EMT to Paramedic to RN

Sally21

Sally21

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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.
 
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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I agree with Neopusher, I mean Halothane. Wait which forum am I on? :P
 
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.
 
Chase said:
I agree with Neopusher, I mean Halothane. Wait which forum am I on? :P
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Neothane. A new anesthetic gas with a-agonist properties.
 
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.
 
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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My EMT instructor mentioned somthing about a paramedic to rn bridge program. Didn't really give Mich info though. Anyone know more about it?
 
Hm. Psychiatric tech certifications? I'm going to look into that. Thanks!
 
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?
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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.
 
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?
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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.
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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.
 
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.



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

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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pa-c?
 
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