New to EMS & starting nursing school

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Oct 22, 2010

not that, but I worked full time while getting my degree. Let me say one thing about EMS vs. Nursing. Two different animals. Scope of practice differs, assessment of patient differs --- do not try to make them merge or you will become frustrated. Just think of it as "these are the loops I have to jump thru to get that RN license".

We have several Paramedics who are also nurses in our facility. Excellent staff! But I had two EMT's in nursing school class and they struggled with wanting the two disciplines to fit together somehow. Won't happen

doveswingz · Oct 22, 2010

not that, but I worked full time while getting my degree. Let me say one thing about EMS vs. Nursing. Two different animals. Scope of practice differs, assessment of patient differs --- do not try to make them merge or you will become frustrated. Just think of it as "these are the loops I have to jump thru to get that RN license".
We have several Paramedics who are also nurses in our facility. Excellent staff! But I had two EMT's in nursing school class and they struggled with wanting the two disciplines to fit together somehow. Won't happen

Oh wow. Maybe I should just do homecare, if I absolutely have to work. I just don't want to get anything mixed up on my way. Thanks for your response. :)

GreyGull · Oct 22, 2010

You haven't worked in EMS yet with your EMT certification. Therefore you probably don't have too many expectations for either EMS or nursing to compare. The EMT course is first aid at a basic level. Take that EMT cert for what its worth as another piece of knowledge with a few useful skills that can also be applied to nursing or other life situations. The lay person can get much of the same first aid and then some from a few American Red Cross courses but without the intent of working on an ambulance.

If you want to do home care you will probably need at least a CNA cert and maybe a Home Health cert as well. These will take longer than your EMT cert provided you just did the 110 hours. You may be able to challenge the CNA after your first semester taking nursing classes.

You can probaby get a job during the day doing a routine transfer truck with an ambulance service or even driving for a specialty team although they probably would want some ambulance driving experience. You could even land an ED job as an ED Tech. The job market is tough and even accepting an inhouse Transporter position will get your foot in the door. This department knows it is usually hiring students and are willing to work with your hours. That also gives you an opportunity to see all areas of the hospital and learn to communicate with many different professsionals and patients.

LauraDarling · Oct 22, 2010

I became an EMT the summer before nursing school. It was great to have a bit of experience- but it really doesn't help, (maybe if I had been an EMT longer.) The certificate helped with landing a hospital job, and the experience there really reflects what I see in clinical. BTW, I work full time, am a single mom and graduate in a semester in a half-its hard and at times feels overwhelming... but if I can do it, so can you! One day at a time. Good luck!!:)

badphish · Oct 22, 2010

full time paramedic 24 on /48 off worked while i was in RN bridge program. that was shift friendly it was rough but i did it. if you are new to EMS/Nursing i would suggest trying for an ED tech position unless u r interested in a different nursing job, then get your CNA and try to work in the area you are trying to get as a RN, most important is to network and get your foot in the door.

doveswingz · Oct 22, 2010

The ED Tech sounds like a great idea. I'll have to look into that. Thanks all!:)

GreyGull · Oct 22, 2010

The ED Tech sounds like a great idea. I'll have to look into that. Thanks all!:)

Be warned that is an extremely competitive position especially now and literally hundreds of EMTs are applying for these positions. We get at least 200 applications for each opening. I don't want to discourage you. The fact that you want to be a nurse may help. Also, check the requirements on the job boards for ER Tech in your area. They may also require phlebotomy, a little EKG knowledge and maybe even the CNA cert. As an entrance into the medical professions, keep at open mind for any job that you might be able to qualify for. Even dispatching can be a decent job if you can't get into the hospital or on an ambulance. I did everything from CNA to bartending to ambulance jobs to pay the bills initially when I was in college. I hope to keep my bartending skills to supplement my retirement check.

vamedic4, EMT-P · Oct 22, 2010

Some people find it easy, others, not so much. There's much to learn when you're a new EMT...you got the classroom instruction, now it's time to actually "do" it - and that takes some getting used to. Adding the learning that you will have to do for nursing school could prove a daunting task.

Don't get me wrong, it can be done!! You'll just have to set aside enough time for your nursing studies, and depending on your study habits and needs..that time commitment can be considerable. I suggest that if you do in fact have to work as an EMT, that you make a plan to study in your downtime. It is invaluable, and there are occasions where there is plenty of downtime to be making wrinkles in your brain. Best of luck to you.

ObtundedRN, BSN, RN · Oct 23, 2010

I worked in EMS through nursing school. I've heard from many of my nursing instructors that they had EMT and paramedic students in the past that really struggled, but they all felt that I was an excellent student. I also got into EMS to be able to work a night/weekend job through nursing school, and I wanted something that payed better then a CNA. Maybe I did better compared to their previous students because I got into EMS as I was working on my pre-req's for nursing school, and already knew that nursing is what I wanted to do. I used EMS as a stepping stone to nursing, as opposed to many people go into EMS, and eventually go into nursing because they feel it is the only way to "move up" from EMS. I felt that EMS would teach me much more then being a CNA. CNAs learn how to work in a hospital environment which is very beneficial to them, but I felt that being in EMS gave me a boost by teaching me assessment skills and interventions. So when starting out in nursing school, I already had the basics down and able to start studying other things while everyone else was freaking out about doing a basic assessment, and when something happend in clinical, they were too scared to do anything to help their patients. And considering how little nursing school focuses on airway management, I know I have a step up on that.

In the current economy I would also suggest trying to find a hospital based job, for the sake of finding an RN job after graduation. Check out your state's requirements for becoming a CNA. In NC you can actually just take the test without ever taking any classes (which probably explains a lot...). I did a 2 day CNA refresher class, meant for people who's CNA expired. I did that class just to get a better feel for how they want you to do the skills in the testing.

As long as you remember that nursing is going to be a little different from whatever you do to get by during school, you should be fine. It does help to get a job doing patient care during school. After a call at work, I would reflect on how I would handle the situation as a nurse in the hospital. Or if I was doing a interfacility transfer, I would look through all the paperwork and lab results.