Pre-nursing or EMT to Paramedic?

[Darrarizer]

So I have a week or two to find out if I get into the Tarrant county RN program. I thought I was doing alright until I starting searching on allnurses.com. I have a 3.522 gpa and my teas scores are ok but not fantastic. My backup plan has been to get into an EMT course and then apply to become a paramedic but I have been looking at previous threads on this site and it's brought up a few questions:
How many hours/week do you work on average?
How many of you became Paramedics and now want to become/or are becoming RN's and why?
What is the pay scale for a paramedic (who has 5 years experience in veterinary medicine, lol, and has just graduated) from graduation to ...
Do you love your job?
Would you change it if you could/are?
Any info is great. I love being a Veterinary Technician but I topped out pay at $13.50 as Director of Pet Nursing after 5 years and realized I don't want to live on those wages I though RN was the way to go, but now i'm having doubts.

 

[VentMedic]

If you get accepted into a nursing program, go for it. Many have at least a 2 -3 year waiting list with many, many qualified candidates.

Depending on your location, you may have very few opportunites as an EMT or Paramedic unless you become a FF. That may also apply to wages. For EMT, it does little to prepare you as a medical provider and you may only be doing what is considered to be routine transports. Actually, since most of those transports concern medical issues rather than first-aid, the EMT does not prepare you well for that job either.

If you are serious about health care and dealing with patients as a whole, the RN program would be your better choice. The pay is decent. The hours are good as 36 hours or 3 - 12 hour shifts per week is considered full time. There are many opportunities to broaden your knowledge and advance. You can also travel around the world on different RN assignments both long and short term with your expenses paid.

 

[Shishkabob]

If you want to be a nurse, be a nurse, don't waste 2 years becoming a medic if it doesn't interest you. TCC's nursing program is a good one, and you shouldn't be disappointed.




You'll find that most of the people (not all) that are medics who then became RNs were because they loved working in the field, but RN just pays better. You'll also run into people who work 24/48 at a fire dept, and on one of their 2 days off they work PRN at a hospital as a nurse.

 

[Darrarizer]

Responses

Thank you for your response but i'm really worried about my options after not getting into the nursing program which may be reality in a few weeks. Of course I can apply again, but with every application, another 6 months of my life has gone by. So, please tell me about your job/program because nursing may not be an option if the direct route does not work.

 

[Shishkabob]

There are more nursing schools in DFW other than just TCC, why don't you give one of them a try as well?


Becoming a medic isn't a short route if you do it even remotely right. Going from nothing to medic is almost 2 years, and that's not even going for your degree. TCCs medic program is as much, if not more, competitive then their nursing program for the fact that they take even less students-- 30 in the fall, and 20 in the spring, most of which are seats saved for fire departments in the area.


What's to happen if you're halfway through medic and you get accepted into nursing?






But to answer your questions:
I work strictly clinicals right now, but around DFW, if you're not fire based, you'll be working 36-48+ hours a week (12hr shifts are the norm)

Pay wise, as an EMT you'll make between $9-13, and as a medic $14+, but don't expect a lot if you aren't a FF. Though, Austin/Travis County EMS pays pretty well... but you'll be moving for that.

I love the work I've done in clinicals as a medic... EMT was ok. EMT isn't a stopping-place.

I'm not far enough in yet to regret it... but I also still want to be a cop.




PS if you have any interest at taking EMT at TCC... you better be up at 12am when WebAdvisor opens registration for the next semester... those 120+ spots fill up FAST.

 

[Darrarizer]

Don't I know that!! This will be my 3rd year at TCC! Thanks for your advice and I REALLY appreciate you telling me how many seats/semester are open for the paramedic program.
In truth, *cheeeezzzz*, if I don't get into the RN program, I really just want to help people. So stepping stone, or whatever, any info. about a program I can get into where the outcome is helping ppl or saving lives is good!

 

[Shishkabob]

Well, TCC offers a "bridge" from Paramedic / LVN to RN which is 18months in length as opposed to 24, but you need to remember that's 18 months on top of the education for the others things, which for medic is 18months in itself, so you're looking at 4 years to get your RN.



You could do medic, or you could do LVN, as both can end up leading back to your RN goal.

 

[Darrarizer]

Lvn

I've heard LVN's are not even being hired anymore. There are 2 that i've taken the pre-req RN classes with at TCCD that tell me they need to move up or loose their jobs.

 

[VentMedic]

I've heard LVN's are not even being hired anymore. There are 2 that i've taken the pre-req RN classes with at TCCD that tell me they need to move up or loose their jobs.

