EMT class while in nursing school

[max150]

Hi everyone. I am new here and I keep thinking about this topic for awhile and need opinions.

I will be going into nursing school in the fall of this year. I want to be in the emergency department or pre-hostipal nurse. I was thinking of taking an EMT class at the community college but I don't know if it is a waste or not. Would it help me at all and help me with the emergency department or being a pre-hostipal nurse?

Thanks for the help

[AmyRN303, BSN, RN]

In my area, all PCT/CNAs hired into the ED need to have emt certification. I'd check around in your area and see if the same is true. Most of the people I graduated with who were hired into EDs worked in them as UAPs. It may be worth your while to work in an ED while in school.

[SummitRN, BSN, RN]

In an EMT class you would learn some simple psychomotor skills that aren't taught in most nursing schools (eg, backboarding, vehicle extrication, field splints, ambulance ops).

However, most of the content would be remedial and usually there is little clinical.

It would be difficult to deal with schedule conflicts. Ask potential employers if they value it before you invest the time and money. If prehospital RNs are something your state does (most states don't), then yes, EMT is a good idea. You could also take a 2 week EMT class, although these are typically more expensive than a community college).

[max150]

The EMT classes are at night and will not interfere with my college schedule.

After a couple years of nursing, I am planning on going on to physician assistant. And there is pre-hospital nursing in my state.

[applesxoranges, BSN, RN]

Yes and no. Around here, the firefighters who have EMTs are usually hired into the ED but the state above me prefers to hire paramedics into the ER. Some of them do have patient care positions though along with paramedics. The flight/mobile ICU jobs here used to require EMT certification and preferably paramedic for the RNs but I think they did away with that requirement when intubation was dropped from the EMT skills.

If you just get the cert but you don't get a job in some capacity as an EMT, it's kind of useless. However, a lot of ER PCT positions are given to those who have road experience. My first boss that hired me when I was an EMT mentioned she weeded out the nursing students and assistants and only looked at LPNs, medical assistants, and EMTs.

Why are you going the nursing route if you want to go the PA route? I know a handful of people that I used to work with that had their EMT cert and went the PA route right away after their bachelors degree. If PA is your ultimate goal, there are quicker routes than going the nursing route unless you are planning on having the NP route as a backup.

[max150]

I'm going for my BSN and I was going to go start through to PA but I feel like I would benefit for going nursing route then PA instead of Biology major then PA. I am also going the nursing route beacuse then I will have something to fall back on if the PA route falls through. I also got told if I got straight to PA a EMT cert would be useless. I do not have the EMT cert yet. I'm just debating whether to get it or not and if it will help me in the long road.

[applesxoranges, BSN, RN]

Well, the EMT cert is mainly used for the patient care hours that are required. A lot of programs require patient care hours. My friend's used her CNA to get patient care hours but a lot do not count CNA experience. EMT programs is just a drop of education when it comes to the PA programs. But then, it's like apples and oranges. Not all healthcare fields are the same despite people thinking they are.