MackTheKnife
BSN, RN-BC, EMT-P, TCRN, CEN
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LATE RESPONSE. In Florida, until recently, an RN, PA, MD could challenge Florida PM test, IF they had a Florida EMT license. If not, no joy. I did this after nursing school and passing NCLEX-RN. I had my NREMT, got reciprocity for FL EMT, took the state PM exam and smoked it. As I understand it, FL went back to National Registry for PMs, not state test. Different ballgame. As a medic and a nurse, I am AGAINST nurses getting medic certification WITHOUT any EMS experience. They CANNOT operate like us medics independently. I was one of the first NREMT-P medics in VA.In my state of residence, RNs (and PAs) are allowed to challenge any level of the NREMT exam, up to and including the Paramedic exam.
As far as I could tell, no pre-hospital experience required. Meaning, a RN who's only prior training was nursing school and their current RN position, is allowed to test for their medic, and potentially become a licensed medic as a result.
I was honestly really surprised when I found this out- as an EMT who is currently in Nursing school, I've seen again and again just how different the nursing approach is from the pre-hospital approach. Not only that but this raises so many questions to me, as there is no required pre-training or EMS experience, they are allowed to just straight up test for and then become a Medic: how does an RN know how to perform various Medic-level skills and interventions that are not normally covered in nursing school? Moreso than the interventions/skills: how would an RN even learn to think like a medic?
What are y'alls thoughts on this? Is this a safety issue secondary to insufficient training requirements? Or is this no big deal as RNs (and certainly PAs) go through their own robust training? Is an RN/PA with no pre-hospital experience "safe" to operate in the field as a Medic?
(New to the forum so please delete if not allowed/ a repeat question.)