What job seems more fun: EMT or RN?

jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B · Mar 30, 2013

I would say be both.....why limit yourself??? :yes:

akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P · Mar 30, 2013

Both jobs can be a LOT of fun. EMT, however, is usually not quite as fun. Paramedic, however, can be a LOT of fun! I'm sure that both jobs can be extremely routine at times too. One of the upsides of Paramedic is that you get to say that your office is on the corner... the downside is that your office is on the corner... and it's rarely the same corner.

PMFB-RN, RN · Mar 31, 2013

EMT vs RN is like somebody interested in a law enforcment career asking what more fun, school crossing guard or FBI agent? EMT is a very low level preperation.

Paramedic vs RN mught be a more appropiate question. In that case I would hands down say RN since they can and do do everything a paramedic does and on RN / Medic flight and ambulance crews are the crew leader. Plus the RN makes quite a bit more money.

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Apr 3, 2013

Also, keep in mind that some cities (like Houston) require all Paramedics to be FireFighters - so the career path is a bit more complex.

mclennan, BSN, RN · Apr 3, 2013

Having been both, I'd say EMT is fun if you're young, but as an older RN I can't imagine doing that work now. I loved EMT in my 20s, but nowadays, if I had to make the choice based solely on "fun" I'd pick RN because it's "fun" to this 40 year old to have a stability in my career, it's "fun" to have a voice on a care team, it's "fun" to use my critical thinking and clinical judgment independently, and "fun" to have a nice chunk of change on payday.

EMTs are grunts, it's actual PARAMEDICS who call the shots, have the fun & make the money in EMS!

Medic/RN2B · Apr 3, 2013

You have more fun as a Paramedic..not an EMT. For the "most" part of nursing you are waiting on docs order to treat your patient and can't just treat your patient. Of course there are some parts of nursing that the above does not apply. Always you can have fun in both. Flight nurse/medic is what I am shooting for...I also think that if someone has no interest in trauma or emergencies then they wouldn't think EMS. Like my mom who is an RN..she could care less about that stuff. Everyone likes what they like for a reason. My number one love is EMS and being a PARAMEDIC and I always will be even when I have RN behind my name...I have.more freedom in EMS and you never know what you are going to get when you roll up on a scene. Being able to think critically and fast and decide whether that person needs sedated and intubated right there while you are limited to minimal space is where the fun is! Whatever the call is, it is rewarding being able to think on your feet like that!

Medic/RN2B · Apr 3, 2013

EMT vs RN is like somebody interested in a law enforcment career asking what more fun, school crossing guard or FBI agent? EMT is a very low level preperation.
Paramedic vs RN mught be a more appropiate question. In that case I would hands down say RN since they can and do do everything a paramedic does and on RN / Medic flight and ambulance crews are the crew leader. Plus the RN makes quite a bit more money.

If you wanted to get technical an RN cant do a lot of things a medic can do unless they are a specialized RN..like a flight nurse. Such as central lines, IO'S, cric's, adminstration of paralytics, cardioversion, pacing, interpreting cardiac rhythms, AND last but certainly not least intubation! of course they are thing medics cant do that RN's can...such as ng tube placement... (some.paramedic classes teach this), g tube maintenance etc....I am not by any means degrading an RN..everyone has a purpose and I am going to school myself for RN. I am just pointed out some technicalities. :)

PMFB-RN, RN · Apr 3, 2013

You have more fun as a Paramedic..not an EMT. For the "most" part of nursing you are waiting on docs order to treat your patient and can't just treat your patient. Of course there are some parts of nursing that the above does not apply. Always you can have fun in both. Flight nurse/medic is what I am shooting for...I also think that if someone has no interest in trauma or emergencies then they wouldn't think EMS. Like my mom who is an RN..she could care less about that stuff. Everyone likes what they like for a reason. My number one love is EMS and being a PARAMEDIC and I always will be even when I have RN behind my name...I have.more freedom in EMS and you never know what you are going to get when you roll up on a scene. Being able to think critically and fast and decide whether that person needs sedated and intubated right there while you are limited to minimal space is where the fun is! Whatever the call is, it is rewarding being able to think on your feet like that!

