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I am an EMT-IV and an RN. It sounds like you have it down correctly. When you are functioning on the ambulance you are what your title is....
If you were hired on as an EMT, you practice as an EMT. Don't worry about the RN licensure. You are STILL an EMT and an RN. But you are functioning as an EMT on the ambulance.
I can assure the BON cares less about this and really you should just address this with the employer. The employer should only have you listed as an EMT and that is how you are expected to function.
It's not like an RN can do anything an EMT cannont anyways in my state. They both cannot practice without medical oversight and the medical director over your ems agency is just going to give you EMT orders to do.
Generally, you're what your title is. We've had nurses who were EMTs, at all levels, and could only function at the level they were certified at as an EMT. This is Arkansas, btw, but it's likely similar in other states.
Even as a paramedic, I've had to run a shift on a basic-equipped ambulance before, and I could only operate at the basic level because that's what the ambulance was licensed as so I couldn't have taken like an IV kit with me and done those at will.
chuckster, ADN, BSN, RN, EMT-B
1,139 Posts
I've been a volunteer EMT/Firefighter with my local fireco for something like 15 years. I had to minimize my volunteering over the past 2 years while I got my ADN. Now that I've finished - and have passed the NCLEX - I thought that I would return to running on the ambulance (I've kept my EMT-B cert current). One of the paramedics that I run with told me that he thought that there was statutory issue in having RNs act as EMTs and that I should carefully check the state regs before running. While I can still respond as a firefighter, I'd also like to run on the ambulance (we have many, many more ambulance than fire calls).
I understand that even though I'm an RN, my scope of practice while on the ambulance is limited to that of an EMT. I've looked through the state statutes however and can't find anything beyond that that seems applicable. I live in PA, so perhaps this is something peculiar to the Commonwealth - has anyone else run across this?