ER - should I go for my paramedic or BSN

EricJRN, MSN, RN · May 30, 2006

Many flight programs look for experienced ICU nurses, because you'll likely be transporting patients with balloon pumps and other interesting gizmos that you don't see much outside the ICU. More education can never hurt, but there are lots of opportunities to finish a BSN (or get paramedic certification) while you work as a nurse. If I were you, I'd focus on getting a good critical care nursing job after your ASN graduation.

Jen2 · May 31, 2006

I think you should do what ever is the fastest and cheapest for you now. I would guess that would be the paramedic class and then you can slowly chip away at your BSN. If you ultimately want to be a flight nurse, I am sure they would rather see pre hospital experience and a paramedic cert. than a BSN. The flight program where I work requires 5 years of nursing experience. Out of those five years they prefer that two of them be in ICU, preferebly CCU/CTU. Many nurses that I work with that want to eventually join the flight team start out in the ER and cross train in our CCU/CTU so that they can pick up extra shifts in the ICU and get that expereince. Good luck on what ever you decide. I am actually looking in to my local paramedic class myself right now.

HeartsOpenWide, RN · May 31, 2006

DO NOT waste your time becoming a parametic. Unless you just want to pick up an extra skill. A friend of the family works as a assistant manager at the Best Western and she makes MORE than her husband who is a PARAMETIC! :nono:

RoxanRN · May 31, 2006

DO NOT waste your time becoming a parametic. Unless you just want to pick up an extra skill. A friend of the family works as a assistant manager at the Best Western and she makes MORE than her husband who is a PARAMETIC!

Becoming a parameDic (with a 'D') is not a waste of time. It is a very valuable set of skills which is manadatory for flight nursing (which is the ultimate goal of the OP). An EMT-P with an RN license (and vice versa) can pretty much write their own ticket (with the appropriate experience) when it comes to air ambulances.

I must also add.... very few are in paramedicine for the money (you are correct; for the crap we have to put up with, it's far from what it should be!). But just like nursing, paramedicine is a calling.

To the OP..... If paramedic is what you want to do then GO FOR IT!!! :monkeydance: Don't let anyone rain on your parade!

Roxan

EMT-P, RN, CCRN

hospitalstaph · May 31, 2006

DO NOT waste your time becoming a parametic. Unless you just want to pick up an extra skill. A friend of the family works as a assistant manager at the Best Western and she makes MORE than her husband who is a PARAMETIC!

Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought that a medic that was also an RN is what they are looking for for flight nurses? This person would have pre-hospital and in-hospital skills. Sounds perfect to me:)

T

EricJRN, MSN, RN · Jun 1, 2006

Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought that a medic that was also an RN is what they are looking for for flight nurses? This person would have pre-hospital and in-hospital skills. Sounds perfect to me:)
T

Varies a little from service to service. Some flight services do almost exclusively interfacility transfers - taking some very sick patients from one hospital to another. Other services do mostly scene responses - like picking up victims of motorcycle crashes or other trauma. Many services do a combination of the two. With services that respond to scenes, the paramedic certification (in addition to the RN license) may be preferred or required. In any case, I don't think it can hurt.

FlyMurse, BSN, RN · Nov 27, 2007

I hate to bring up this thread again, but I was wondering the same thing. I have almost all of the prereqs for the Nursing program, minus A&P I and II,(I just dropped out of A&P to get my EMT) and Micro. I was going to just do the EMT thing to get a better job and more experience, but now I'm putting my nursing on hold to get my Medic Cert.

The director of the school I go to says the paramedic program is changing nationwide in 2008-09. He spoke with some officials from AZ DPS and they told him the whole cirriculum is going to change. There will be no more EMT-I. It'll be EMT-B, Advanced EMT, and Paramedic. Also they're changing the hour requirements. For medics, it'll go from 1000 to 1300, for EMT-B, it'll go from 120 to 150. Not sure about the "advanced EMT". With all of that being said, I am going to get my Paramedic before this all happens.

Jeremy

jackson145 · Nov 28, 2007

I talked to a director of the nearest flight team and was told they are leaning towards someone with a dual degree. Both paramedic and RN. I've been accepted into an RN program and I plan on trying to work in the ER or ICU and then looking into school for paramedic.

flightnurse2b, LPN · Nov 28, 2007

im a paramedic and the experience i have is something i wouldnt trade for the world. it has helped me so much in nursing school, and i plan to keep my paramedic current when i graduate and become a flight nurse as well. i would recommend to get your BSN and try your hand at ICU, PH and ER. and someone please correct me if im wrong, but i think once you are an RN.. you can take the NR for EMT-B or EMT-I and then continue on to get your paramedic. EMT-P/RN are so valuable in flight nursing because they can sit in the medic or the nurse seat, and you will be prepared for pretty much anything. good luck!!! :)and although i agree that pay for a paramedic is definately not what it should be, being a medic is not a waste of time in any way, shape or form, and is an incredibly rewarding profession.

SKQQTR · Nov 28, 2007

First, some flight programs have "Ride-Along" which is a gas. It's worth it to just give them a call, I went when I was a student. One should go for their dreams, however, just remember that there really are very few of these jobs, I don't know the numbers but I'm sure there are far more Neurosurgeons than Flight Nurses in America. When I hung out with them for 2 days waiting for a trip I could ride on, most of them had "real" ICU jobs and picked up a few days a month, that might not be true today. Oddly several years later when going through an orientation for some Per-diem work at a Level 1 ER the "EX" Head Flight Nurse was also in the group. Told me he had quit a few years back because the pay was so bad. Look I have no expertise in this area other than a few "fun rides" and launching many and receiving a few choppers. I don't know if there is a flight nurse among this group who could shed some more light. I remember one guy I was talking to who was both an RN and Paramedic told me he could fly (meaning payed) easier as a Paramedic. Now that I have thunderstormed your parade, I can not tell you how cool it was when I went up in the "Chopper". That said, I hung out on the ground with the staff for 2 days before a call came in that I could go with as a PEDS call were off limits, as they picked up a PEDS Nurse for those calls. To return to your "Title" question if it's ER - should I go for my paramedic or BSN? I would say without a doubt BSN. Yes, it is true that to many Hospitals an RN is just that and nothing more and true often times a new ASN has better clinical skills than a BSN, however, that gap is short lived. To advance, most places like a BSN. Not many but some hospitals pay significantly more to a BSN. In the VA system a Nurse with 3 years experience with an ASN (Nurse-1 Step 3) would make $44,839 while a BSN (Nurse-2 Step 1) would make $59,644 Now these numbers have some variables, a Nurse-1 would probably get a "step" for each year, while one would probably need at least 2 years even "with" a BSN to make a Nurse-2 Step 1. Regardless that's a $14,805 difference for that degree. Again, this is not because having a "paramedic" is bad it's just that no one will pay you more for it in the ER, now if you still want to moonlight on a Rig, sure go ahead but it won't translate much to the ER.

S.T.A.C.E.Y, LPN · Nov 28, 2007

Try looking through some of the forums at http://www.flightweb.com/forums/index.php

Its a far more active Aeromedical forum than the Flight Nursing one here, and any questions I've wanted to ask there have already had long threads on the topic. Lots of input from people working in the industry, and quick responses to questions you ask there!