Seeking fellow medics out there

Kaisu · Jul 22, 2018

I did the paramedic to RN bridge program up in Wisconsin. I was a medic and am now a nurse in Arizona. The transition was challenging. We are trained to intervene. It took a while to integrate the nursing process and step back and think. There are so many more considerations with nursing than there was in 911 or even critical care transport. The exposure to chronic/subacute conditions requires a different skill set.

Learning to work as a member of the team is crucial. As medics, we make the decisions autonomously. As a nurse, it takes a while to learn how great it is to be a member of the team. Continuity of care, hand off of patients and consulting with colleagues is paramount in nursing.

I had an advantage over my fellow students in my ability to talk to patients and a real leg up when it came to patient assessment, and of course, cardiology was a cake walk.

I was pretty careful to keep my paramedic experience to myself. A sure way to paint a target on your back is to go anywhere near "Well, when I was a medic...." I had one clinical instructor who did not think paramedics should be nurses. It was a tough rotation.

I am extremely glad I made the move. I love nursing and the money is so much better.

Paramedic experience was instrumental in me landing my current Case Manager position in Home Health. I had a short 3 month stint on Med/Surg that was a very poor fit. That limited experience would not have been enough without the paramedic experience to get me hired in what is my dream job.

Good luck to you. Feel free to message me anytime.

merchan5967 · Jul 22, 2018

Thanks so much for the response. Trust me, I have every intention of keeping the medic stuff to myself as well. That can bite you in school. I think the loss of autonomy will be the hardest thing for me to get used to. That's one of my favorite aspects of being a medic.