ER RN vs EMS

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Hi,

My name is Andre and I am currently a combat medic in the army. I am planning to enter nursing school at Chamberlain College upon my ETS. I was a EMT in Los Angeles for 3 years before joining the army and loved working on the streets in the EMS field. I thought about becoming a paramedic but I dont feel I can make enough money to support my family in doing so. I figured becoming an ER RN might be a much better opportunity. The question is what can i expect as an ER RN? What is the ER RN's role nd responsibilities and what are they allowed to do patient care wise. I know each position has its own scope of practice. Ilove the high paced atmosphere of the EMS system. Would this be a good fit? Any information would be greatly appreciated :)

Check out the state that you want to live in first to see what your options are. Many states are mostly Fire Based EMS so you would need to become a FF to find decent employment as a Paramedic. These are highly competitive jobs with thousands of applicants for the FD showing up for a few positions and many will already have their Paramedic cert. Some states also have a very limited scope of practice for their Paramedics such as California and you might consider a state like Washington if you want more skills to do in the field. Several services are now going to alternative airways such as King so you may not be doing ETI in the field either. Don't get hung up on basing your worth by just one or two skills.

As an RN in a state like California, you would have more opportunities to get your MICN, do CCT and Flight. RNs are also used in the various EMS positions in county and state government in California. An RN can work more places in the hospital such as the ICUs if you wanted to see much more of medicine than what you see in the ED. If you wanted to do Flight or CCT, you would be wise to get a few years of ICU experience as well as the ED.

And yes, some states allow the RN to challege the Paramedic exam after a few prerequisites are met such as getting the EMT-Basic or getting a few ALS patient contact rides on an ambulance while some states might have their own prehospital credential for RNs and bridge program.

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Specializes in ER, ICU.

I think your idea to become a nurse is an excellent one. I am a paramedic to nurse and have worked ER and ICU. ER nursing will never match the variety of experiences you get out on the street, but depending where you work, you see a lot more patients and conditions in the ER. It's not better or worse, just different. The benefit to nursing is, depending where you work, you can do critical care transport, perhaps integrated into an EMS system, or flights, travelling, and so on. It also leaves you a lot of options if you decide to move into leadership. You could also stay in EMS and use your nursing degree to teach or work in clinical leadership. It has opened a ton of doors for me, and I still work in EMS. Good luck!

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GrannyRN- I plan to use my GI Bill benefits seeing as how the school is completely covered by it.

dthfytr- The Army does provide us with alot of training someone in our position would not have on the outside. We are allowed to do alot of procedures, especially on the line in a combat situation that is unheard of in the civilian world. I am completeing a 12 month deployment as we speak and will be home in less than a month and I have seen/done/learned more this past year than my previous 4-5 yrs in the medical field as an EMT-B.

I wish you the best. I have been away from the military for more then thirty years but remembered combat medics as having much more autonomy then any ER nurse. I remember programs for PA's being geared toward recruiting ex-medics because of your skills. I was working on my first Masters when my university instituted one of the first BS's for paramedics, in my state. Each occupation has a different skill sets.

Good luck in your chosen field.

GrannyRN65

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ive thought of the paramedic bridge but i want to get my bachelors degree. I love EMS but I worry that I can only do it for so long before Im too worn out physically to do so and then where am I left? Im really leaning towards the RN route. I figure although my proir positions allowed me to do more than a civilian in my position would andit doesnt really translate back to that world, it will at least give me an advantage in the learning curve since I will have already seen alot of the cases. It will make the lecture portion make that much more sense. There are alot of time where we react with a certian treatment based on the patients presentation but we dont always undersatand the A&P aspect of WHY it works. Im looking forward to learning that. I love medicine and it intrigues me.

