Why do alot of EMTs go into nursing?

[Omygato]

Ha ha, I didn't join in to argue. I just wanted to share my experience. The EMS program I attended trains to the EMT-I level, then when you obtain 200 calls you can go on to the 1800 hr MICT portion. State certification requires at least 350 hrs of training I believe for EMT-B's to work. Can be done in one semester fulltime after your prereqs. The nursing program is at the minimum 3 semesters for LPN, five semesters for RN. Not including the two years of prereqs. It's funny to hear so many EMT's wanting to go into nursing. It's hard work. Harder than EMS. I've had ER nurses say that they secretly wish they were medics. Grass is always greener I guess on the other side. I'm happy that Ive done both, it gives me more insight. I understand how hard it is to prepare a pt for transfer to a ER via ambulance. How much paperwork is involved, the orders that need to be attained by the MD. How limiting it can be working off generic standing orders and facility protocols. Having to handle a declining pt while still being responsible for 36 other pt's and being a floor supervisor on top of that. I work in a really good EMS system, top dollar pay, decent benefits. From what I read it's not so great else where. I guess the job security and pay is better in nursing for the most part compared to some EMS systems.

 

[redbull]

I'm the opposite, I went from nursing to EMS. What I learned from the whole experience is this. Nursing school was a lot more work. Two years of prerequisites, a two year waiting list in which priority is given to those who have a higher GPA. Not to mention the NCLEX exam which you need to pass. Going through nursing school was more demanding didactic wise, your scope of practice in nursing is a lot more than a EMT. The clinicals were hectic also, time management is key in nursing. Redundant paper work is the norm. The books we had to go through were thick, pharmacology, medsurg, OB, Peds, psych, ect. Compared to one EMS book, Emergency Care in the streets. Someone said that EMT's have a higher level of schooling than nurses, I don't think so. Not even close. I'm not bashing, just stating what I went through. It may have been easier for me since I did have prior medical training and over 5 years of nursing experience. The EMT course I went through wasn't that hard, the only prereq's were A&P and medical terminology. I'm lucky to have had a great instructor though. The skills testing was a whole different animal! Anyways, nursing is a great profession. The pay is good and your coworkers are a lot better looking. But I like being able to relax 90% of the time and then be able to help those in need when called. Better than running around like a chicken without a head as I did while being a nurse. EMS is catching up and soon will be a profession equal in status to Nursing. The ball is rolling where I'm from. Soon the EMT-P program will be Associates degree. With all or most of the same prereq's as the nursing program. It's a start.

So your an RN who decided to go for EMT-P? Was there a challenge exam available?

 

[JJR512]

If I ever do go into nursing:censored::censored::censored:8212;and it's something I've thought about:censored::censored::censored:8212;8212;it would be to specialize in a particular area. Particularly, pediatrics. More particularly, pediatric critical care. And even more particularly again, most likely in the transportation setting.

So if this same question (the original one of this thread) was asked of me after that point, my answer would be, "Because nursing allowed me to get into a specialty that I care deeply about, as opposed to the generalized field of EMS."

EDIT: I don't know why my post is being auto-censored. What's being censored is a punctuation mark, an em dash. Guess I'll just have to use the clunky double-hyphen in the future.

 

[redbull]

If I ever do go into nursing:censored::censored::censored:8212;and it's something I've thought about:censored::censored::censored:8212;8212;it would be to specialize in a particular area. Particularly, pediatrics. More particularly, pediatric critical care. And even more particularly again, most likely in the transportation setting.

So if this same question (the original one of this thread) was asked of me after that point, my answer would be, "Because nursing allowed me to get into a specialty that I care deeply about, as opposed to the generalized field of EMS."

Thanks!

 

[Hunter]

I think its simply more job openings in a much bigger variety of places, Nurses can get jobs everywhere, hospitals, nursing homes, retirement homes, rehab, mental facilitys, ect.

 

[bstone]

A paramedic functions similarly to that of a PA. It makes more sense for paramedics to go into PA school than into nursing. PA school is very competitive and the pre-reqs can be difficult and long.

I thought about PA school but then went insane and decided to become a physician instead. I am your future medical director.

 

[Sandog]

A paramedic functions similarly to that of a PA...

Seriously???

 

[bstone]

Yes, seriously. A paramedic functions similar to a PA in that there is a supervision physician, a delegated scope of practice, quality control and assurance and the paramedic works under the license of the physician (a PA works under the license of their physician). Paramedics in many systems rarely call Medical Control, thus strengthening the medic-PA analogy.

In what way do you justify "seriously"?

