Any EMT's in here?

[TJ3000]

EMT-B here working with the local rescue unit.

In my opinion, the sky's the limit with an RN license and you can continue in a vast array of specialties while Paramedic is just that: Para-medicine. With an RN you can challenge the Medic exam or move into a higher scope of practice as a NP or PA.

My Advice: Take full advantage of that GI Bill and get at least an AA degree as a Paramedic or even better, an RN.

Get your EMT-B at a local community college, work part-time on an ambulance while you continue taking medically related pre-req's i.e chem, anatomy, physio, micro which you can apply to either Paramedic or RN pre-req's. You'll get a feel for it that way while still continuing your degree oriented education.

+1 This guy has it on point, here in California as an EMT your nothing more that a glorified medical transporter. Hell I've even ripped an EMT's CPR card for attempting to suction my patient while they were having a seizure. The EMT was trying to be a hero and disregarded medical assessment.

It's exactly what this guy said! Go become an RN! Your scope of practice demolishes what you can do over a paramedic! RN school is far more expensive take advantage of the GI Bill!!

As an RN if you want to be on an ambulance you can look into being a Paramedic RN, Hell you can even be Critical Care Flight Nurse, or you can make 100K being a nurse anesthetist. Don't settle for low buddy take advantage of schooling!

My Director Of Nursing once told me, firemen and EMT's think they know everything they may get there hands dirty from time to time if they're lucky but a Nurse has far more medical knowledge than they do and more clinical hands on!

BTW I'm an LVN someday I'll be an RN :-)

[Weaver]

+1 This guy has it on point, here in California as an EMT your nothing more that a glorified medical transporter. Hell I've even ripped an EMT's CPR card for attempting to suction my patient while they were having a seizure. The EMT was trying to be a hero and disregarded medical assessment.
...

My Director Of Nursing once told me, firemen and EMT's think they know everything they may get there hands dirty from time to time if they're lucky but a Nurse has far more medical knowledge than they do and more clinical hands on!

BTW I'm an LVN someday I'll be an RN :-)

1) What makes you think suctioning a seizure patient is contra-indicated? I've done it a few times, when fluids in the mouth presented an aspiration hazard.

2) You really need to stop badmouthing EMTs - some have far more knowledge than you apparently give them credit for. Just because it's a different focus doesn't make it inferior.

3) What exactly is your experience level with pre-hospital emergency medicine, that gives you the ability to make such damning judgments on people? Who gave you the right to tear up an EMT's CPR card - and why do you think that was an appropriate response to the situation? What does a CPR card have to do with applying suction to a patient?

I first became involved in pre-hospital medical care as an Army medic in 1988. I got my EMT-B in 1992, and Advanced EMT in 1993, before returning to the Army in 1994. I am enrolled in a Nursing BS program for this fall - but I know enough to understand that EMT and Nursing are different animals, and that EMTs do great work saving lives.

[Hmac]

RN (as long as it's a BSN rather than just a diploma) is a good stepping stone to advanced practice, whether it be Nurse Practitioner or Nurse Anesthesia, but a regular floor or ER RN by itself is a different animal than EMT and really not comparable. Both are valuable contributors to the team, but such totally different functions that it's really kind of silly to propose that one "demolishes" the other in terms of scope of practice.

As to an LVN/LPN, or an RN for that matter, "ripping" and EMT's CPR card...well, that's an inconceivable notion to me. In my experience, EMT-P's are not subordinate to nurses, and certainly not LVN's.

[NCMedic]

+1 This guy has it on point, here in California as an EMT your nothing more that a glorified medical transporter. Hell I've even ripped an EMT's CPR card for attempting to suction my patient while they were having a seizure. The EMT was trying to be a hero and disregarded medical assessment.

It's exactly what this guy said! Go become an RN! Your scope of practice demolishes what you can do over a paramedic! RN school is far more expensive take advantage of the GI Bill!!

