EMT/EMS to Registered Nursing

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I'm currently a Senior in High School, and I have gotten accepeted into Wayne State University. I am currently looking in the profession I'd like to pursue and preparing for college education. My mother was an EMT member, and I always loved her work and passion into it. I have also looked into it as well. I was wondering if I pursue a career in EMT, could I still also become an RN afterwards?

I wouldl like to pursue EMT and then after I have done what I wanted to do, could I still finish my Degree in RN?

I have never understood how some can think EMS is a "tough job" especially when they are having a blast.

I thought EMS was relatively easy especially with the new stretchers which made lifting a patient into the ambulance a lot easier. It was great when we got new computers, HD TV, a bigger grill and a new pool table at the station. The kitchen remodel was pretty great also. Having just one patient at a time was pretty nice. Having at least 4 Paramedics and a couple of transport EMTs show up for every call no matter how minor so you can catch up on latest gossip was great. You get to lay or sit down a lot except when you are standing at a scene gossiping. If it was a patient you didn't like because they were rude, belligerent or smelly, you just drove a little faster to dump them in the ER. If the patient was really sick or dead, you drove faster to the ER. The protocols were also pretty straight forward since there were not many diagnostics for differentials to deal with. For ALS they still also started with oxygen, monitor and IV. Any of those could be optional. If you weren't sure of something you called med control and drove a little faster to the ER.

Maybe not all EMS ambulances are like there. Some might be busier than others and some may not have a really nice station. Some don't know how nice their stations are to appreciate how great they really have it. Some might run 12 calls in a 24 hour shift but most of those will be "routine". The life saving stuff is sold like soda by EMS instructors who build up their students with the notion they are just like doctors but do what they do at 60 mph.

A nurse will have to deal with that rude, belligerent and smelly patient for hours and maybe even every shift for the next few days. They will be on their feet for most of their 8 or 12 hour shift sometimes having 8 - 10 patients at the same time trying to sort through numerous orders and keep over a 100 meds straight just for that shift.

Difficult is working a pediatric burn unit and seeing a child's life being changed forever. Helping a child deal with an amputation when all efforts to save an extremity has failed. Watching children go through chemo every day and still have a bad prognosis is also difficult but with its rewards also. Preparing a family of a child for the organ procurement process or termination of life support is not a blast either. There is no place to drive fast to and drop off the patients you don't want to care for or see them suffering. You are in it for 12 hours. But, all of this is rewarding in so many ways.

I really "enjoyed" working in EMS. It was a blast as stated. But, I also wanted to spend a little more time to see what happens after I passed through the ER doors. Many are content not knowing what happens to patients after the ER doors which is why EMS is easier in some ways. It was frustrating working with those who didn't care what happened to the patient beyond the ER doors or who thought street medicine was all you needed to know and A&P, pharmacology, pathophysiology, ethics and legal stuff was all fluff just so the schools can make money.

I do not advise the "transition" programs from Paramedic to RN. First, they really aren't much shorter and they are ADN degrees. If anyone has read anything on this forum, it is hard to miss the future of nursing is with the BSN degree.

Maybe if some EMS instructors would lay off preaching the hero stuff in classes and provide more education for reality, there might be less burn out and disillusionment for those going into EMS when they learn it is not like you see on TV or the few cool instructor stories used as a filler for much of some Paramedic classes. The comment about being a better doctor is also not always true since med school and residency are very, very different than being a Paramedic.

As I said before, the OP can easily get the EMT cert and maybe join a volunteer company, part time transport ambulance or even work for a campus EMT/First Responder program. But, if there is an opportunity to get a college education, that should be a priority. You don't want to be that person who is saying something about hindsight later. A degree in anything can only help later in life for promotions and maybe career changes. It can be a cool experience for a college student but keep your priorities straight. Even if you do want to join the Fire Department later and be a Firefighter/Paramedic, a Bachelors degree will be nice for a promotion someday.

Hello, you made a couple good, well reasoned posts in this thread and then you went off on this BS rant that reeks of a burnout with a superiority complex. Is it because of your seniority on this forum that no one is calling you out on this? Your experiences and opinions are yours and yours alone. Please share them that is why we are here. But where is your respect for the other contributing members of the forum? Just because you are on an internet forum doesn't give you the right to be rude, or sarcastic to people whose experiences you have not a clue about. It was merely another opinion that happened to differ to yours. EMTs, Nurses, Paramedics, Doctors, we are all in the patient care business. The dysfunction always begins when an individual doesn't respect the work another member is doing. Thanks!

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OP: Are you aware that EMS personnel have more than one level? EMT can be Basic or Intermediate and then Paramedic is a higher level. Sometimes people use the terms interchangeably. Like the previous poster said, investigate

There is no more basic, it's just EMT. Intermediate is now Advanced (AEMT)

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Hello, you made a couple good, well reasoned posts in this thread and then you went off on this BS rant that reeks of a burnout with a superiority complex. I it because of your seniority on this forum that no one is calling you out on this? Your experiences and opinions are yours and yours alone. Please share them that is why we are here. But where is your respect for the other contributing members of the forum? Just because you are on an internet forum doesn't give you the right to be rude, or sarcastic to people whose experiences you have not a clue about. It was merely another opinion that happened to differ to yours. EMTs, Nurses, Paramedics, Doctors, we are all in the patient care business. The dysfunction always begins when an individual doesn't respect the work another member is doing. Thanks!

What do you think is disrespectful? I bet at least a dozen people are looking up EMT classes after reading my post. The perks of the job like the nice stations, sleeping on the job and all the freebies handed out. These things are actually about the only stuff displayed correctly on TV. From what I have posted I can easily see someone choosing EMT over RN. My intent was to show differents sides of both and not just be a cheerleader for EMS.

Do you really think being an EMT is difficult? Those who do may not have any other work experience to compare it with. They also may have been built up by their instructor to believe they are just like doctors and get upset when others in healthcare don't treat them like doctors. Maybe if they (you) had been given a more realistic point of view you would not be so sensitive when told an EMT does not save lives every day or do all of those heroic rescues.

But seriously....16 year olds can get their EMT cert. It is not that difficult. An EMT also transports the patient to the hospital or to some scheduled appointment if doing routine transfers.

It also seems you might have a problem with nurses. You may not know what a nurse does beyond the ER doors. Are you really trying to belittle the comments I made about nurses working in a burn or chemo unit? Maybe someone would like to know what the options are for nurses as for work areas and the challenges. So get your panties out of a knot and stop being so sensitive. Going into healthcare with rose colored glasses is only going to leave you disappointed. You need to hear all sides to make an informed decision. From what I posted I can easily see someone wanting to do EMT over RN.

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