paramed1

Hello, I am in a unique situation, I transferred from a state NP program to Vanderbilt. All I can say is that I am SO much happier! Yes, it is a ton of work, but the instructors are there to meet you half way. I love having live lectures each week, and going to campus about every 4 weeks... it makes me feel included and not so alone in a distance learning program. This is my 2 cents, and you need to do what's right for you and your family. Good luck!

Hi Everyone! I am also a RN- BSN graduate from WGU. I am starting at Vanderbilt for their FNP/AGACNP program at the end of this month. Hope this helps!

Hi Guys, Just a thought that keeps popping into my head... How long has it been OK to be rude to your nurse? E.g. Demanding more warm blankets, sneering they didn't want ice in their water, etc.... I feel like the patient's perception as a professional has changed; from a respected nurse to a waitress. Do you think the emphasis on patient satisfaction scores has changed this perception? Also, how is that every patient seems to know about socks, blanket warmers, sandwiches, bus/taxi vouchers, and that they are entitled. Guess I'm just feeling a little burnt out...

KCTRN, i actually went paramedic to ED RN, so I can't give specifications in terms of challenging (sorry!). In terms of working in both environments... I think you'll love work on a bus! It is a whole different set of skills and challenges. I also think it will give you a great perspective for what happens in the prehospital environment. Good luck with challenging!

Hi Guys! Here's an update...I went to the scrub store yesterday, and Koi scrubs now makes xxs with extra petite length! In terms of fit, the xxs fit perfectly, but the extra petite was a tad too short (I think that is the first time in my life a pair of pants has been too short). Hope this opens up options!

I am the exact same size as you. I find that Dickies hip flip in size xsp fit really well. Also, I like bluesky scrubs too. I really wish this wasn't so hard! But on the bright side, scrubs are ten million times easier to find than paramedic uniforms! I rack up about a $300-$500 dollar alteration bill for a complete set of uniforms:eek: Thank the lord my department pays for them! Good luck!

Hi Everyone, I am almost done with my nursing program in Idaho, however I am from California and I am planning on returning there when done. Does anyone know if I can take my initial boards in California? or do I need to get my license in Idaho and then transfer it. Any help would be great! Thanks!!

8 weeks and I cannot wait!!!

Being a paramedic and nursing student..I wash those items seperately! I just know I come in contact with gross stuff and refuse to wash them with my street clothes. BTW, I am currently living with my parents, and I cracked up when my mom did my laundry and knew to keep the scrubs and paramedic unforms seperate I guess they do pay attention!

Amen to that one ImThatGuy! I think nursing students get a horrible clincial experience compared to paramedic students though (:

Look up "diagnosis Wenckebach" on Youtube.. the video is really well done and helped me learn heart blocks. Also, remember for bundle branch blocks.. you turn your turn signal in your car down to signal to the left. If the "bunny ears" are down it is a left bundle branch block and vice versa. Also, remember that your 4-lead is non diagnostic, so you technically cannot not diagnose ST elevation in a 4- lead. Atrial fibrillation is irregularly irregular and sometimes looks like it has ST elevation. Your PVCs are "funky little beats" and can be monomorphic (all the same) or polymorphic (different) Torsades de pointes= twisting of the points... so it's your typical v-tach only it looks small and big. Thats all off the top of my head. I hope this helps! P.S. what rhythms do you have to identify?

Hello, I really like Blue Sky scrubs.. they fit fantastically and are very flattering. Scrubs: Designer Nursing Scrubs, Medical Scrubs, and Scrub Hats

Ok, I currently have my foot in both worlds! (work my weekends as a medic and week days as a nursing student) I think as was stated before it is almost two different realms... paramedics focus on the here and now, and nurses kind of focus on long term. Also, the easiest way to put this... nurses know a little about a lot, paramedics know a lot about a little. In terms of skills, yes I do feel more confident about my skills and knowledge as a paramedic, but you have to understand a couple of things : a) paramedics focus only on prehospital emergency care as a whole, so our scope may be more advanced in some areas than nurses (e.g. pleural decompression, intubation, surgical airways), but we have a limited set of skills. b) paramedic training focuses on repetition ( of particular medications and procedures) so that you can learn to function on your own c) Paramedics are only with a patient for a very short period of time, so we can only do what is immediately necessary. d) education for the paramedic focus on knowing a certain amount of information inside and out, so that you can function within parameters without needing a physician's orders e) part of paramedic training/ working as a paramedic is learning to be confident... you are on your own with no one to help, you have to be extremely confident and portray that to you patients. Nursing- a) nurses (like I said previously) focus on more long term care, and typically can spend more time with their patients. b) their range of procedures they do and medications they give runs the gauntlet (e.g. one day you may work med/surg and the next in the NICU)..so you might not encounters something as much, and you are able to do more under physicians orders c) education for the nurse focuses on outdated idealistic practices so you pass an exam, not really on how to take care of a patient All in all, I feel much more confident about my abilities as a paramedic because of the limited drugs/interventions, the repetition focused on in school, the explicit training time focused on specifically patient care (as opposed to clincials focusing on completing care plans), and the required continuing education/proving proficiency in skills. Now my disclaimer to this post, is I am a nursing student, so an experienced nurse may have a completely different opinion. Also, I hope I didn't offend anyone:) Hope this helps!

Hi Everyone, Don't hate me for saying this, but after reading some posts about everyone's nursing instructors being mean... I just wanted to say my instructors are awesome this semester! Lately I have been feeling very frustrated with the amount of busy work they give us, but at least they are very approachable and completely willing to sit down and help. I also like that they generally use very positive feed back to get us to learn/correct mistakes, and seem genuinely interested in teaching. And to everyone who is miserable... there are only a few more weeks until the end of semester(:

Steven007, I am right there with ya! (if misery loves company)... my mom sends me a text with the countdown of days until I graduate. (: YOU CAN DO IT!! Either that, or switch become a communication major (super easy!) and go to medical or PA school where there's not so much "fluff". Good luck!