The LVN is now about as good as the EMT-Intermediate. I have not seen an LVN in an acute hospital in Florida for almost 20 years. Even the LTC facilities are utilizing RNs more due to reimbursement and regulation issues.

 

[EDAC]

I am in a similar situation as you are, but i have decided to go the EMT-1 to Paramedic. We now have a Paramedic to RN bridge program that was just approved this year. The reason I am going that route is because the waiting list for the local RN program is 1-3 years ans I figure I can get into the RN program quicker than if i waited up to 3 years. For some reason there does not seem to be an overwhelming amount of medics trying to get into the RN program.
As far as going the LVN route, it might be something you may want to investigate further. I just spent 5 days in the hospital and learned that the majority of the nurses that cared for me were CNA's & LVN's. I thought they were all RN's, but after talking to one of the RN's he told me he started in the hospital as a CNA and they paid for him to get his LVN certification then his RN credentials. He also told me that the majority of the nursing staff were in fact CNA's & LVN's. I spoke to most of the CNA's & LVN's who cared for me and all of them were very happy with their jobs, benefits and pay.
I guess it depends where you are located, but you may want to check around your local hospitals to find out how they staff their hospitals.
Just something to think about. Good Luck

 

[VentMedic]

For some reason there does not seem to be an overwhelming amount of medics trying to get into the RN program.
As far as going the LVN route, it might be something you may want to investigate further. I just spent 5 days in the hospital and learned that the majority of the nurses that cared for me were CNA's & LVN's.

Many Paramedics have entered EMS to be on their own out on a truck with few rules or people watching them and that also includes medical over sight being lax. In the hospital the RN is accountable for everything and will be QA'd to death. Even the screwups from the field by the Paramedics will haunt the RN such as botched IV attempts and infiltrates if very careful charting is not done.

As well the patient load is incredible. The Paramedic has gotten used to having 1 patient at a time and maybe 10 per 24 hour shift. The RN will have 10+ for 12 hours and if in the ED that number may be well over 30 patients to see in 12 hours. As well, it is total care and not just the emergent even in the ED. Some of the Paramedics that do make it through the nursing program will often wash out during their first week on the job. Thus, they becomes what we know as a RN in credential only and of little use as a functioning RN. They get bragging rights at the EMS station and that is about it.

Check with your state first about the LVNs. As I stated before, they are on their way out in several states especially as RNs are looking at the BSN as their entry level even if it has not been formalized. The hospitals may have higher expectations especially for the ED and Critical Care. Those areas I doubt if you will find an LVN except working under the title of CNA which is now what many hospitals call their LVNs who have not upgraded to RN.

 

[Darrarizer]

Thank you for your replies. I will do some research into those topics

 

[Summit]

Many Paramedics have entered EMS to be on their own out on a truck with few rules or people watching them and that also includes medical over sight being lax. In the hospital the RN is accountable for everything and will be QA'd to death. Even the screwups from the field by the Paramedics will haunt the RN such as botched IV attempts and infiltrates if very careful charting is not done.

As well the patient load is incredible. The Paramedic has gotten used to having 1 patient at a time and maybe 10 per 24 hour shift. The RN will have 10+ for 12 hours and if in the ED that number may be well over 30 patients to see in 12 hours. As well, it is total care and not just the emergent even in the ED. Some of the Paramedics that do make it through the nursing program will often wash out during their first week on the job. Thus, they becomes what we know as a RN in credential only and of little use as a functioning RN. They get bragging rights at the EMS station and that is about it.

Check with your state first about the LVNs. As I stated before, they are on their way out in several states especially as RNs are looking at the BSN as their entry level even if it has not been formalized. The hospitals may have higher expectations especially for the ED and Critical Care. Those areas I doubt if you will find an LVN except working under the title of CNA which is now what many hospitals call their LVNs who have not upgraded to RN.

jaded?

 

[VentMedic]

jaded?

No.

We have several nursing schools doing clinicals at the hospital system I work for. At the beginning of clinicals the hospital staff scopes out the students and can usually pick which ones will wash out. The Paramedics who don't do well will usually keep saying "we do it in the field like this...". Unfortunately it means little if you can intubate someone but don't know how to take a temperature or do a thorough set of vitals and correlate them with the lab work.

The same is true for the Paramedics that go through RT school. You may know how to intubate "the field way" but when you are under the microscope and being videotaped during code situations (for teaching purposes as well as QA/QI) and have a few different ETTs to choose from, it is a little different.

 

[Summit]

Actually, I find your comments reassuring personally.