# EMT to Paramedic to RN



## Sally21 (Apr 21, 2014)

How long does it take to become a paramedic? I want to become a EMT because I want a nice paying job while in I'm college to become a psychiatric rn. Also to have more skills under my belt and thought it would be a job I'd enjoy doing.
STAT ( the company I'm going through for my education) pays for your schooling to become a paramedic if you work for them as an EMT. So now I'm thinking about pursuing paramedic after working as an EMT for a year or so. Then after all that pursue RN. Does it seem worth it? Has anyone done this or in the process of doing this?  I would like to have all these different skills that work together ( all in medical field) but I don't want to bite off more than I can chew.


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## Carlos Danger (Apr 21, 2014)

Most paramedic programs are 2 semesters, some are longer. Some require college-level prerequisites (anatomy, etc.) before starting the program, but most do not.

Before re-arranging your educational plans to accommodate paramedic school, I'd recommend first waiting until you've worked as an EMT for some time.

It probably makes sense to finish your nursing education before becoming a paramedic because in many places, an RN can become a paramedic without having to take the entire paramedic program. Your total overall amount of time spent in school may be quit a bit shorter if you do RN before paramedic.

Overall, I would recommend against putting off nursing school to become a paramedic. Nursing is generally more lucrative and stable and provides many more career options. You can get your "EMS fix" as an EMT, and become a paramedic later if you still want to.

If I were in your shoes I'd start working right away on getting into nursing school (if you haven't already), take EMT along the way when you have time, and then once you've finished your RN, figure out where you want to go from there.


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## VFlutter (Apr 21, 2014)

I agree with Neopusher, I mean Halothane. Wait which forum am I on?


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## Handsome Robb (Apr 21, 2014)

Also, if you have them pay for your school you may very well be stuck in a contract for an extended period of time or be stuck paying back the cost if school.

Here if you default on your contract and we pay for your school you have to pay back the school at a prorated rate for how long you worked. 

So basically you could end up with an RN license and be stuck working as a medic if RN is what you truly want to do to finish the contract or have to pay for medic and nursing school at the same time to break that contract.


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## Carlos Danger (Apr 21, 2014)

Chase said:


> I agree with Neopusher, I mean Halothane. Wait which forum am I on?



Neothane. A new anesthetic gas with a-agonist properties.


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## Ewok Jerky (Apr 22, 2014)

I would skip medic school.  There is nothing more frustrating than being stuck somewhere when you want to go somewhere else.  

If you want to be a nurse, go be a nurse.  More pay and better hours than medic.


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## Summit (Apr 22, 2014)

I strongly recommend you get your CNA and/or Psychiatric Technician certifications. Both will pay better than EMT and will allow you to get jobs in a mental health unit or a hospital as a patient companion (deal with a lot of psych). Those jobs will typically work well with school. The experience from those will help you understand the field you are getting into and be sure it is for you. The experience will also help you secure a job as a psych RN when you complete your RN program.


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## Sally21 (Apr 23, 2014)

My EMT instructor mentioned somthing about a paramedic to rn bridge program. Didn't really give Mich info though. Anyone know more about it?


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## Sally21 (Apr 23, 2014)

Hm. Psychiatric tech certifications? I'm going to look into that. Thanks!


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## Darksteel (Apr 23, 2014)

Sally21 said:


> My EMT instructor mentioned somthing about a paramedic to rn bridge program. Didn't really give Mich info though. Anyone know more about it?



There is Excelsior, an online medic to RN program. I ran into someone who did that and did overall it's a decent program but doesn't exactly get you ready for med-surg. 

There are also local bridge programs where I love (Detroit area) at community colleges in St Clair and Lansing.

I'm actually eye-ing Excelsior myself right now.


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## Carlos Danger (Apr 23, 2014)

Sally21 said:


> My EMT instructor mentioned somthing about a paramedic to rn bridge program. Didn't really give Mich info though. Anyone know more about it?



A true "bridge" program is pretty uncommon; most are just 2-year nursing programs that grant some experiential credit for your paramedic program. 

If there is one in your area, look into it. Personally I think doing RN first is probably still a better option, but of course it depends on the specifics of the programs and your situation/preferences.



Darksteel said:


> There is Excelsior, an online medic to RN program. I ran into someone who did that and did overall it's a decent program but doesn't exactly get you ready for med-surg.



Excelsior is not online, nor is it a medic to RN program. It is available to experienced paramedics only. It prepares one for med-surg or critical care just as well as a traditional nursing program does.


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## Darksteel (Apr 23, 2014)

Halothane said:


> A true "bridge" program is pretty uncommon; most are just 2-year nursing programs that grant some experiential credit for your paramedic program.
> 
> If there is one in your area, look into it. Personally I think doing RN first is probably still a better option, but of course it depends on the specifics of the programs and your situation/preferences.
> 
> ...



