulance on time off, and a certified instructor of ACLS, PALS, NALS, BLS...and makes more money doing that.
emtpbill, ASN, RN, EMT-P
483 Posts
You'll find people get a little,uh, passionate, if they feel they are compared with a different skill set.