Nurse vs paramedic

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Chrashley

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I know that this is an EMS board so I may get some bias here but I am trying to decide on which direction to take my career. I am debating between nursing or paramedic and it seems that the big factor for me is that medic work is primarily in the field. That is what I want. I have no desire right now to be in a building all day with little to no outdoor contact. I also understand that nurses get paid more so I want to know us there a field of nursing that I can be involved in that will allow me the outdoor interaction? In general for those of you who are medics, would you do it again or would you go into nursing and why? Thank you in advance for your replies.
 
Chrashley said:
I know that this is an EMS board so I may get some bias here but I am trying to decide on which direction to take my career. I am debating between nursing or paramedic and it seems that the big factor for me is that medic work is primarily in the field. That is what I want. I have no desire right now to be in a building all day with little to no outdoor contact. I also understand that nurses get paid more so I want to know us there a field of nursing that I can be involved in that will allow me the outdoor interaction? In general for those of you who are medics, would you do it again or would you go into nursing and why? Thank you in advance for your replies.
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This probably depends greatly on where you're wanting to work. In some countries paramedics may make a wage that is close or equal to that of an RN. In some places, they make a lot less.

Some regions use RNs in the prehospital environment doing ground CCT, or flight. Some areas use paramedics for these roles. If you consider flight / IFT as "being in the field", and I'd argue it probably is -- a lot of NICU / PICU teams have an RN / RRT configuration.

In some areas it's also relatively easy to become certified as a paramedic after taking an RN degree. In a few places, the reverse may also be true.

One of the obvious advantages of nursing is the wide range of clinical roles. You might want to start off doing something like CCU, but decide after 10 years, that maybe you'd like to work in a public health unit, or be a research nurse, or something. There's a range of lateral movement that is rare in most regions' EMS systems.

Nursing offers better career pathing (in most regions), with the option to do nurse anesthesia, or become a nurse practitioner. There's less personal danger, and while some will disagree, it's probably easier on your back. More importantly, there are more roles that you can do with an injured back (even if many doors close).

Personally, I don't think I would have done well in nursing. I like the illusion of autonomy that you get as a paramedic, and I don't like being in the hospital. I don't think I would want to deal with some aspects of nursing culture (although there are many negative aspects of EMS culture). But, while they don't have them in areas I've worked, being a CRNA would be pretty interesting, I think.
 
From what i've read on here, other sites and looking at the comparative wages, if you are in the U.S I would saying Nursing muchachos
 
I wouldn't touch nursing with a ten foot pole, but that's just me. My interests lean toward field and emergency stuff. I leave the more esoteric things to nursing for the time being.

To me, its all about preference. Do what you want. Unless it truly is a major factor, don't worry too much about the salary difference. And a lot of medics go PA, so getting further into healthcare is possible.
 
I've been doing this a while and I do like my job, but knowing what I do now, if you are in the U.S. then I'd go nursing. You have more career options available to you. If you want "field work", there is the home health option and if you live in areas like Alaska or some portions of the Mid West, then others are available to you as well.
In EMS, we have to deal with hours that are hard on the body and social life. And there are very few options besides riding on the ambulance or management if you want to stay in this job.
 
A lot of medics end up in the hospitals as nurses. Especially in the ERs.

You have to do what makes you happy. If you are just doing it for the money than you will be one miserable person. Especially in this field.

Like system said it is somewhat easy to transfer between the 2 fields. For here, it is a 3 semester course to go from medic to RN. And I might be doing that when I get older and have a family. Right now, I am 22 and getting married. I am still young and able to jump in and out of the truck all day. But I already hurt my back once, and it still bothers me. So how long am I going to be able to do EMS? You have to have a back up plan.

But ultimately the decision is up to you. Good luck.
 
Vetitas86 said:
I wouldn't touch nursing with a ten foot pole, but that's just me. My interests lean toward field and emergency stuff.
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Both of which can be done as an RN.

Professional growth for medics is pretty limited compared to nursing.
 
Scott33 said:
Both of which can be done as an RN.

Professional growth for medics is pretty limited compared to nursing.
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Quoted for truth
 
PA...

Why do 4 years to be a nurse and still have to change people and whatnot when you could do 5 years and be a PA making substantially more money.

Don't do paramedic unless that is truly where your heart lies. Your future is important for yourself and someday your family. If I wasn't waiting to be promoted to firefighter I'd be in a classroom. (and selling my car lol)
 
Thanks for all the replies. Just for the record, I already have a family and a career in a field that I have grown to hate. I am an HVAC tech and have been for 17years. I'm highly skilled and certified and my credentials are superior but the industry does not care about that and cannot afford to reward techs who better themselves. I have been let go from three companies in the past four years because they would rather cut me loose and hire in a beginner and train him to half way do what I am capable of. Anyway, I digress. I'm looking for a fuel that will pay me as I grow. That says that my education is valuable. My wife is a nurse and is encouraging me to look into it but I just don't want to work bedside really. I started my emt basic program in January and will graduate in June. I plan to drop HVAC and get into EMS. I need to know that I can find work in the field as a nurse though. Thanks for all of your responses. Keep them coming as they have been very insightful.
 
Physicians Assistant.

Similar somewhat to an NP - Nurse Practioner

Now that we know you have a family to support, RN is probably the way to go.

I imagine you want to work during your schooling to maintain an income. From what friends in school/graduated have told me PA is near impossible with a Job.

As a nurse you can always finish schooling and then advance to NP or CRNA down the line. CRNAs make ALOT of dinero. 150,000+ by me.

CRNA - Certified registered nurse anesthetist.

They perform all the duties of an anesthesiologist essentially.
 
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Melmd-I'm not debating which is "better". I'm just curious which "world" I should live in.
 
As a medic, guaranteed in the field almost always.

Nurse is rare to find in the field and you won't start there regardless. They aren't gonna put a new nurse out on their own.

Honestly, you are over 30 with a family. When you reach the later years do you want to be lifting and carrying overweight people 4 times a day or do you want to have pushing d50 and occasional cpr be the most strenuous thing you do?

You can work as an EMT while in nursing school, worst case decide you do love EMS and go for medic.

It's poorly advised to go for medic with 0 EMS experience anyway.
 
Melmd said:
I think the Paramedic vs nurses debate is out of the question, they are of 2 different worlds.

Just wanted to share this blog site, it's a good article!

http://epatchadams.blogspot.com/2012/03/candid-response-to-cause-for-concern.html
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I read part of that blog and have to call it bunk. Maybe the fact that this person went to school 16 years ago has some effect but I was required to take the same A&P courses an ARN course requires. In fact, because I went to school at a university hospital, my lab was done with a cadaver. But even the guys who went to a CC sat in the same classes as nursing students. But rather than studying algebra and sociology, we covered patho and disease processes.

With that said, I had an AA before getting into EMS and am 2 semesters away from a BS in health science. I just get sick of all this crap that nurses have more education because they went to a degree program and we have a certificate program.
 
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