How isn't it online? Obviously you have to go test out at Pearson test cemetery and whatnot but the class portions themselves are online. 

As far as experience go, I believe it's only 1 year full time.


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## Carlos Danger (Apr 23, 2014)

Darksteel said:


> How isn't it online? Obviously you have to go test out at Pearson test cemetery and whatnot but the class portions themselves are online.
> 
> As far as experience go, I believe it's only 1 year full time.



You are right, it is an option to take some of the required courses online now. That is a relatively new development.


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## mycrofft (Apr 23, 2014)

Aim for your goal. At most, if you have to work through school and want to work with patients, maybe EMT of some stripe other than Paramedic. And learn not to be an EMT when at the nursing college; they'll check you for that.


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## Akulahawk (Apr 24, 2014)

mycrofft said:


> Aim for your goal. At most, if you have to work through school and want to work with patients, maybe EMT of some stripe other than Paramedic. And learn not to be an EMT when at the nursing college; they'll check you for that.


What mycrofft is saying is that while you're in nursing school, you do NOT want to think or act like an EMT. Some schools won't look down you for it, but they won't give you any points, per se, for it, as it won't help you much. I'm a Paramedic and while I have done well, I have had to learn to NOT think like a Paramedic but rather learn to think like a nurse. Once you learn that, you can do well. Some programs will seriously check you for that behavior and that could make life very, very difficult for you.


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## mycrofft (Apr 24, 2014)

The clinical instructor's words were "I know you were an EMT. You need to take that and push it 'way, 'way back until you are out of here".


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## MedicSlayer (Apr 28, 2014)

To be honest, you are looking at at least 4 years of schooling before getting your RN on this specific track. In Michigan, a typical bridge program for medic to RN is 1yr-1 1/2yr; coupled with the 2 years for medic (assuming you pass your tests the first time through) and another 6 months for EMT. 

I have done all my training in Michigan; many people I know go through the medic program to gain clinical hours to supplement for RN or PA programs. St. Clair Community College (SC4) has a bridge program. If you are interested in obtaining your RN, I would stick with the traditional path and just obtain your BSN or go through an RN program- instead of the unconventional path. Check into MCC, or a few universities in MI for info on their nursing programs.

Of course this is all a matter of opinion, do with it what you will- hope you gained some information


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## Sally21 (Apr 28, 2014)

Thanks everyone. You guys were all very helpful. I think I'm going to just go ahead and start school for nursing this fall. My EMT program ends the beginning of November so it all works out perfectly.  I'll just have to take my EMT exam and hopefully I won't have to much laid on me so I can just focus on passing that exam! Anyone take theirs in Lansing Michigan?


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## Emergency Metaphysics (Jun 27, 2014)

Sally21 said:


> So now I'm thinking about pursuing paramedic after working as an EMT for a year or so. Then after all that pursue RN. Does it seem worth it? Has anyone done this or in the process of doing this?  I would like to have all these different skills that work together ( all in medical field) but I don't want to bite off more than I can chew.



I'm considering something much like this path. I'm very much a nontraditional student -- I already have an undergrad and a master's -- but am looking for a career change. I fill drawn to medical school (E.R. doctor), but it's not something I'm emotionally or financially prepared for right now.

So, I've considered going to nursing school after I become a paramedic and work for a while. The other posters are correct in that you eventually hit a "career ceiling" where you are a paramedic and that is it. Now, that said, there are options to put your skills to work in other contexts or overseas if you're truly bold.

Nursing, however, still yields more pay, more contexts in which to work, and more diversity as you get older. As you get old being a paramedic, you're simply an old paramedic. There's nowhere else to go, except retirement.

For me, however, there are personal drawbacks to nursing, namely as a paramedic you can generally DO more than a nurse, you often have more training in some areas, and you can also work in an emergency room alongside nurses at some hospitals. Plus, I need the adrenaline rush. As I've had nurses tell me, outside the E.R., there's little action going on. And I get bored easily. I feel like being a paramedic is the right degree of advanced education, excitement, medical diagnosis, and intellectual challenge, and that's all more important to me than money.

I do worry that being a paramedic won't provide the intellectual challenge I need out of a job over the long term. I could be wrong. I hope I am.


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## ExpatMedic0 (Jun 27, 2014)

emergency metaphysics said:


> i'm considering something much like this path. I'm very much a nontraditional student -- i already have an undergrad and a master's -- but am looking for a career change. I fill drawn to medical school (e.r. Doctor), but it's not something i'm emotionally or financially prepared for right now.
> 
> So, i've considered going to nursing school after i become a paramedic and work for a while. The other posters are correct in that you eventually hit a "career ceiling" where you are a paramedic and that is it. Now, that said, there are options to put your skills to work in other contexts or overseas if you're truly bold.
> 
> ...



pa-c?


