What about?

Question

Paramedics career would be a second option for me other than nursing How long is the course

Answer 1

It's just a matter of what you want to do.

Nurses make more money than paramedics, the hours are easier, and there's more opportunity for advancement.

Paramedics generally make less money, work 24 hour shifts, but they can function more independently, and they get to be first responders to a lot of different types of medical emergencies.

Nurses get to care for their patients over an extended period of time (a few hours to days or weeks). They get to know their patients, and really take on a role as care-giver.

Paramedics only see their patients for a few minutes or an hour at the most. They usually can't follow up and find out what happened to their patients.

Nurses are generally more respected than paramedics. Since pre hospital care is such a young profession, a lot of nurses and even doctors still think of us as "glorified ambulance drivers" and don't really realize the extent of care we can give.

There's more room for advancement as a nurse. You can become a charge nurse, floor supervisor, nurse manager, case manager, and with some additional training, you can become a nurse practitioner or nursing student instructor.

As a paramedic the opportunites for advancement are much more limited. There's a lot of lateral movement possible, but not much vertical movement. Since so many paramedic services are small and privately owned, it's difficult to obtain a management position. With a significant amount of additional training, a paramedic can become a physician assistant, but that takes at least two to four years of additional training.

A nurse's duties are easier physically. When there's a heavy patient, all you have to do is call for the lift team, or find some help.

A paramedic usually only has his partner, and while sometimes you can call for additional lifting assistance from another unit, in an emergency, it's just you and your partner. Back injuries are very common in this field.

Paramedicine is very emotionally difficult. A nurse usually sees her patients in a completely different state from when the paramedic sees them (with the exception of ER nurses). A nurse will see the patient's upset family and have to care for the bandaged and intubated patient, but the paramedic had to physically pull the patient's distraught family away from the patient, stop the blood from where the patient was brutally stabbed, and intubate that patient. If that paramedic fails that intubation, the patient may die. The emotional stress can be very challenging, and the average paramedic works in the field for only 5 years before she moves on to another occupation.

If I could do it over again, I would have become a nurse first. I love being a paramedic and I would have still become one, but it's easier to take a RN to Paramedic bridge course, than a Paramedic to RN bridge course.

As far as "scraping people off of the sidewalk" (in reference to the previous answerer's statement), that's what I'm referring to when I said that people sometimes don't realize the full extent of what paramedics can really do. Sure, I've had to scrape people off the sidewalk, but I've also had to intubate people who weren't breathing, give a heart attack patient medication to help him live and reduce the damage to his heart, give medication to reverse a life threatening allergic reaction, comfort a dying patient's family, extricate people from cars, and perform countless other life saving procedures. Until people start to view paramedics as more than people who just transport patients to the hospital, our profession will always be underpaid and underappreciated.

Hope this helps...

Answer 2

I don't know about scrapping people off of the sidewalk, but the field of paramedicine is pretty wide ranged with what you will see in the field. The course can be 7 months long which includes A&P, your clinical rotations, and your paramedic rideout. The 7 month course is also Monday-Friday 8 hours a day. You can also spend a couple of years trying to get through a slower paced program. There are many options and time scales so you can find a class that fits your schedule.

Answer 3

Nursing is a much better choice because there are so many job options. A paramedic scrapes people off the sidewalk, whereas a nurse can work in tons of different environments.

Answer 4

1 to 2 years, depending on which state. Some states allow RN's to simply challenge the Paramedic test, which could cover both bases for you. Check with your state's EMS office to see if this can be done.

Answer 5

1

Answer 6

pros and cons of both jobs.

at least as a paramedic....in your down time...you can go shopping, to the bank, etc.

as a nurse...you are constantly going.