any advice?

[Gofar2]

Hello Everyone,

I am an RN who eventually wants to go into Critical Care Transport/Flight Nursing. It seems for most of those jobs, they want you to be an RN/Paramedic (something I’ve been wanting to do anyway).

I am an "old” new grad RN (graduated May 2009), and esp. in my area (CA), nobody will hire new grads. There is *NO* nursing shortage and hospitals only want RN's with experience. :sad: So far, I have been able to find work full time at an outpatient clinic which I am totally grateful for. (Better than nothing!). Some of my previous classmates STILL don’t have jobs, so I consider myself lucky.

I would like to start with my EMT-B. I have been looking at local programs and think I can do it since there are some night classes. (I can't do the RN bridge programs b/c they require 2 years ER nursing, which I obviously can’t get in this economy).

I already have my BLS, ACLS, and PALS and I am hoping to do both my TNCC and PHTLS this summer.

For any RN-Medics/EMT's here - what has your experience been? What challenges might I face? Any advice/wisdom would be greatly appreciated!!

Cheers,
Go Far.

 

[usafmedic45]

Without a LOT of experience in critical care, you are not going to get your foot in the door anywhere reputable in the aeromedical community. Sorry to be blunt, but maybe you should move out of California if you can't find work there.

Read the following threads before seriously embarking on a career as a flight nurse.

http://emtlife.com/showthread.php?t=17793
http://emtlife.com/showthread.php?t=17552
http://emtlife.com/showthread.php?t=17493
http://emtlife.com/showthread.php?t=17396
http://emtlife.com/showthread.php?t=15775
http://emtlife.com/showthread.php?t=15655
http://emtlife.com/showthread.php?t=15649
http://emtlife.com/showthread.php?t=14476


I also recommend considering whether you really want to be listed on: www.airmedicalmemorial.com Keep in mind that being a medical flight crew member consistently ranks as one of the most dangerous jobs in the US.

To quote from an earlier thread:

Snce you are doing this to check it out as a possible career, keep in mind you're talking about a career path that involves a 40-some (46% if memory serves me) chance of being involved in an accident that results in the death or serious injury of yourself or someone else on board over the course of a twenty year period...assuming you can handle the stress, noise (kiss your tone-based hearing goodbye), deaths of friends and colleagues, low pay, long hours, etc of the job to last that long. It's not fun and games: the bulls**t that you hear about ground ambulance services still goes on, only it's amplified because if they tell the pilot "fly or you're fired" (they won't admit to it for legal reasons, but it happens quite frequently both directly and indirectly) and you take off into weather you have no business being up in the chances of you living through it are not good.

It's not a "gee-whiz guys, what a cool thing", "get in da chopper" sort of thing. Contrary to what you hear from aeromedical services (especially the for-profit ones) there is no evidence HEMS makes any difference in outcomes for patients, especially those flown directly from scenes, unless you are otherwise facing a prolonged (>90 minutes in most cases) ground transport. Calling for the helicopter actually DELAYS getting the patient to the hospital in most cases. So ask yourself-and think about this long and hard: am I willing to die to no make a difference for a patient? Am I willing to put my parents/girlfriend/wife through the grief of outliving me so I can have a "cool job"? These are not things the average 18-22 year old (taking a guess on your age since I recall you being a college student), let alone with the risk taking tendencies that leads to an interest in EMS in the first place, ask themselves or even have cross their minds. Just remember, it's not a game, it's not an adventure: it's a deadly serious occupation. Ask Steve Bunker, Dell Waugh, Sandra Pearson, James Taylor, Jana Bishop, Michael Sanchez or Darren Bean how much of a "get in da chopper" sort of world HEMS is. Oh wait...you can't because they are all the friends I lost in one year to HEMS crashes. The full toll for that year (not counting several patients killed as well) according to the National EMS Memorial was:
1-Steve Bunker
2-Dell Waugh
3-Sandy Pearson
4-James Taylor
5-Jana Bishop
6-Michael Sanchez
7-Darren Bean
8-Ronald Battiato
9-William Mann
10-Bruce Harrolle
11-Mickey Lippy
12-Tonya Mallard (a ground EMT killed while riding along with Maryland State Police hauling two patients with MINOR injuries from a MVA; both patients were walking around talking on their cell phones before the helicopter showed up).
13-Roger Warren
14-Wade Weston
15-Tom Caldwell
16-Tom Clausing
17-Patrick Graham
18-Shawn Shreeve
19-Wayne Kirby
20-Stephanie Waters
21-Mark Coyne
22-Steve Lipperer
23-Robert Goss
24-Raul Garcia

Being a flight paramedic on a medical helicopter usually ranks at the top of "most dangerous occupations" right behind commercial loggers and Bering Sea fisherman. In 2008 being a flight paramedic/nurse was the deadliest job in America. Someone should do a show "Deadliest Medically Unnecessary Transports"....

