EMT in Nursing School

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I'm starting my nursing classes on 1/23/12 and this is a career change for me. I have been a volunteer EMT for 25 years so the medical field is not foreign to me. I'm coming over from a field that is non-medical.

My questions are as follows:

1. I've been told not to mention to the instructors that I'm an EMT. Apparently they hold that against you and make it harder for you.

2. What pitfalls should I be aware of and avoid as an EMT-RN student? Over confidence in my medical knowledge seems to be an obvious one.

3. What benefits will this experience bring me?

Thanks!

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Specializes in Home health/hospice.
I'm starting my nursing classes on 1/23/12 and this is a career change for me. I have been a volunteer EMT for 25 years so the medical field is not foreign to me. I'm coming over from a field that is non-medical.

My questions are as follows:

1. I've been told not to mention to the instructors that I'm an EMT. Apparently they hold that against you and make it harder for you.

2. What pitfalls should I be aware of and avoid as an EMT-RN student? Over confidence in my medical knowledge seems to be an obvious one.

3. What benefits will this experience bring me?

Thanks!

Hi Deredain!

Please, don't hide your EMT! It is certainly a great achievement and your life experience will be a great asset for you and your classmates. Your thought process (you are always aware of what your resources are - just in case, right???) will be a giant help to you as a nurse. I was a volunteer/paid paramedic for 8 years before I decided to get my LVN two years ago. I found my instructors and classmates very interested and accepting of my experience, occasionally asking for my input regarding emergency care during class. The ONLY pitfall that I have found is that nurse charting is so much more detailed than EMS charting was and some abbreviations are not accepted in nursing documentation.

Good luck,

Susan

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Specializes in LDRP.

dont hide that you are an emt. you have a lot of knowledge to be shared! Just be aware that you need to start thinking like a nurse, and not an EMT. they do think very differently.

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Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.

There is no reason to hide the fact that you are an EMT. I would be proud of that. You have good experience. I think in some instances, a few EMTs can be over-confident in nursing school, or they fail to realize that the fields are very different. I do recall that we had a couple EMTs who failed my nursing program. They didn't adapt and dig in deeper into nursing.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

I had one lab instructor tell me "medics aren't trained to think, just do tasks" I didn't listen to her. Thinking like a medic/EMT hasn't hurt me at all its only helped. Some EMTs blamed their incorrect test questions on thinking like an EMT, but I got them right thinking like a medic. Keep your knowledge it can only help. If an instructor treats you differently its their issue.

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They are just going to expect you to be more comfortable with assessments I think. I know that the assessments are different as an RN, but the actual act of doing an assessment is something that isn't new, so there will be less stress when compared to your classmates.

Congrats on getting into the program, and good luck!

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Specializes in Pediatrics and Med Surf Float.

we have a number of EMTs and medics in our program, and most of them are doing well. one EMT i knew very well left after a year of prereq's to go to an easier program. in that program the faculty and admin all knew he was an EMT but he was told not to tell the nurses on the floor he was an EMT. they all found out anyways. he has gotten into tough spots cuz he acts more independent than he should be but hes doing great in nursing. since you already have a background in the medical field, somethings will probably be easier for you (assessments, V/S etc) but there are many differences in the thought process of a nurse and EMT/medic which may take time to get used to

good luck in your classes and welcome to nursing school!

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I'm starting my nursing classes on 1/23/12 and this is a career change for me. I have been a volunteer EMT for 25 years so the medical field is not foreign to me. I'm coming over from a field that is non-medical.

My questions are as follows:

1. I've been told not to mention to the instructors that I'm an EMT. Apparently they hold that against you and make it harder for you.

2. What pitfalls should I be aware of and avoid as an EMT-RN student? Over confidence in my medical knowledge seems to be an obvious one.

3. What benefits will this experience bring me?

Thanks!

In my program, being an EMT hasn't caused any issues. For me, the only issue I find is the line blurring between what I can and can't do in clinical settings (e.g.: adjusting O2, etc. as an EMT is normal, but as a nursing student, I can't do that until trained/certified by my nursing instructor).

Otherwise, having the EMT background has definitely helped me especially in dealing firsthand with patients because my confidence level is much higher than my classmates.

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Meh. M E H. Meh. (Lisa and Bart Simpsons)

Now being an MD from a foreign country, working as an EMT in Afghanistan, that is pretty cool :) This one dude could literally listen to someone's heart and figure out the ailment. Not bad for an EMT from Bosnia...

Sorry for sounding so superficial, it has been a long day today.

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Specializes in ED, ICU, PSYCH, PP, CEN.

Be proud of your prior accomplishments. A few limited EMTs get into trouble because they act arrogant and know it all. You don't sound like you will have that problem. Most nurses appreciate what you will bring to the mix

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My class had two EMTs and most of the instructors gave a lot of credence to the experience of our "first responders". Additionally, these were people who were not nervous or timid in the clinical setting.

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You don't need to hide your experiance, the main problem comes from those who are always starting their sentences with I was an EMT or I was an LPN or I was a CNA or I was a Vet Tech and so on. And when a teacher is showing you a skill, or yes I have seen this happen, while the teacher is speaking, interrupt and say "well as an EMT we did it this way"...Your experiance will give you a great advantage. It's better to just keep your mouth shut for the most part about your experiance so that you can keep an open mind about learning the nursing way of doing things.

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