Firefighter to Nurse

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Hi All-

I have been a firefighter/medic for 14 years and am currently working on my RN through Excelsior. I wanted to ask if there are any other firefighters out there who have done this and how do you like it?

I hope to work part-time or PRN at a level 1 trauma center. I was curious as to what experience I would need to gain and where I would need to get it before I would be able to work somewhere like that?

I think it would be a great job away from the FD.

Any input appreciated :)

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Haven't been a firefighter, but congratulate you on your change plans. Exciting!

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Hi All-

I have been a firefighter/medic for 14 years and am currently working on my RN through Excelsior. I wanted to ask if there are any other firefighters out there who have done this and how do you like it?

I hope to work part-time or PRN at a level 1 trauma center. I was curious as to what experience I would need to gain and where I would need to get it before I would be able to work somewhere like that?

I think it would be a great job away from the FD.

Any input appreciated :)

Never been a firefighter either, but have always admired them. You will be surprised at the opportunities in the ER , even for new grads. And esp for someone like you with the training you have had(even more so for the medic piece)...plus the skills you already have, making quick decisions under pressure, using instincts...you are so far ahead of many. I came from the business side of healthcare, so I was good with the paper chase, computers, and dealing with difficult people. The nursing skills were a big change for me, but the can be mastered with practice. My guess is you will have no problem except maybe deciding which job to take... good luck.

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Specializes in ER.
Hi All-

I have been a firefighter/medic for 14 years and am currently working on my RN through Excelsior. I wanted to ask if there are any other firefighters out there who have done this and how do you like it?

I hope to work part-time or PRN at a level 1 trauma center. I was curious as to what experience I would need to gain and where I would need to get it before I would be able to work somewhere like that?

I think it would be a great job away from the FD.

Any input appreciated :)

Not a FF, but a medic that did it and graduated last year.

The problem with looking to do PT or PRN when you graduate as an RN is that you will have to do a ton of additional classes to go into any ER. Even with 15 years as a Medic and CCRN, they still made me sit through a Coronary Class, a Respiratory Class, and a Neuro Class. The only thing that they let me out of was a Dysrhythmia Class. It will be hard to find a place that will put this much education into you if you've got a PT or PD commitment.

Good luck!

Chip

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Specializes in Emergency.

I am not a FF but was a Paramedic for 10 years who went to nursing school. My medic experence was as a hospital based one out of the ER so the transition was pretty easy. The only issue I see is lack of nursing experence. Most ED's want there PRN staff to be able hit the ground running with little orientation. Part time staff typically orient fulltime and then work PT. SInce you have never worked as a nurse I could see an orientation period that is fairly long, alot is going to depend on the hospital and how open they are. Your skill level and how well you pick up the nursing will also play its own part. Nursing is very different than being a medic, the longer one is a nurse the more this bears out.

Rj:rolleyes:

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Specializes in ER, IICU, PCU, PACU, EMS.

Hi Firemedic7!

I'm also a firefighter/ paramedic who is obtaining my RN from Excelsior and hope to find a PT position in an ER. Sorry, I can't give you any advice because I'm in the same boat! :)

There are a couple of guys that I work with who are also RNs, but they chose to work in other areas other than the ER. They said they wanted something different from their normal jobs - one works in telemetry.

Let me know how it turns out for you.

Best of luck to you!

:balloons:

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Hello there!

I'm also a firefighter/paramedic going on to nursing. I have yet to take my NC1 test from Excelsior, due to financial reasons. I believe I'm ready for it though. Maybe in the next week or so I can get it done. My goal is not to work on the side as a nurse. My ultimate goal is to become a CRNA. So when I complete my ADN I'll be looking for a full-time position in a busy ICU to gain critical care experience while I work on my BSN. (That'll be a huge step, to leave the fire department.)

For you nurses out there: Should it be easy to go right into an ICU as a new nurse?

Sammy

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Yes, I worked for several years as a firefighter; loved the rush and the ability to help out. However, my last fire involved the death of two young children; intoxicated father passed out before he was done cooking his snack. In addition, I became concerned chief was not using good judgment at fire scenes.

I hope to put aside what I learned and used as a medic, learn the nursing side, and then combine the best of both.

Alloramadai

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Hello there!

I'm also a firefighter/paramedic going on to nursing. I have yet to take my NC1 test from Excelsior, due to financial reasons. I believe I'm ready for it though. Maybe in the next week or so I can get it done. My goal is not to work on the side as a nurse. My ultimate goal is to become a CRNA. So when I complete my ADN I'll be looking for a full-time position in a busy ICU to gain critical care experience while I work on my BSN. (That'll be a huge step, to leave the fire department.)

For you nurses out there: Should it be easy to go right into an ICU as a new nurse?

Sammy

That is interesting, there is a guy on my FD shift doing the same thing.

He is finishing his BSN and will probably leave the dept. and go back to a unit full-time.

I respect how smart you guys have to be that is a great job($$$$)

I couldn't imagine leaving the fire department, but he seems excited!

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Hey man I made the move and am loving it. FF/Paramedic for 8 yrs. RN in the ER now. I had my fun but it was time to move on, and make more cash working only one job. I got tired of the 24s or 48s then hitting another job. You don't join the FD to get rich and money isn't everything but it sure helps!!! I'm still a GN working 20hrs less a week than at the FD and making the same money. When I'm off preceptorship (Just like non-solo paramedic) I'll be bumped up $7 or $8/hr more plus OT out the ass. If you really enjoy the Medic side you'll love the ER. Fast paced and always something new. It kinda brings you back to why you started doing all this stuff. Good Luck That excelcior **** seems really hard tried the first class and decided to go to the local community college.

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I am not a FF but was a Paramedic for 10 years who went to nursing school. My medic experence was as a hospital based one out of the ER so the transition was pretty easy. The only issue I see is lack of nursing experence. Most ED's want there PRN staff to be able hit the ground running with little orientation. Part time staff typically orient fulltime and then work PT. SInce you have never worked as a nurse I could see an orientation period that is fairly long, alot is going to depend on the hospital and how open they are. Your skill level and how well you pick up the nursing will also play its own part. Nursing is very different than being a medic, the longer one is a nurse the more this bears out.

Rj:rolleyes:

I agree with the above post. I was a Paramedic first...when I was only 18 years old in the late 70's! I LOVED it, and those days there were not many woman paramedics. I went into Critical Care before the ER after I became an RN. I wanted to go right into the ER, but was advised to get my IV drip and assessment skills stronger prior to going into the ER. I did not think I needed to do that...but found that those 2 1/2 years in Critical Care helped me a great deal. As a Paramedic and an ER Nurse, you do very quick assessments, and in Critical Care, you do very in-depth assessments. You actually have the time to learn more about the disease process, etc when you have a 2:1 pt-RN ratio. Plus you get very comfortable working with many different IV drips...and ventilators (years ago the ER very rarely had a patient on a vent, now it happens quite often).

Good Luck on whatever you decide!!

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Specializes in PeriOp, ICU, PICU, NICU.

What a change! I wish you the best of luck in the pursuit of your new career :)

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