Paramedic School before i start my BSN?

Medic2RN, BSN, RN, EMT-P · Mar 9, 2016

SoCal,

First of all, best wishes for your goals and waiting to hear from nursing schools.

I don't think any type of education is waste, but you need to keep in mind what your end goal is - to become a NP in the ED. If you look at all the paramedic nurses who contributed to this thread, you notice something in common - all had years of experience prior to nursing. Like nursing school, in medic school, you will learn the basics to become a paramedic. The real education is the years put into the position and the experience. I would recommend to stay with the nursing. There are plenty of certifications to get along the way and they all would help you reach your goal. The EMT-P without experience would not help you. Ultimately it is your decision, but I hope you consider the advice on this thread. I was licensed paramedic in a busy 911 system with aggressive and advanced protocols. I did this for 9 years and it was the time in EMS that helped me, not the sole aspect of going to paramedic school.

Good luck in your future!!

akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P · Mar 9, 2016

I have a couple of things to add myself. First of all I have a bachelors degree in sports medicine, and I spent approximately 2 1/2 years as an athletic trainer at a Div. III (junior-college) school. Along the way I also became a paramedic and ended up spending something like 7 years in EMS. Because of my education as an athlete trainer, I found that paramedic school was relatively easy, and several years later also the academics in nursing school were relatively easy as well.

I would not recommend attending both paramedic school and nursing school concurrently in any way, shape, or form. If you are looking at attending nursing school and you want to become a paramedic, I would highly suggest doing nursing school first then attending a paramedic refresher course with an internship to complete your paramedic training. The thought process behind paramedics is basically medical model and the thought process behind nursing is, of course, nursing. The two are very different. They are complementary, but they do not easily translate between each other.

Like many others here, I'm an ED RN. I managed to get a job as an ED nurse right out of school as a new grad and I would definitely have to say that my experience as a paramedic allowed me to get up to speed very quickly in the ED. This is simply because in the ED your assessments are essentially focused, not more general assessments that you do on a MedSurg floor. As a paramedic your assessments are very focused towards the primary problem. You also learn to move very quickly as a paramedic, even though you're only dealing with one patient at a time.

In my particular case, my paramedic school did introduce us to a bunch of medications that went well beyond what is typically found in California for paramedics. One such example is RSI medications. We were trained and tested and how to do RSI but unfortunately for us, because we were in California, we would never get to do that. Do not forget that in other states paramedics are routinely doing RSI in the field. In other states besides California, the paramedic scope of practice can be quite wide. One big benefit of nursing is that because of the generalist nature of nursing school, a nurse has the opportunity to specialize in areas other than the ER. In that particular environment, a paramedic could easily do as well as a nurse following an appropriate orientation.

I was hired as an ED RN and I do not use my paramedic scope of practice in the ED. For example, I do not do EJ lines, orotracheal intubation, pleural decompression, and so on. I also do not do diagnostic stress tests on fingers, wrists, elbows, shoulders, hips, knees, ankles... yet I'm quite experienced and capable of doing those exams and determining with a high degree of accuracy what structures are damaged and to what degree without having to resort to imaging. Those procedures are in the realm of the medical provider. These are not, by far, all I'm capable of.

Why do I include all that stuff? Simple. OP, you want to do both Paramedic and RN. You'll have to remember to separate your roles. While there can/may be significant overlap between them, in terms of skills, you have to be acutely aware of when you may apply those various skills. My advice is, very simple, learn one first and then the other.

bgxyrnf, MSN, RN · Mar 10, 2016

One such example is RSI medications. We were trained and tested and how to do RSI but unfortunately for us, because we were in California, we would never get to do that.

Tangent alert...

Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't the scopes and limitations are set by the LEMSA and the agency, not the state. I have a friend who's a rural medic in a very isolated and sporifice part of the state and he tells me that their LEMSA medical director is considering giving them RSI due to their long transport times.

srvjamz · Mar 11, 2016

I think the very best ER nurses are ones who came from an EMS background. I do not have that experience and am considering going to a bridge program that gives RNs a paramedic license just for the experience. I suppose it has to do with starting IVs in moving vehicles and poor surroundings or maybe its the much better 12 lead EKG training they seem to have compared to the very sporifice education that RNs seem to get in school. Go for it..

MursingMedic, DNP, RN, EMT-P · Mar 12, 2016

Echoing statements from early in this thread, keep them separate. Each program was difficult for its own reasons. No matter how flexible one school may be, the rigors are too much to do concurrently.

Medic school is exhausting thanks to dealing with instructors who may not be well suited as instructors, and clinicals that go a mile a minute, or drag on forever.

Nursing school is exhausting thanks to learning fundamentals about fluff that relate to nothing you will ever need once you're done with nursing school (I'm looking at you, care plans and nursing diagnoses). Lab time, extensive clinicals that teach a lot but leave you mentally and physically exhausted.

Is it possible? Sure, anything is possible. Is it realistic? No, not unless you want to burn yourself out before you graduate either program.

Just my $0.02. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Editorial Team / Moderator · Mar 12, 2016

I do not have that experience and am considering going to a bridge program that gives RNs a paramedic license just for the experience. I suppose it has to do with starting IVs in moving vehicles and poor surroundings or maybe its the much better 12 lead EKG training they seem to have compared to the very sporifice education that RNs seem to get in school. Go for it..

It is much more than that! Lol. My paramedic program came with an Associates degree. We had courses that covered HAZMAT, extrication and technical rescue, and all sorts of other issues that paramedics can encounter, on top of the medical aspect of the role. The community college I attended had a one-semester RN-to-Paramedic bridge, but they did away with it some years ago because it was a bit much for one semester.