As an RN if you want to be on an ambulance you can look into being a Paramedic RN, Hell you can even be Critical Care Flight Nurse, or you can make 100K being a nurse anesthetist. Don't settle for low buddy take advantage of schooling!

My Director Of Nursing once told me, firemen and EMT's think they know everything they may get there hands dirty from time to time if they're lucky but a Nurse has far more medical knowledge than they do and more clinical hands on!

BTW I'm an LVN someday I'll be an RN :-)

Wow.... That contributed alot to the discussion.
Attachment 12378
Found your profile pic... You forgot to attach it.

Sent from this... Using that...

[gatorfan605]

Tj3000- where did you learn this bs? Perhaps the nursing home where you serve lunch?

[mallowpufft]

RN (as long as it's a BSN rather than just a diploma) is a good stepping stone to advanced practice, whether it be Nurse Practitioner or Nurse Anesthesia, but a regular floor or ER RN by itself is a different animal than EMT and really not comparable. Both are valuable contributors to the team, but such totally different functions that it's really kind of silly to propose that one "demolishes" the other in terms of scope of practice.

As to an LVN/LPN, or an RN for that matter, "ripping" and EMT's CPR card...well, that's an inconceivable notion to me. In my experience, EMT-P's are not subordinate to nurses, and certainly not LVN's.

That reminds me of my second favorite medical joke...
What's do LPN & RN stand for?
Let's play nurse
&
Real Nurse
(My wife is a BSN)

Around here (VA) LPNs only work in nursing homes and doctors offices. Our local hospital only has LPNs in the medical offices. They aren't allowed on the floor. It's either RNs or CNAs. LPNs are too much liability.

The hospital my father works at in MA won't hire nurses without a BSN now. Keeps their insurance premiums down and also improves their overall grades in healthcare facility rankings.

/back to your regularly scheduled topic.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I847 using Tapatalk 2

[Hizzie]

+1 This guy has it on point, here in California as an EMT your nothing more that a glorified medical transporter. Hell I've even ripped an EMT's CPR card for attempting to suction my patient while they were having a seizure. The EMT was trying to be a hero and disregarded medical assessment.

It's exactly what this guy said! Go become an RN! Your scope of practice demolishes what you can do over a paramedic! RN school is far more expensive take advantage of the GI Bill!!

As an RN if you want to be on an ambulance you can look into being a Paramedic RN, Hell you can even be Critical Care Flight Nurse, or you can make 100K being a nurse anesthetist. Don't settle for low buddy take advantage of schooling!

My Director Of Nursing once told me, firemen and EMT's think they know everything they may get there hands dirty from time to time if they're lucky but a Nurse has far more medical knowledge than they do and more clinical hands on!

BTW I'm an LVN someday I'll be an RN :-)

Behavior of a true profesional.

I'm not waiting to get my Paramedic as I had originally planned. Next class starts in July and I will be attending.

[rwheet]

Wow that turned ugly fast. But why we are on the subject. I am new to EMS, i'm a brand new EMT-B. But I plan on starting a Paramedic course in the Fall. Last month I took PALS and ACLS. The ACLS was full of RN's and one Para and me. The PALS was me and all RN's. What I noticed was one they didn't want to listen to the Paramedic instructor. Two they wanted to acted more high speed then they are. During our scenarios instead of starting with simple interventions they would go to the extreme off the bat. One RN wanted to tube the patient because he a snoring respirations. When the instructor asked why she said " Because its indicated with snoring respirations". The look on his face was like what the ****. That being said I have also seen ER nurses that were on top of the game. So I think like anything I depends on the person and experience.

[Caduceus]

OK, my take on matters ...

First, I was an EMT in 1996. Worked private EMS, volunteer EMT w/ a paid/urban Fire Dept, and on-site EMS for years. Graduated medical school in 2009. In the Navy now.

