micuRNEMTP

Wow, seriously... So because someone disagrees with abortion or is a Republican or pickets against your chosen political standing, you feel it necessary to run them down. That goes along way to promote our glorious profession (pure unadulterated sarcasm!) Sorry to hijack, but I do not and will never support the aborting of a human life that is pure innocent. Rather keep your legs closed or get on birth control, aborting a child's life over your lack of responsibility and good judgement will never be right. Accepted sure, right? never... Access and affordability?? Birth control is cheap and easily located throughout the world... If you don't want a child, then RESPONSIBILITY dictates that you prevent the pregnancy, not abort it because you were too lazy, irresponsible, etc to do so in the beginning... But thanks for showing the healthcare community as a whole in such an uplifting light... My first and main oath was and will always remain to "Do no harm..." That includes participation in, condoning of, and supporting abortions, euthenasia, etc...

You should do fine... I learned a lot in Paramedic school, then further expanded that knowledge base in RN school... NCLEX was 75 questions long, and from clock in to clock out under 40 minutes... Thank God, I didn't get a lot of OB questions, as I hate OB, always have since day 1 of paramedic school until the 15th birth certificate that I had the displeasure of signing. Heck on those calls, I wish I could have given myself that dose of Haldol/Ativan... I never got comfortable with those calls... Just not my thing.

This thread is way off base. The original question regarded medicines that Paramedics can administer. If you aren't a paramedic, then refrain from telling those of us who are, just what we can and can not do. In addition, the paramedic scope of practice/guidelines varies from state to state, service to service. What I can do here, another paramedic in a different state/country/service may not be able to do. My apologies for helping distract this thread's initial direction.

First, I don't know you, and obviously you don't know me. I never suggested that I know everything, nor did I remotely imply such. I was in orientation for 9 weeks with a ARNP and Critical Care P.A. in the ICU. When I work as a Paramedic, I am supervised by a physician, not a RN. When I work as a RN, then I am supervised as a RN. I put CCRN behind my name, because I earned that title by doing the book work, time in service, and passing the test. I work in a very busy ICU, and work with some great RNs and not so great ones (same as working in the field good & bad medics). Second, not sure why you seem to think that you can attack me. But hey if it makes you feel like a better person, then go ahead. I have never implied that I didn't learn anything as a RN, that I didn't already know as a Paramedic. I know lots of great RNs, who are hands above a lot of paramedics on their knowledge base, yet I also know a lot of Paramedics who are hands above those/equally as knowledgeable. I believe that all RNs should know ACLS and the accompanying medicines. If they want to learn the in's and out's of 200 medicines, then I am sure that they can. I only said that I was not required to do this as part of RN school. Passing the NCLEX-RN merely opens one's self to the world of nursing, just as passing the NREMTP opens one to the world of EMS as a Paramedic. Both are a mere Learner's Permit to continue to learn. As for Tech school, never attended. My Paramedic course was a college program. Be sure of who you are trying to "talk down" towards, especially when you have zero idea of that person's true identity. I happen to love being a paramedic, and being a RN. Bash nursing? I never did that before passing my RN boards, and have not done that in this thread or any other on this or any other site. The one positive that I will agree with you on is the final statement, EMS could do a lot more to promote / improve their standards. Too many different rules abound state to state, yet if one actually takes the NREMT Paramedic, then they have actually taken the "set" standard to be Nationally Registered in any state, and thus licensed as a Paramedic in any state that accepts that standard for reciprocity. What I find funny? I can go from a Paramedic to RN, through a college program in 2 semesters, yet at that same college, an RN has to attend all 5 Paramedic semesters. Yet, there are a few "crash" course RN to Paramedic courses available as well. Either way, I love nursing, and I love being a Critical Care RN, as well as an EMT-Paramedic. The only thing I dislike about nursing? States such as mine do not require any CEUs once you are licensed. If you pay for your license every 2 years on time, then its a one and one type thing. How does that help the profession? At least my employer requires RNs to complete a minimum of 18 hours each year, and complete yearly competencies for each individual care area. And to answer your next snide remark, sometimes it nice to be furloughed...

So I am confused as to your extensive knowledge of the EMS profession, specifically NREMTPs. Obviously you are not a Nationally Registered EMT Paramedic, of course the old "brotherhood" may have been lost on you. I was first certified as a Paramedic in 1993, and have maintained that even today. I am required by my state's Department of Health to maintain Continuing Education, as well as attend Refresher/Update classes. Each state has different requirements, but this is no different that each state's requirements to be a Registered Nurse. Some states allow "fly by night" schools such as Platt College (pass rate I am not sure where you got your information from, but the training that I received was from a college based program. Before one could even apply to the program, they had to complete the same course requirements of the Registered Nurse program. Anatomy / Physiology, Chemistry, Pharmacology, Biology, College Algebra, etc// As for requirements, I will concede that years ago the foundational knowledge required to be a Paramedic/ Registered Nurse for that matter, was entirely minimal at best. But I will clarify all of this with, no amount of "education in a classroom" will prepare you to be a critical care anything. As a CCRN and Paramedic, no amount of "classroom" time prepared me more to do my job, than actual hands on time doing the job. And just so that you are aware, after the pharmacology class, my Paramedic program force fed medication information to us every step of the way. We were required to know nearly every single detail regarding over 200 different medications that Paramedics would potentially come into contact with or use. This does not take into account the ACLS meds, or illegal varieties. I can assure you, my RN program did not require anywhere close to this amount. Oh well, this CCRN/EMTP has to get to work. Can't play online paramedic today...

My old service was really at the forefront of proactive treatment of all patients, back many years ago. Our protocols allowed for lots of thinking on the fly for treatment. We utilized RSI in the field as early as 1996. In addition, we pushed hard for the hypothermia protocol for post-cardiac arrest resuscitation through the use of iced saline to lower the core temp. Paramedics come with vast amounts of critical knowledge, and while it may not be in the realm of rehab, dialysis, or wound/ostomy care, we are quite adept at what we do. We (RNs and Paramedics) would learn a lot from one another.

And yes Paramedics can administer IM meds. Its all up to the Medical Control/Director.

Short answer: EMTs and Paramedics work on standing orders/protocols set by a Medical Director or MedControl. Long Story:Totally dependent on employer and Medical Director. My former employer did not allow for use of medication in this aspect, due to the nature of not "knowing/getting" the whole picture. Why is this patient out of control? Head injury? CVA? DKA? Hepatic Encephalopathy? Exposure to various toxins or drugs? Last: Having worked for 3 different EMS companies over the years, I can say that none of those 3 carried Haldol. Nor did any of them have an order for using Ativan to "calm" down a patient. But succinylcholine goes a long way towards making those violent patients a lot more compliant... Easy, it's just a joke...