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## rmena (Jun 27, 2014)

Metaphysics...This might help. 

First, like stated earlier, the models for paramedic and nursing are very very different. Add the stigma placed on both fields toward the other field and you have a crap throwing contest when the two fields should be working together. The nursing model, as I was told by an ER nurse, is very different from the "medical model" that is taught to PA and MDs. It is an supporting role and as there are a lot more fields than just emergency medicine, you are right, there is much more opportunity for employment and diversity. The Paramedic model is stabilize quickly and transport and goes more by the "medical" model. Of course you have the "para-gods" who think it is to question doctors, go beyond your scope because you read about it somewhere once, and be a self proclaimed bad *** but those guys don't last very long. They usually end up in court for doing something idiotic or their captain cannot stand their know-it-all attitude and get them fired for something else. 

Second, the career ceiling myth. Many paramedics with a extra semester of fire school can work as firefighters/paramedics. In the fire world you have several ranks (ie, captain, lieutenant, battalion chief, etc) If you take your career serious and prove to be a good leader, and, and, and.... you may end up eventually as a battalion chief which varies in pay but is not uncommon to be a 6 figure a year job. So, in essence it is just like any career that has room for upward climb without extra schooling (although they may have changed the requirements of being a BC to needing a degree). 

Third, the "you can do more than a nurse" idea. I don't really know where that idea came from. I think you may have confused the idea of having standing orders/protocols as having more freedom/more skills than a nurse. Consider flight nurses, they will run circles around your average medic with regard to skills and emergency medical knowledge and they are still just a "nurse". Yeah if you put an ICU nurse on the street (I have seen this before) they will not have a clue, but remember that in such vast careers like nursing a lot of your training as a nurse is more on site training. You get a little bit of everything in nursing school but you also get specialized training in whatever subarea of medicine you choose to go into.  

Fourth, you will get as much intellectual working as a medic as you want. Yes, you will have protocols and scope and all those restrictive factors to your job, but there is plenty of intellectual challenges to every call. I have seen medics that can diagnose as good as some doctors and I have seen medics who only know the algorithms. Doctors are usually overwhelmed in the ER and will only have a matter of a couple minutes to make a diagnosis and decision, therefore, they will just end up treating to symptoms. If they have to start all over because the medic sucks at gathering information, the underlying problem is never even addressed. Quality care goes out the window. If you are a good medic and are able to think intellectually about the root disease process (ie go beyond the medic book in knowledge but not practice) you can paint a better picture for the doctor which will then be able to make a more informed decision. Don't believe this, ask my old man. He has been an ER doc forever!   

Lastly, consider this as an alternative track. EMT -> Paramedic ->BS in emergency science while working (accumulating your exp. hours) and getting paid (a lot quicker than getting an RN) ->PA-C  Schooling total ~ 6 years


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## Akulahawk (Jun 27, 2014)

I know the new Sacramento City Fire Chief. He's currently licensed as a Paramedic and was an EMS Captain for a long time, most recently he served as a Battalion Chief before being selected for the job of Fire Chief. He's fairly young and still ran calls as a Paramedic, unfortunately now his job is primarily administrative. His current job will take him definitely off the street and no longer doing patient care. 

He'll do very well in his new job and I'm sure he'll continue to press for advancements at his new Department.

His career path is pretty typical of FF/P's. Once you're promoted to the point where you no longer have to pull shifts on the ambulance, your patient contact will usually be limited to those few minutes between your arrival on scene and the arrival of the ambulance, or you play second fiddle to the transport medics if they arrive at the same time because it's a LOT better for the patient. Then the further up you go, the less and less patient contact you get. 

I'm not saying that's all bad, just not good if you like the patient care part of the FF/P job. 

Paramedic is educated more along the medical model. It's easier for the properly educated Paramedic to transition to PA-C than Nursing because they don't have to shift their way of thinking. Depending upon where you are as a PA-C, you can go pretty much anywhere in medicine but you will require a supervising Physician. The level of supervision can vary... now as a Nurse, after you've done some time, you can go to NP school and you may or may not require Physician Supervision but you may be required to have a collaborative agreement with one. 

In other words, once you're a Paramedic, your options for doing patient care diminish as you advance in the ranks of Fire or EMS administration but as a Nurse or PA, you have the ability to find what you like to do and you can even change your focus later. 

Either is a good way to go. I had a good time as a Paramedic and I hope that serves me well down the road.


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## rmena (Jun 27, 2014)

Just know that in any medical field, experience is your currency with the way the market is going right now.