*** As you point out there are certain areas that are a lot of fun (assuming you are one of those sick and twisted people who love emergencies and trauma:) . You mention flight nurse / medic. There are alos a fair number of ground ambulance (mobile intensive care) jobs for critical care/medic types. Our service has two helicopters in different locations but (I think) 14 ground ambulances on duty at any one time, the are spread out over half a state. In some cases the ground crews get into more crazy stuff then the flight since the heicopters won't fly in some of our worst weather but the ground crews always go out. Mostly they do faciliety to faciliety (small hospital ER to large hospital ICU) but also scene calls. All the crews are RN + medic + EMT/driver or EMT/pilot. Crews rotate through ground and air. I still work for them causual and prefer ground.

Another similar kind of job for RNs is my current full time job as rapid response team. Well it isn't really a team since when a RRT is called I am the only one who shows up. I have a respiratory therapist on my team but they don't respond unless I call them. We have a ton to protocols and standing orders that allow us to intervene immediatly in critical situations and in many less than critical situtation (like new asymptomaic rapid a-fib, or new chest pain). We are also the code team administrators and alternate code leaders, place art lines and PICCs in a pinch and instuctors for other things like IO insertion. Best of all the ICU is just upstairs or down the hall and once we get them stabilized enough to move I hand them off to an ICU RN and go about my business.

Most of my calls are stabilized on the ward and don't require a ICU transfer. 3-5 real calls a night with 1-3 a week being transfers to ICU is normal. Also get calls for a thousands other things that are not RRT calls. Combative patients, irate family members, help in the ICU with crashing patients, help out in the ER when a train wreck comes in, back up the IV team when they can't get one in, help a newer nurse give IGG for the first time (for example), help nurses decide if they should hold a medication, help them decide if their concerns warrents a call to the pysician, actually make the physician calls in certain cases where the physician in a known jerk (my speciality), help nurses get their patients what they need when the staff RN is being blown off by the doc (they sit up and take notice when the RRT RN calls them), many calls from nurses who just want someone to come by and be a second set of eyes or confirm their assessment findings. Physicans who are leaving for the day often give me a call with certain of their patients they are concerned about and I put them on my "keep eye on" list. Plus we round on any patient who transfers out of the ICU every 4 hours for 24 hours. We have drasticaly cut the number of ICU bounce backs.

All that and occasionaly I sit with my feet up and have nothing to do. No make work in my job.

Just wnted you to be aware of other fun RN jobs that you might find in the hospital. EMS doesn't have all the fun.

PMFB-RN, RN · Apr 3, 2013

If you wanted to get technical an RN cant do a lot of things a medic can do unless they are a specialized RN..like a flight nurse. Such as central lines, IO'S, cric's, adminstration of paralytics, cardioversion, pacing, interpreting cardiac rhythms, AND last but certainly not least intubation! of course they are thing medics cant do that RN's can...such as ng tube placement... (some.paramedic classes teach this), g tube maintenance etc....I am not by any means degrading an RN..everyone has a purpose and I am going to school myself for RN. I am just pointed out some technicalities. :)

*** Actually many regular ICU RNs do many of the things you mention as normal part of their day. IOs, paralytics, cardioversion, pacing, interpreting cardiac rhythms are all regular ICU staff nurse jobs in a lot of ICUs.

Lots of nurses are trained to to intubations but you are right they are in speciliety areas. Of course lots of edics can't intubate since they don't get anything like enough real world experience to maintain their skills. You got me on crics. Never heard of a nurse doing one.

The other RN advantage is in the drugs we can give and drips we can start/titrate under protocol. All a team though and the medics I work with are great and very skilled and I would trust any of them with my family in an emergency.

Medic/RN2B · Apr 4, 2013

Yea that is why I said specialized nursing. It wasnt uncommon at the service I worked for to intubate a couple of times a.shift whether that be RSI or what have you...but you are right it all depends on where you work just like nursing. And like you said and I said. Every job has a importantance and one wouldn't survive without the other :)

PMFB-RN, RN · Apr 4, 2013

Yea that is why I said specialized nursing. It wasnt uncommon at the service I worked for to intubate a couple of times a.shift whether that be RSI or what have you...but you are right it all depends on where you work just like nursing. And like you said and I said. Every job has a importantance and one wouldn't survive without the other :)

*** Even though the RNs & medics all get along great and work closely together there is a little bit of friction about pay. Most all the flight/transport RNs have associates degrees since they are all recruited out of the flagship hospital's SICU and they prefer them there. The medics mostly have associates degrees too. There is alwasy a little grumbeling that the medics only made 1/2 - 2/3 what the RNs make.