Has anyone done this? Became a Paramedic first and then an RN? Is it a good idea ?

[shehadi]

Hello Everyone,

Currently I am a prenursing student but am also almost an EMT Basic. Right now i am confused about what i should do because Prehospital care interests me so much . I would love to be and am thinking about being a Paramedic. I also want to be a RN. An RN was my original goal, but critical care and Emergency care is what fuels me the most.

Is it possible to function as both a Paramedic and an RN at the same time in the same job? And if so, is it wise to become a paramedic first? Will it help me as an RN in the ER?

Has anyone done this? Became a Paramedic first and then an RN?

[APNgonnabe]

I will just echo what others wrote. I think that it will be a help to you to have EMT-P prior to RN school. Not b/c it's prior but the EMT-P will give you good skills/expeirence. The poster about transport teams loving EMT-P & RN.

Happy for you.

[Dallas_RN, BSN, EMT-P]

Another Paramedic first then R.N. here as well. I still hold both titles and combined they no doubt give you an advantage in the E.R. BUT little to no street experience will offer VERY little hands on experience. And that pre-hospital experience is what you want.

Go for both and you will certainly stand out when applying for Nursing jobs. :)

[Dallas_RN, BSN, EMT-P]

To the OP, why not become an LPN first then reinforce with education when you start RN in '07. If your goal is to become an RN why not start with a lower title.

Just wondering

Because while you may consider a Paramedic a lower title, on the contrary not only are they above and beyond a LPN skill wise, in some cases they are above R.N.'s. E.T. intubation for example is one of those skills. Also Medics run more codes than the average E.R. nurse so they are highly skilled in select areas that would been beneficial in the E.R./ICU setting.

This is why most Flight/Medivac R.N.'s are both R.N.'s AND Paramedics.

[S.T.A.C.E.Y, LPN]

I really wish I had've gone into a paramedic program before I did nursing school, especially since I eventually hope to work Flight/Medivac/Air Ambulance. I could've made a ton of money during my summers off from school, and made good money part time during school. I also would have had awesome prehospital experience and opportunity to practice and hone skills. Urgh, the more I think about it, the more frusterated I am that I didn't do it first. Especially now since I plan to go back to college for it anyways when I'm done my BScN. And the last reason I wish I did it: My starting wage as a medic would be $9-15 per hour more than my new grad RN pay.....

Hindsight is 20/20.