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## VFlutter (Jun 27, 2014)

It really depends what kind of "rush" you are into. To me there is nothing better then managing a crashing patient on CRRT, IABP, 6+ Drips, etc or an open chest post CABG patient. It is intensely intellectually challenging. I will take that over lights and sirens any day.


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## Summit (Jun 27, 2014)

Chase said:


> It really depends what kind of "rush" you are into. To me there is nothing better then managing a crashing patient on CRRT, IABP, 6+ Drips, etc or an open chest post CABG patient. It is intensely intellectually challenging. I will take that over lights and sirens any day.


Indeed

you on the unit now?


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## VFlutter (Jun 27, 2014)

Summit said:


> Indeed
> 
> you on the unit now?



Yep, been in the unit for a couple of months now. M/S ICU that takes pretty much everything. Neuro, cardiac, etc. Only thing we don't do is advanced neurosurg and cardiothoraic surg


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## Carlos Danger (Jun 28, 2014)

Emergency Metaphysics said:


> For me, however, there are personal drawbacks to nursing, namely as a paramedic you can generally DO more than a nurse, you often have more training in some areas, and you can also work in an emergency room alongside nurses at some hospitals.



As a paramedic your scope of practice is generally very narrow. In nursing you can practice in all sorts of areas. 

When I worked in the ICU the only skill I couldn't do there that I could on the streets (as a paramedic) was intubate. But there were all sorts of things I did and saw in the ICU that I never did in the streets.



Emergency Metaphysics said:


> Plus, I need the adrenaline rush.



You will quickly become bored and disappointed with EMS if you need an adrenaline rush. 

Same with the ED - it is mind-numbingly busy and monotonous. 



Emergency Metaphysics said:


> I do worry that being a paramedic won't provide the intellectual challenge I need out of a job over the long term. I could be wrong. I hope I am.



Being a paramedic can be intellectually challenging, especially if you work for a truly progressive system.

IME, one of two things happens to really smart, motivated paramedics: they either get bored and move on (which can happen much more quickly than you'd expect), or they find a way to keep feeling stimulated and interested and challenged, and they thrive. That's a lot easier to do in some systems than others, but individual personality factors are obviously critical as well.


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## Emergency Metaphysics (Jul 8, 2014)

*Thanks*



rmena said:


> Metaphysics...This might help.
> 
> First, like stated earlier, the models for paramedic and nursing are very very different. Add the stigma placed on both fields toward the other field and you have a crap throwing contest when the two fields should be working together.



Thanks for this. It is helpful. I work with nurses right now and they haven't really come down either way on whether they are in love with paramedics/EMTs or not. They are, however, nurses who have sort of found their nice, quiet corner of the field to camp in and prefer to remain unnoticed and static. I'm not like that at all.

One of the reasons career diversity is so important to me is that I need constant challenge and growth, but I'm also 36. I've already had a career. I'm considering medical school, but there are other things I want to do first.

I'm curious if 36 is too old to be an EMT full-time/Paramedic full-time ... I guess I'm feeling old and non-traditional. So, with that, I worry about how long a career I could actually have in EMS, and whether I should instead go into nursing or P.A. work.

Thoughts?


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## Emergency Metaphysics (Jul 8, 2014)

*I don't know about Fire*



Akulahawk said:


> I know the new Sacramento City Fire Chief.
> 
> His career path is pretty typical of FF/P's. Once you're promoted to the point where you no longer have to pull shifts on the ambulance, your patient contact will usually be limited to those few minutes between your arrival on scene and the arrival of the ambulance, or you play second fiddle to the transport medics if they arrive at the same time because it's a LOT better for the patient. Then the further up you go, the less and less patient contact you get.



Thanks for this. I've heard the fire-paramedic idea before, but the hang-up for me is that I have a mild case of asthma. That's fine for being a medic as I'm fit, run, bike, swim, can do half-marathons, etc. So, I'm in shape, but for fire departments I believe my asthma would be an automatic disqualified. After all, do you send the guy with asthma with his rescue inhaler into a burning building? I'd do it. But I don't think they'd let me.


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## Akulahawk (Jul 8, 2014)

Emergency Metaphysics said:


> Thanks for this. I've heard the fire-paramedic idea before, but the hang-up for me is that I have a mild case of asthma. That's fine for being a medic as I'm fit, run, bike, swim, can do half-marathons, etc. So, I'm in shape, but for fire departments I believe my asthma would be an automatic disqualified. After all, do you send the guy with asthma with his rescue inhaler into a burning building? I'd do it. But I don't think they'd let me.


The point wasn't to point you toward being a Firefighter/Paramedic... but rather to simply show you the typical career course of the FF/P in that typically as you promote within the department, your patient care contact decreases because you promote away from doing that stuff. Promoting away from patient care wouldn't make me happy...

Some guys would be very happy to promote away from patient care and still be able to earn the "Paramedic" stipend.


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