Hello all. I have been mulling over an idea recently and wanted to get any feedback someone may be able to offer. I have been a nurse since 1991 and worked on various specialties. There is one thing I have always wanted to do and need some opinions. I have always had the desire to work as an EMT. When I was in nursing school during the day, I enrolled in EMT class at night. I was about halfway done and had to have GB surgery and got behind trying to catch up on nsg school and EMT at the same time so I dropped EMT class.
After nsg school, I started on a med surg unit and telemetry. I have always loved my profession, but started wishing that I had finished EMT school. Once I transferred to the ER, I knew this was the type of nursing for me. I have worked in both big city and also small rural ERs and have seen different traumas and injuries in both.
I like to think that I am able to remain calm in a crisis or code situation. I get along well with my patient's family members and enjoyed the runs I was able to go on when doing clinicals in the ambulance in school.
I know this is totally different from ER nursing, but I just wanted to throw it out there to get some opinions. I at one time thought about the possibility of flight nursing but I saw our air ambulance crash next to the interstate in a storm and that kind of ruined that idea for me. I thought at least being on the ground might be better suited to me.
Please feel free to share your opinions and/or stories that may help me. Thanks!
X-EMT-I (EMT without the AD) Was a medic in VA for several years, Now getting ready to start LPN school. Its true as a medic, your scope is much larger then that of an RN.. You diagnose, treat, and transport. Push all sorts of meds.. (adenison is always fun in the back of a bus) :) But Its not always a picnic.. Its a rule that 400+ pound pts have to live on the 3rd floor!! I can't stress enough that you and your partner/driver need to be on the same page, have great communication, and have the ability to almost read each others minds at times, because the back of an ambulance can be alot more dangerous then the chopper you saw crash. You are not buckled in and you are doing procedures hauling ass down the highway or thru town, just because you have lights and sirens doen't mean that the world is gonna stop for you and give you the right of way. The driver brakes without warning and you may very well eat the wall, or even your pt. You will be using needles, scissors, AEDs, 02, suction, or doing CPR, etc. You will get to the point that you can only "get the stick" if you are moving, as doing proceedures setting still will no longer be the norm. I could go on and on, however, I wouldn't change my experience for the world, its a great job and very rewarding, and the good outcomes far outweigh the bad ones! So I say go for it, you will be surprised and the skills you will aquire and be able to use.
Good luck with your decision.
Now if hearing all that got you all excited...you should definitely do it!
I too look back fondly at the 'fun' of doing your job when there's all kinds of chaos going on. But do consider carefully whether you're up for all the lifting and carrying involved.
Have you thought about becoming a flight nurse? I feel like you would be incorporating a lot of the things you really like without sacrificing your scope of practice. There is a lot of autonomy from what I hear and it can be very exciting.
I was going to add that there are also positions as critical care transport nurses. When critically ill patients need transport to a higher level of care, a nurse may be needed to go along to help manage the patient who is beyond the skill of the paramedics. These nurses are employed by the ambulance companies and usually do on-call time.
Hello all. I have been mulling over an idea recently and wanted to get any feedback someone may be able to offer. I have been a nurse since 1991 and worked on various specialties. There is one thing I have always wanted to do and need some opinions. I have always had the desire to work as an EMT. When I was in nursing school during the day, I enrolled in EMT class at night. I was about halfway done and had to have GB surgery and got behind trying to catch up on nsg school and EMT at the same time so I dropped EMT class.
After nsg school, I started on a med surg unit and telemetry. I have always loved my profession, but started wishing that I had finished EMT school. Once I transferred to the ER, I knew this was the type of nursing for me. I have worked in both big city and also small rural ERs and have seen different traumas and injuries in both.
I like to think that I am able to remain calm in a crisis or code situation. I get along well with my patient's family members and enjoyed the runs I was able to go on when doing clinicals in the ambulance in school.
I know this is totally different from ER nursing, but I just wanted to throw it out there to get some opinions. I at one time thought about the possibility of flight nursing but I saw our air ambulance crash next to the interstate in a storm and that kind of ruined that idea for me. I thought at least being on the ground might be better suited to me.
Please feel free to share your opinions and/or stories that may help me. Thanks!
Anne, RNC:D
It really depends. Taking an EMT class can only help you; however, are you thinking about leaving nursing for EMS? As an EMT, pay will in many cases be much lower and you will be exposed to more environmental extremes and odd shifts compared to the typical nursing schedule.
I went from EMT to nursing. The cool guy fun and exciting lights and siren stuff is only fun for so long and I had bills to pay and a life to live. One that was more difficult with wages barely above minimum wage. In addition, I was not a paramedic, so I did lots of bagging, driving, and chest compressions. I would strongly say go the paramedic route if you are seriously considering employment in EMS. Better yet, have dual licensure. Best of both worlds in a way.
Typically, as stated, it's the other way around! I was an EMT for a year before I decided to get my Paramedic liscense.
As an RN, in WV anyhow, you could challenge the state exam assuming that you had ACLS, BTLS, PALS, etc.
The only major differences between EMTs and Paramedics are things like IVs, monitor, drugs, etc.
A basic EMT can intubate a patient using a single or multi-lumen device. They can also utilize CPAP and give drugs such as nitro SL, asprin PO, proventil OI, glucose PO, epi .15 & .30 IM, activated charcoal PO, etc. EMTs are also able to use an automated defibrillator. This is in addition to the obvious first aid/cpr interventions.
