Needing some advice

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I always thought I wanted to be either and ER nurse or work in the ICU. However I have been given the opportunity to get my EMT lisence and now I am wondering if I want to take the paramedic route.

I would love to hear from y'all that have done both. I finally got my first hospital job after being in LTC and now I am ready for the next step; I am just not sure what that should be!

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

Are you already in nursing school? Have you ever done a ride-along or some shifts with EMS to see what it's like? Might be a good idea to check that out.

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No I am not already in nursing school; and yes I have done ride alongs and liked it. I am trying to decide what would be the best option. And I know in the end only I can decide that lol. I would just like to hear both sides.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.

I have the utmost respect for Paramedics. They are a savvy bunch. Unfortunately, in my opinion, unless you work for a fire department or someplace like that, Paramedics are grossly underpaid for their expertise and life saving abilities.

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

I found nursing to have more diverse opportunities as well as better pay. I love being a paramedic too.

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Specializes in ER, ICU.

You gave us no details on your life; age, location, kids ect. so it's hard to give advice. I was EMS for years before coming an RN. I loved the work. Interesting, varied, and always challenging. But ultimately I hit the end of career advancement in EMS and became a nurse, which opened up a whole new world. (BTW EMT is a certification not a license.) In my experience RN salary starts up at the top of paramedic pay, if that matters. If you work fire department that can be different. The whole fire medic versus ambulance medic is another discussion. Each job and career has their pros and cons. But is all exciting, serves humanity, and can be a great career. Good luck.

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Sorry for the lack of info! I am 27, and I live in a relatively small community. I actually went ahead and registered for my local fire houses EMT course . I will continue to work at the hospital as I do this. I am very excited to try something different. Thanks you all for your advice

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Specializes in Emergency.

EMTs and Paramedics told me this: Most of the time, you will be a glorified taxi driver for transport. HOWEVER, those crazy moments you see tend to make up for the crap transport. I have the utmost respect for our first responders.

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Specializes in Med/Surg/Infection Control/Geriatrics.
I have the utmost respect for Paramedics. They are a savvy bunch. Unfortunately, in my opinion, unless you work for a fire department or someplace like that, Paramedics are grossly underpaid for their expertise and life saving abilities.

True, not to mention that they sometimes go into places that would "curl your hair!" (bad areas) LOL

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Specializes in Critical care, Trauma.

My understanding is that they're few and far between, but there are Paramedic to RN programs. I went to one that was Paramedic and LPN to RN (I was an LPN) that had in-person clinicals but all classwork was online. The program was through a brick and mortar community college in Kansas, but we had people flying in from Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, Mississippi, Alabama, Washington, etc to be a part of this program because I guess there are so few Paramedic to RN programs like this one. One guy from Florida said that the company through which he worked was trying to send one paramedic each year to this program. The school itself was inexpensive ($5k for the entire program, which was one year, January to December), so that probably helped to compensate for all of the travel costs. But usually I think people only had to fly in 2 or 3 times per semester and once over the Summer because they could cluster their clinicals, and the last semester a certain number of them could be done closer to home at an approved site. Several of them usually would rent a house together for a week to cut down on costs. The program is through Hutchinson Community College, you might check it out if you decide to eventually go that route. =)

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I also want to point out that EMT's and Paramedics are not the same thing. I kind of feel like in some of these posts they are being used interchangeably. Paramedic training is much more than EMT training and allows for a lot more responsibilities in the field. And personally, I don't think either one is a true bridge to nursing. There are some over-laps, but a lot depends on what kind of nursing you do, as opposed to the EMT and Paramedic work is always on an emergency basis outside the hospital setting.

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
I also want to point out that EMT's and Paramedics are not the same thing.

Great point: all paramedics are EMTs, not all EMTs are paramedics. :)

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