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ive thought of the paramedic bridge but i want to get my bachelors degree. I love EMS but I worry that I can only do it for so long before Im too worn out physically to do so and then where am I left? Im really leaning towards the RN route. I figure although my proir positions allowed me to do more than a civilian in my position would andit doesnt really translate back to that world, it will at least give me an advantage in the learning curve since I will have already seen alot of the cases. It will make the lecture portion make that much more sense. There are alot of time where we react with a certian treatment based on the patients presentation but we dont always undersatand the A&P aspect of WHY it works. Im looking forward to learning that. I love medicine and it intrigues me.

You are smart to get your BSN, as your initial degree. I urge you, after several years of practice, to go back and get your MSN. You don't know what the future hold for you but a MSN opens many more doors, including certicates. I started in a diploma program, finished in an associated degree, went on for my BSN, then a MS in hospital administration. My MS later allowed me to sit for the national exam for a CVC, which added to my mobility in employment. At fifty six I returned for my MSN. I recently retired but I have never regretted the continued presuit of education. I am now sixty-five and considering return to get a BA in Public Policy. And if still capable, getting a MA in the same field. I don't know if I'll return to employment but I intend to enjoy getting these additional degrees. I hope you enjoy learning as much as I do:yeah:.

GrannyRN6

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Specializes in Emergency Medicine.

There should be no problem transitioning into the ER.

I believe medics have a much easier time working in

emergency medicine due to training & background.

Critical decision making is what you bring with you.

So many on "the floor" just don't' seem to get it.

Hurry brother, you're needed.

Also, the ER isn't everything. There are still some seats "On the Bus"

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Ha, never seen such a thing.

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Ha, never seen such a thing.

You will probably start to see this more and maybe even in your area. California uses RNs on almost all transports that are considered CCT due to the limited Paramedic protocols by the state and the way each county is set up. Other states have hospitals which are starting their own CCT programs complete with hospital ambulances to keep up with technology, medical advancements, oversight and quality which are things EMS has not kept up with. Some states already have specific statutes for the transport of neonates which generally requires an RN. The AAP recommends RNs for both Peds and neonates.

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Well, no, I meant I'm aware of, have seen, and have worked with nurses who did transport, yet I haven't seen an ambulance with "nurse unit" on the side of it.

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Specializes in Ed: Flight.

going from working several years as a medic to the ED as an RN was not that big of a deal as long as you have the right attitude. ive seen medics come into the ED with the attitude that they know everything, and are immediately put in their respective place. however, for the most part its not really an issue. I work in a level one trauma center, which is also a teaching hospital so you have several people competing for the experience. after 5 years in the ED i went to flight nursing. there is a lot more autonomy and a lot less chaos. I stil work as a per diem in the ED.....primarily beause of the money....My advise would be start as an RN.....if you still want more responsibility consider NP/MD

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Specializes in ED.

As an old retired medic I have been a full time 24 on 48 off medic for 7 yrs. Loved it still work prn. I would consider aN ADN. Degree u can always get your bAchelors while working as an ER RN. There are

Any good schools in Jacksonville I took

Y pre reqs on line thru fsc at jax. You will never intubate as an RN. In the ED

I luv all three army medic paramedic. RN

So consider paramedic to rn. It's easier to get into a bridge program. And it would be two years total e

T to medic to rn.

Something to think about. And get a job at hospital of choice asap. Easier to get a job when they know you

Good luck

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Specializes in ED.

I can tell you that the EDs with which I am familiar LOVE having medics as Techs. If you need work while in school, I recommend this route.

Not only do you see 'what you are getting into', but in this economy, it is *much* easier to get hired at graduation in a facility/department where they have already seen your work.

Also, I agree with the comment that there is a lot of variety available to go along with emergency nursing. If you get tired of one aspect, you can move on to another, ED to flight/transport for example.

And, while in the beginning of your ED experience you may be limited in the types of procedures you can perform, at least compared to being a medic (especially a military medic), as you get experience and certifications under your belt, you will be able to perform a great variety of procedures.

DC :)

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