Clinicians, yes, but with role-specific education that helps us specialize.
I don't think RRTs belong in this conversation, though. While they have plenty of general physiological education, the specialization narrows the focus such that I don't think it would be a 1 or 2 month orientation to widen their view to being able to manage the whole patient. I do appreciate the mad skillz of a great RRT- we only had 1, maybe 2 on our 16 bed STICU, and they kept things going so well.
As for nurses and paramedics? There is so much overlap that the high-performing medics could, with some focused additional education, function quite nicely as RNs in critical care and EDs. I think the average high-performing medic would struggle to find motivation and ability to meet the needs of an average assignment on a floor, though. I think we're only talking <5% of medics who would be able to handle it.
High-performing RNs in EDs and CCUs could, in theory, function as medics, but again, we're talking less than 5%.
Theoretically, I think these "high-performing" clinicians could diversify with a semester or maybe two of focused study, realistically. Paramedics really don't learn everything nurses do, and I can't imagine some of the really excellent nurses I know actually functioning well in a dark alley somewhere without some buttering up.
