Nursing Student to EMT

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Hello, I'm a 3rd year Nursing student. I love it but I don't feel as much passion as I felt when I started the course. It's not a sudden decline. I know 'coz I tried to stick with it for 6 years and I'm still on my 3rd year. Certain circumstances and experiences held me back from pushing forward to my 4th yr. Now I'm interested in pursuing an EMT course and eventually be a Paramedic.

I don't wanna be stuck anymore. I'm afraid if I try one more time I'll be stuck again.

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That's how I felt as a paramedic. So I decided to go to nursing school. I was stuck with working on the truck. Was able to jump around from one ambulance service to another. But I was still going to be doing the same thing. No way was I going into management, so I decided nursing may give me more opportunities. Good luck on whatever decision you make.

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Specializes in EMT since 92, Paramedic since 97, RN and PHRN 2021.

Your best bet would be to just finish nursing and then you can become a PHRN- Pre-Hospital Registered Nurse. There may be a transition course you can take because there are things medics do that are out of the scope of practice for RNs such as intubating and crichothyrotomies.

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Specializes in BSN, RN-BC, NREMT, EMT-P, TCRN.
Your best bet would be to just finish nursing and then you can become a PHRN- Pre-Hospital Registered Nurse. There may be a transition course you can take because there are things medics do that are out of the scope of practice for RNs such as intubating and crichothyrotomies.

Bill, Please tell me about PHRN. I've never heard of it and would like to know what you know.

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Specializes in BSN, RN-BC, NREMT, EMT-P, TCRN.
Hello, I'm a 3rd year Nursing student. I love it but I don't feel as much passion as I felt when I started the course. It's not a sudden decline. I know 'coz I tried to stick with it for 6 years and I'm still on my 3rd year. Certain circumstances and experiences held me back from pushing forward to my 4th yr. Now I'm interested in pursuing an EMT course and eventually be a Paramedic. I don't wanna be stuck anymore. I'm afraid if I try one more time I'll be stuck again.

3rd year student? Are you in a 3 or 4 year BSN program? I just graduated an accelerated ASN program and am a former paramedic. I miss EMS a lot but decided on nursing school as I believe it is my calling. if you are close to being finished, then finish what you started and then look into becoming a medic. If you do both, you could more than likely become a flight nurse- the best of both worlds. Dropping nursing and going into EMS is not the best answer. Pay is not good and you're limited as compared to nursing. Don't know why it's taking you six years as you don't say why, but don't quit unless you are willing to throw away the time and effort you've already invested.

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Bill, Please tell me about PHRN. I've never heard of it and would like to know what you know.

Bill is right on! That would be your ideal solution. PHRN is a sort of accelerated paramedic class for nurses to bridge the gaps between nursing and prehospital care. They are usually 6 months in length and include clinical time in the ambulance as well as classroom time. The result is a PHRN certification that will allow you to work in the ambulance as an ALS provider. PHRN is also required to fly aeromedical, at least it is in PA.

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not to mention, you can probably (hopefully in your area) find a medical academy or junior college that has a part time emt-b program you will breeze through if you have that much nursing school under your belt, and part-time, you can likely fit in concurrent with your classes.

if your state uses emt-a then shoot for that maybe... the nremt website is pretty good :up:

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Specializes in EMT since 92, Paramedic since 97, RN and PHRN 2021.

A lot of variables are applicable to when a Nurse wants to practice as a paramedic. Things such as the state you are located in, the different levels of EMT that are available and what you want to do on an ambulance. If you are interested in critical care stuff like interfaculty transports then when you get you RN you can practice on the ambulance. As long as there is a complement of Paramedic and EMT on the ambulance then you could transport patients on Chest Tubes, certain drugs such as Milirone and also take patients on Balloon pumps.

If you want to do strictly prehospital 911 stuff then getting the PHRN is your best option. Basically the state of PA(where i am) looks at it that if your an RN you just have to take a short transition class, like AlphaM said, and you would be given a state certification number. This is like your nursing license number but for EMS.

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In PA we won't even look at you for aeromedical unless you have PHRN and other applicable experience and certs, 911 also requires PHRN to provide ALS.

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Specializes in BSN, RN-BC, NREMT, EMT-P, TCRN.

Unfortunately there isn't PHRN in Florida. Oh, well.

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Specializes in EMT since 92, Paramedic since 97, RN and PHRN 2021.
Unfortunately there isn't PHRN in Florida. Oh, well.

They don't have any provisions for health professionals to transition onto an ambulance? ( and when I say Heath professional that is the title that we, in Pennsylvania, used to call PHRN's , which I never really understood because aren't we all professionals?)

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Specializes in Prior military RN/current ICU RN..

Quitting things often develops a pattern of quitting. You would be smart to FINISH nursing school. Then you build upon success. Just because you graduate nursing school does not mean you have to be a nurse for life. However you have accomplished something and can build off that. You are not "stuck" just because you have a nursing degree and actually it will serve you well...even just to be able to know you are able to complete what you start.

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