I see your point, but hear this. If your goal is to eventually become a paramedic, why delay? I'm an RN and a paramedic. I talk frequently with CNAs who are planning on becoming an LPN, and then going in to become an RN. Prereqs notwithstanding, why delay your goal? Experience is a good thing, but not necessarily for school. It is more costly and takes more time.
because a paramedic who has a few years of experience under their belt working as an EMT tends to be better providers, because they understand the basic skills of performing a patient assessment? I would also say that having some experience as an EMT makes paramedic school, particularly the hands on stations easier.
a Prereq to get into nursing school by me is to be a CNA, or at least have the CNA certification. prereq for PA school is patient contact hours. MDs spend 4 years in undergrad, followed by 3 years of medical school, of which a year or so is hands on, and then they have an internship (which included strict oversight) followed by residency (which is structured similarly to school, you have oversight, are evaluated, and can be corrected if needed). If you are the paramedic with an EMT partner, than once you get your P card, if you get paired with an EMT, it's all on you (and yes, some places have less stringent credentialing processes than others).
Where I came from, you needed to be an EMT for at least a year before they would even consider your paramedic school application; most schools wanted 3 years, preferably working in a 911 system. And unlike some places who accepted everyone, we actually had criteria for acceptance, and a process, so it wasn't a guaranteed thing, and often students would apply two or three times before they got in.
If you were a zero to hero medic, good for you. I know many zero to hero medics who aren't in EMS anymore. Some didn't like it, some couldn't cut it, and one got car sick working in the back of the ambulance (still not sure how he passed his clinicals).
Personally, I think having a requirement that you work in a 911 system (or IFT system if you plan to be an IFT paramedic) for a few years before you take it to the next step ensures you know what you are getting yourself into when you take the plunge to paramedic school.
We will eventually go to a paramedic baseline and do away with EMTs as medics can do both BLS and ALS.
Don't hold your breath on that one..... In fact, the science says that an all ALS system makes for poorer paramedics (dilution of skills and all that).
so I don't see the industry as a whole doing away with EMS, although I do see them making both courses longer and contain more content.
When I was 19, I was working at the county with this guy who was in his 50s...awesome dude, been with the county for decades and was a kick *** EMT. Best I ever seen. In my head, I was quite dismissive of his "lack of ambition" to advance himself....little did I know. He had been a paramedic since before I was born, he just decided to give up the patch, take a less challenging yet still rewarding role to cruise through his retirement years and there was no loss of pay or benefits for him to do so!