Sorry if that all seemed a little heavy-handed. I just want you to have a honest and (more importantly) fact-based view of what you think you want to get yourself into. In closing, if you really want to fly, do it on a fixed-wing service. You will be much safer and your life insurance premiums will be a lot less as a result.

 

[8jimi8]

have you considered moving to get a job?

11. RN
BMC Cardiovascular ICU (6440)
Baptist Medical Center, San Antonio, TX Full Time 36
Nights (7p-7a)
7p - 7a
12. RN
BMC Surgical Intensive Care (6430)
Baptist Medical Center, San Antonio, TX Full Time 36
Days (7a-7p)
7a - 7p
13. RN
BMC Cardiovascular ICU (6440)
Baptist Medical Center, San Antonio, TX Full Time 36
Nights (7p-7a)
7p - 7a
14. RN
BMC Coronary Care Unit (6390)
Baptist Medical Center, San Antonio, TX Full Time 36
Nights (7p-7a)
7p - 7a

http://www.baptisthealthsystem.com/join_jobListings_bmc.aspx

 

[Gofar2]

Thank you very much for your replies.

I probably should have given more detail. I have no plans to be a flight nurse anytime soon. The MINIMUM experience requirement is 5 years combined ED/ICU experience. Being that I am new grad that can't even get onto a med/surg floor due to the economy and canceling of majority of new grad RN programs it's gonna be a loooonnngggg time before I can even CONSIDER moving to the "next step" to becoming a flight nurse/critical care transport.

I would ideally love to start on a step-down or med/surg floor. Since no hospital in my area are currently hiring, it will be awhile before I can even get a on a basic FLOOR. After a couple years of floor nursing, then I would like to move to critical care (ED or ICU).

I want to start on my EMT-B just to get started with it, and once I can get experience as an EMT, I hope to move on to a paramedic. Trauma is where my passion lies. This morning I was running an errand and an ambulance drove through the intersection....I had to pull over because I started sobbing. I am at my *wits* end and fear I will NEVER get to work in the hospital, which is my dream. If I can’t be involved in trauma as an RN, I would at least like to be involved as an EMT/Medic. I don’t care about pay, I care about experience.

I am grateful for my current job, but it's not going to help me get into the hospital. Hospitals don't care if you have ambulatory care exp - they want ACUTE care exp. The longer and longer I go after graduation (it’s now been a year for me since graduation) the harder and harder it's gonna get to get my foot in the door at a hospital. But, alas, that is an entirely different bag of worms that I worry about. :sad:

Once I get several years of hospital experience, THEN I can move to my dream of critical care transport. Like I said, I know it's going to take several years before I can get there (if I ever can) :sad:.

Right when I graduated I was getting so desperate for a job that I did consider moving out of the area/out of state. I had a couple interviews, but nothing came of them. Then I was lucky enough to get my current job in my area. My husband was recently promoted and cannot move with me. Therefore, I would be leaving my husband behind for a couple years. We are newlyweds and the thought saddens me terribly. Since I have a job, he doesn’t understand the need for me to move to get experience. He is in business and doesn’t understand the medical field and how it works. It is a sensitive topic for us.

I don’t mind people being blunt – I welcome any kind of feedback or advice.

 

[usafmedic45]

Right when I graduated I was getting so desperate for a job that I did consider moving out of the area/out of state. I had a couple interviews, but nothing came of them. Then I was lucky enough to get my current job in my area. My husband was recently promoted and cannot move with me. Therefore, I would be leaving my husband behind for a couple years. We are newlyweds and the thought saddens me terribly. Since I have a job, he doesn’t understand the need for me to move to get experience. He is in business and doesn’t understand the medical field and how it works. It is a sensitive topic for us.

No offense, but it sounds like you're screwed then. You have to pretty much chose whether being around your husband or your job is more important to you. That is not a position I would want to be in.

 

[MusicMedic]

Why cant you do RN to Paramedic? there are a few programs that enable you to go from RN to Paramedic

UCLA has one thats 9 months:

http://www.cpc.mednet.ucla.edu/cpc/course/rntopm

check it out, i know AMR in San Deigo is currently hiring paramedics