ParaBandAider
New Members
-
Joined
-
Last visited
-
-
I believe there are primary care rotations as well as women's health, L&D, and others in addition to the ED clinical time. I have not started my program, but a coworker of mine is in a FNP/ENP program doing primary care clinical at a walk in/urgent care that provides primary care appointments. He is 100% an ED nurse and never thought he would enjoy the primary care aspect, but is finding it very valuable and interesting.
-
Oh, they are both offered in remote/hybrid classroom! Only have to be on campus a few times a year. Hope that helps!
-
-
There are programs that you can start directly in an ENP program, Vanderbilt and University of South Alabama for example, though all direct entry programs are combined with FNP curriculum. These programs allow you graduate, take the FNP then the ENP, and start right in the ED without having to be employed in primary care. I have the same desire to work in the ED as a NP and just got into a FNP/ENP program. As an Emergency Department RN I have seen that 90% of what the PA/NPs do in the ED is primary care or urgent care clinic work, FNP education fits this role well, where the ENP comes in is that 10%. If you want to go straight to working in an ED you might consider the PA route (I see you have your Paramedic, so it's a natural transition), though based on my conversations with our PAs you would still need a lot of primary care focused education to work in an ED.
-
-
Wow! I just saw this, wish I would have seen it earlier. I just interviewed for an ED job and this would have been real beneficial! I'm going to apply now! Thank You for posting this!
-
While I haven't started school yet, I have a lot of experience working long shifts that conflict with my normal sleep schedule (firefighter and special event EMT work). My biggest piece of advice is to stay hydrated and eat as healthy as you can at all times, the eating healthy part can be hard once the shift starts. With that said avoid alcohol and anything that disturbs your sleep. Once you're up for the "day": Short naps = good. Long naps = bad. This has been my experience and has gotten me through unexpected shifts lasting as long as 40 hours (with no sleep)
-
I put a lot of thought into my decision to pursue nursing, I shadowed both paramedics and nurses, albeit they were fire medics and flight nurses for the most part (due to my work contacts). My advice from most of those who I shadowed was to be a fire medic and do flight nursing if I wanted to make money, but stay in my current position as long as possible if that is what I loved doing. Ever since I made the decision to pursue a higher qualification medically I knew I would aim to get licensed as both a paramedic and RN. My decision to put nursing school ahead of paramedic school was twofold, first I want to finish my bachelors degree and second I know of a paramedic program specifically tailored to nurses who work in EMS/fire. These decisions were made when I thought I was only working half the year though. Having year round work made my educational goal shift to finishing my bachelors degree. Right now my motivation to go to school is to get my bachelors and manage my agency's EMS program locally. This means being able to train EMRs and EMTs, coordinate with hospitals to provide oversight, and manage records for the most part. I know a BSN will allow me to do this, but so would other degrees. Clinically my goal is to keep employees out of the hospital and in the field(think telemedicine, preventive/rehab care, and occupational health and safety). If someone is injured to the point of going to the ER the highest level of care that is normally needed is honestly that of an AEMT, however there are some injuries that require a scope that is more unusual and above a paramedic's scope, it would be more physician/surgeon level. I do know of flight nurses and combat medics given authority to do some of theses procedure though. My career is full of unique opportunities and as they pop up my end goals change, this is why I feel so lost. I am committed to going to school, but I find myself second guessing my decisions time to time. Honestly right now I'm only driven by finishing my degree in something that will give me a good job if I get hurt and cannot fight fire anymore. What is required to maintain your RN license in the state of California anyways? Thank You
-
Hello all, I'm so lost, I don't even know where to start or what questions to ask first, so I'll start simple: I've recently been admitted to a BSN program that starts fall 2015 and I'm a firefighter. The longish story: My career is going great, I landed my dream job at the age of 22. I've always had a passion for all things medical and rescue. When I started in my current position I realized that there was much to improve in the way which we cared for our fellow firefighters when they were injured or I'll; this coupled with my position being seasonal lead me to set becoming a nurse as my new goal. To me being a nurse meant having a steady job when there was no fire to fight and skills to help my comrades when there was. I pursued this goal aggressively and completed my prerequisite in short time, I completed all but one co-requisites, then I submitted my application to every state school I qualified for. I was rejected by most and wait listed by a few. Undeterred I reapplied to those schools kind enough to wait list me. In the mean time I finished my last co-requisite. When it came time to find out my fate, I took it in stride that I had been wait listed again; I applied to paramedic school and set my sights on that goal. Talking to the programs I applied for I was assured a slot due to field experience. Feeling a new wind in my sails with the prospect of paramedic school I was feeling great about life when tragedy struck in the form of opportunity, I was offered a year round position. Not taking the position would have been foolish, it was rare that a year round slot opened up, it also meant I received full benefits. I accepted the position and when the paramedic schools offered me a slot I kindly told them I'd reapply next year when my department could fund me to attend. That was last year, I talked it over with my supervisor and I got the green light to reapply, but the funding was still in limbo. As a backup plan I submitted my application to the local state school's BSN program, I never thought I'd be accepted, but I was. As I walked in to tell the overhead at work I assumed I would have to make a difficult decision whether to pursue school or continue to work, I knew they couldn't fund nursing school and I felt like I'd be settling if I went to paramedic school now. To my surprise I was told I could go to school and they'd flex my work schedule to accommodate my classes! I know this sounds very positive, but now I feel like I'm burdened by opportunity, lost as to which direction to take. Questions abound. Would it be wrong to go all the way through school to never actually work as a nurse? Will this really help me take care of my fellow firefighters? Did I choose wrong picking nursing school over paramedic school? Do I have what it takes to make it through school and work at the same time? Do I really want to be a nurse? What opportunities are out there to work as a nurse in fire? And so many other questions I know I have to answer most of these on my own, but maybe one of you kind folks can give me some insight or advice. Thank You