 

[JPINFV]

Yes, seriously. A paramedic functions similar to a PA in that there is a supervision physician, a delegated scope of practice, quality control and assurance and the paramedic works under the license of the physician (a PA works under the license of their physician). Paramedics in many systems rarely call Medical Control, thus strengthening the medic-PA analogy.

In what way do you justify "seriously"?

I can say all of those things about RNs too.

The medical care provided by RNs is going to be done under the supervision of the patient's physician and the unit's medical director.

RNs are going to be able to perform only the treatments that the unit's medical director and patient's physician allows them to do.

RNs under go QA.

Neither paramedics nor RNs "work under" the license of the physician. The physician isn't going to be automatically liable (professionally or civilly) if the RN or paramedic screws up.



A better argument, which you didn't touch on, is the use of professional judgement and independence of medical care. PAs and NPs get to use professional judgement because of their education. RNs get a varying amount based on their education and experience (e.g. clinical nurse specialists) or based on their environment (e.g. home health nurses, school nurses, public health, etc. The out of facility nurses).

Paramedics, by and large, get to use judgement and independence for little reason more than their environment.

 

[bstone]

Neither paramedics nor RNs "work under" the license of the physician.

Excuse me? Paramedics most certainly do work under the license of a physician medical director. Without the physician medical director the physician (and PA) would not be allowed to work.

Nurses are much less autonomous than a paramedic. They do not run codes in the absence of a physician. They do not assess and treat in the absence of a physician. They do not practice with great autonomy. A PA is a "mid-level" provider who does all of those things and the review generally comes in the form of about 2% of the charts being randomly reviewed.

For the record, a Nurse Practitioner and PA are essentially the same thing in scope and practice, but very different in history and education.

 

[JPINFV]

Excuse me? Paramedics most certainly do work under the license of a physician medical director. Without the physician medical director the physician (and PA) would not be allowed to work.

Yet the physician is not liable for any and every (mis)action taken by the paramedic. Of course, using that argument, RNs also "work under" the license of a physician.

Nurses are much less autonomous than a paramedic. They do not run codes in the absence of a physician. They do not assess and treat in the absence of a physician. They do not practice with great autonomy. A PA is a "mid-level" provider who does all of those things and the review generally comes in the form of about 2% of the charts being randomly reviewed.

Plenty of nurses do those things. Be it part of home health services or school nurses, or public health departments. Similarly, facilities are going to have a standing orders based on the needs of the facility. Furthermore, this is ignoring situations like rapid response teams that routinely do not have a physician as an immediate responder, where the purpose is to treat and stabilize pre-arrest patients and transfer the patient to the ICU. Oh, and this isn't counting all of the PRN orders that may be present.

On the other hand, I know EMS systems where any deviation from the protocol is supposed to be ran through online medical control. Hmm, is "independence" really a big deal when the only decisions made on paper is "which protocol do I follow?"


The problem with nursing is that the environments that nurses practice in vary so widely that you cannot paint all of nursing with such a broad brush. Unless, of course, the only thing you know about nurses has to do with picking up or dropping off patients.

 

[bstone]

Enough of the analogies at 4am. Go to sleep! Gnite.

 

[JPINFV]

Enough of the analogies at 4am. Go to sleep! Gnite.

Ah, I see your

 

[Katy]

I find it vaguely offensive that people might feel that nursing is necessarily ABOVE paramedic practiceB]

Why ? I know this may not be the case in your neck of the woods, but in most places throughout the world RN's are generally held at a higher medical standard and have more education. You have shown us one of the many many different ways things work out there, and sadly it is in the minority.
As far as the question goes, simply do to the flexibility, expanding education, cheap, decent pay, and probably the most important is the room for expansion. Not much of that in EMS.

 

[18G]

If I were to go to Nursing school it wouldn't be to work as a Nurse, it would be to build on my education as a Paramedic and use the added credential for more mobility and career advancement. In other words I would still be a street medic... only with a little different perspective and added knowledge.

 

[Akulahawk]

If I were to go to Nursing school it wouldn't be to work as a Nurse, it would be to build on my education as a Paramedic and use the added credential for more mobility and career advancement. In other words I would still be a street medic... only with a little different perspective and added knowledge.

I'm going to nursing school for more mobility, career advancement, and better pay (much more so than I'm getting now). I'm keeping my options open and retaining my Paramedic License in the process. I might just work FT as an RN and PT as a Paramedic for a while and still have days off for good family time.

 

[benjack]

It's easier.

 

[Katy]

It's easier.

In comparison to what?