TCCC will help a bit, but you're going to have to 'forget' it when you do the civilian program. Ie, the "right" answer on the test is the one you're taught in the program, not what you'd do in the field.

Math - everything you need you learned by 3rd grade. Unless you do pediatrics, there's a little more there, but seriously it's nothing more than multiplication and division. And you can use a calculator.

Paramedic vs RN ... depends what you want. I think EMS is more exciting than an RN, but yes, RN's have more capabilities and knowledge. The big plus of being an RN is it's a stepping stone - CRNA, FNP, flight nurse, admin, teacher ... you can really get around if you're a nurse, no pun intended (BSN more so than RN, by the way)

That being said, if you're dead set on paramedic, I'd STRONGLY recommend at least one year as an EMT. You can do it faster, but think about it ... would you trust a paramedic that couldn't work the gurney? There's a saying: Paramedics save lives, EMTs save paramedics. Plus if you decide it's not for you, you're out less money and time.

Jobs vary by state - you can usually find work in an urban area, just b/c private companies do lots of transfers. Expect $7-10/hr as an EMT-B, with LOTS of OT. I never cleared more than $30k/year though, and that was working 90-110 hour weeks. YMMV. The tats could be an issue, but typically not. If the company wants you in long sleeves, they'll tell/ask you. Rural places are probably harder, unless you volunteer. There's also "paid volunteer" and some other esoteric classifications, but generally EMTs are pretty easy to get hired on. If you want to do a paid fire dept, you're looking at potentially years before you get picked up.

Hope this helps. Feel free to IM if you have specific questions.

[TacMedic556]

I have been a Paramedic for 10 years operating in a department that gets 4300 calls a year out of 2 stations. 90% of our calls are EMS. We get our hands dirty quite a bit. From my 12 years of pre-hospital experience I have come to realize that our field experience and call volume for critical patients far exceeds that of many RNs.

Let me address the gentlemen above who is not an RN but seems to be a 6-22 type (individuals who have 6 months on the job with a mouth of "22 years experience").

First, RNs cannot do anything without asking a doctor or being ordered to do so. Here in our region, on the Flights, for anything pre-hospital the Paramedic is in charge. Why? RNs are not allowed to operate here as pre-hospital, unless licensed as a paramedic. They can still fly and do inter-facility transports, but medics are in charge in the field.

The doctors here have a deep and great respect for Paramedics. Especially the medics who display the skill, confidence and knowledge that the doctors expect. After these docs become familiar with a particular medic, they gain a trust in them. One doctor told me years ago here, "I always trust the opinion of the paramedics bringing me a patient. They see things we in the hospital do not see, at the home, on the street. They have experience there. They seem to have that gut feeling of what is happening." He said more, but it was long ago and I forget some of that conversation. To this day, He will approach me when bringing in a critical patient and say, "Whatta we got?" or "What do you think it is?" or "What are your thoughts?" These docs display a genuine respect and interest in what the Paramedics working here think.

Yeah we can decompress lungs, Intubate, cardiovert, pace, trach, and give lots of drugs without consulting a single soul etc. Most of the Nurses I know (and I know many) have even told me, that most of nursing school is administration, people skills type classes, behavior, social-economic type studies etc. Very little of it was emergency or medical related skills, assessments, treatments, pathophysiology and the etiology of disease processes. Sure some RNs are good at this over time. However, to this day who do they call in the ER or ICU when they need a critical difficult IV? They call the Paramedics up from the ER.

I have seen both RNs and Medics make mistakes.

Paramedics in progressive west coast departments can earn over 75k a year with exceptional benefits, retirement, etc. Not to mention fire-based EMS and fire department occupations are the best kept secret there is as far as job satisfaction, work environment, opportunity for promotion etc.

I easily could have been an RN, heck I even had family offer to pay for me to attend medical school. I love my Job in the FD, I love my brothers, and there is a hell of a lot more to life than money anyway.

Thanks.