I see a greater percentage of PAs who used to be Paramedics than nurses that used to be medics...
As to why? Better pay, better hours.
Doesn't make it any less anecdotal OR true ^_^
Oh yes, I just used both those in the same sentence.
Because as JPINFV noted, nursing is a vastly cheaper, shorter and likely easier educational road than medical or PA programs.
Despite the fact that paramedicine insist on comparing itself to nursing, the jobs are rather different. A paramedic is probably far closer functionally to a mid-level provider than a nurse.
Of course if we compared ourselves to PAs and NPs we'd have to admit how inadequate our education really is...
As is xray tech school, respiratory therapist school, etc. But why nursing?
Yep, I used to want to see something like an advanced practice paramedic come along and actually be able to help people with their actual needs on scenes, instead of just driving them to the ER, but the education is just not there for it.
I am a medic who was a medic, who went to nursing school, who worked as a nurse, and bailed from the hospital because I was miserable there. I'm sure I could have survived it now, if I HAD to, but the 22 year old me was outta there!
The personality type that excels as a medic has to be subdued to work in a real, shoulder to shoulder working closely with others for long shifts kinda job. Otherwise the coworkers will all go postal on the former medic.
This is precisely why I've pretty much discarded the idea of going to nursing school. The money's better, the hours are better...I just like being somewhat autonomous too much.
Pay, pure and simple.
Ditto. I like how I have not only the authority, but the ability and expectation to make my own decisions and solve problems on my own, using my own brain, not relying on someone else.
Honestly, only nursing I could see myself doing is as a flight nurse, and even then that'd need atleast 5 years in the ER or ICU.
And the ability to go to different areas of medicine when one's bored witht he current area.