As paramedics we can perform a wider range of procedures including manual defibrillation, pacing, cardiac monitoring. We can administer a greater amount of drugs such as atropine, epi, lidocain, lasix, phenergan, morphine, vallium, dextrose 25/50, amiodorone, adenocard and so forth. I'm sure a resource like Google would provide an ample view on the EMT-P scope of practice.
The basic difference between nursing and EMS is the fact that you typically function autonomously in the field.
On that same note, being an EMT or paramedic for that matter is not nearly as profitable as nursing.
The basic difference between nursing and EMS is the fact that you typically function autonomously in the field.
OH MY--where to start! I beg to differ with you WFD Skip. There are many more differences between nursing and EMT-Ps. Functioning in the field "autonomously"--are you not in radio contact with a medical facility? Not that nurses are completely autonomous either, and RNs perform many of the same tasks as paramedics, but the scope of practice for the paramedic is limited to outside the hospital setting. As an RN you should now see the differences in licensure and scope of practice--besides the money aspect.
i agree with others that have said that given your background and your interest in the ems side then maybe you should consider getting your paramedic. my husband is in this line of work and is also a firefighter and they have many nurses on staff that are excellent medics. i know that in ohio rns can take a bridge program and get their medic pretty fast. i plan on doing this after i am done with nursing school. there is always a need for someone with expirence and passion. good luck!
No, typically I do not need to contact med control until AFTER the call. That's the entire part of written protocols and standing orders.
My scope of practice as an RN in a hospital setting (with critical care training: acls, pals, etc) is typically less than that of my EMT-P while on the ground or in the air. That's to be expected though. For example, in the hospital setting I can not intubate a patient. However, when on the ambulance or in the helicopter performing a cricothyrotomy is standing protocol. Nurses without ACLS (at least in my particular area) do not read monitors or manually defib someone.
I live in a rural area in Iowa. Just after I got my RN I joined a volunteer fire/emt ambulance crew. In order to stay envolved with the department I had to become an EMT-B depsite the fact that I was an RN. I took the class and I LOVED IT! I learned so much, but the assessment skills are so much different than that of an RN. Once I passed the EMT-B test I can get checked off for all the same stuff that an EMT-PS (paramedic specialist) (same as paramedic for the national level) and I can be an RN exempt on the ambulance. My instructer is one of my crew members and a paramedic himself, and he is an awesome instructor. I plan on going on and possibly even getting my EMT-PS despite the fact that I will be able to do everything he will be able to do without going through the school. I also just got my ACLS training and next month I will be getting my PALS and my trauma nurse training.
I know each state is different, but what I would do is ask around and see what others have done and see what works for you. If EMS is something you really want to do........THEN GO FOR IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow! Thank you everyone for such great responses! I appreciate the input. When I left a previous job in a busy city hospital ER, all the guys from our local ambulance crews got together and had a "going away" party. I was moving out of town and getting married. My dh, who is also an RN, left the ER a long time ago for mgmt/nsg. sup. I have always loved the ER, not just because of the adrenaline rush, but partly because, I guess the variety of patients. From a laboring mother to a 3 yr. old with something up her nose (or other orifice) to a adults with varied complaints. I worked in L and D for over a yr. and kept up with my NALS/NRP and PALS. I've kept current my ACLS for about 11 - 12 yrs. and had started studying for taking the TNCC class when I left my FT job in that ER.
Not too long after I finished RN school, I started going on Neuro transpost cases that traveled via ground ambulance from a rural hospital ER to a larger trauma center.
I like to cook, and every month or so, I take some sweets out to the central station of our local ambulance company. I had talked to some of the EMTs and kind of felt them out about what I had been thinking. They said they would help out if I needed some pointers for school and would like working with me when I finished.
Anyway, feel to lend your opinions- I appreciate it. Thanks!
Specializes in Critical Care, Emergency, Education, Informatics.
Nurses can never just "take" the paramedic test as there is a great deal of difference in training and knowledge base. In most states the RN can challenge the EMT Basic exam, usually after having taken a class in care of patients during vehicle extrication. The National Registry of EMT's and the Department of Transportation set the standards for EMT and EMT-P education. The paramedic is trained in skills such as interpreting the EKG, intubation, surgical crichoidectomy, starting intra-osseous IV's, starting external jugular IV's and other skills that RN's don't normally have. Volunteering/working as an EMT is not a bad thing, it can just be frustrating.
Actually that isn't quite true. There are some states that let you do that. FL is one and Illinois and PA htave Pre-Hospital RN's. Now you can't sit for the National Registry EMT-Paramedic test, you take the state test.
Go back and take the EMT Class, and go for it. After some experience if you want to do the paramedic/Prehosptial route, then Crighton University in NE has a 2-3 week RN to Paramedic program. You have to be WELL grounded in all the ACLS/Trauma Stuff already as they only transition working that into pre-hospital environment.
Other than the $$ there is no reason not to go that route. I know there are other threads here on the subject. So do a search and go for it.
As a brand new graduate nurse and a longtime paramedic, I was just looking at the requirements for the PHRN in PA. As I understand them you take an EMT class then you take the national registry paramedic course. Not sure if you can now be a PHRN if you're just a state certified paramedic.
I agree with the above posters that as a nurse you probably wouldn't be happy being confined to a BLS scope of practice and that you should get a paramedic or prehospital RN certification.
whodatnurse
444 Posts
Now if hearing all that got you all excited...you should definitely do it!
I too look back fondly at the 'fun' of doing your job when there's all kinds of chaos going on. But do consider carefully whether you're up for all the lifting and carrying involved.