Take a side step or keep plowing forward?

[FiremedicMike]

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I have 5-6 more quarters to finish my bachelors, then 7-9 quarters for my med school science pre reqs, all dependant on how many hours I take per quarter. I have recently been pondering taking on of the paramedic to rn bridge classes which would take about a year but allow me to quit the FD sooner with the intent of working icu/ccu or perhaps even as a scrub nurse.

I honestly haven't really thought through all the particulars of this idea, I'm just throwing it out there for input from my fellow nontrads...

 

[CookDeRosa]

I have 5-6 more quarters to finish my bachelors, then 7-9 quarters for my med school science pre reqs, all Dependant on how many hours I take per quarter. I have recently been pondering taking on of the paramedic to rn bridge classes which would take about a year but allow me to quit the FD sooner with the intent of working icu/ccu or perhaps even as a scrub nurse.

I honestly haven't really thought through all the particulars of this idea, I'm just throwing it out there for input from my fellow nontrads...

I wrote this really long reply, and then I think I might have sounded offensive...so I'll make it super short. Enroll in your local CNA class. It's generally cheap, but it will be an excellent litmus test to see if nursing is for you. It's a VERY different kind of personality/mentality/etc that goes into nursing when contrasted with EMT. For me, that $355 and 75 hours saved me from a HUGE mistake. Money well spent. (I had 3 RN acceptances to start this fall, I turned them all down so I could work my premeds. Nursing admission includes loooong wait lists so turning them down was a big decision). My mom was a nurse for 45 years, I thought I had a lot of positive exposure to nurses in that time.... really, it's worth it to see nursing from the inside. Do it before you make the decision.

 

[Pons Asinorum]

It's a VERY different kind of personality/mentality/etc that goes into nursing when contrasted with EMT.

I'm going to strongly second this. If you enjoy the kind of health care that you provide as an EMT-P now (not sure of your setup; here, FD is the EMS response, non-FD is almost exclusively transport) you would be somewhere between frustrated and despairing of the environment you would find yourself in, even in the ICU; even as an ICU nurse you would not have near the kind of autonomy or adrenaline you get as a medic. I would highly recommend that you find out if your local hospital has an analogous "shadowing" program for perspective RN's and get a feel for it before you spend the money and time to do something that honestly will not improve your application. If you just want to quit FD because you just don't like that environment, then ignore everything I said. Except for the fact that becoming an RN will do nothing to improve your application.

 

[FiremedicMike]

I wrote this really long reply, and then I think I might have sounded offensive...so I'll make it super short. Enroll in your local CNA class. It's generally cheap, but it will be an excellent litmus test to see if nursing is for you. It's a VERY different kind of personality/mentality/etc that goes into nursing when contrasted with EMT. For me, that $355 and 75 hours saved me from a HUGE mistake. Money well spent. (I had 3 RN acceptances to start this fall, I turned them all down so I could work my premeds. Nursing admission includes loooong wait lists so turning them down was a big decision). My mom was a nurse for 45 years, I thought I had a lot of positive exposure to nurses in that time.... really, it's worth it to see nursing from the inside. Do it before you make the decision.

It probably wouldn't have offended me, unless you called me stupid repeatedly .. And seeing my wife going through nursing school I had a small glimpse of the difference between the nursing model and the medical model (ems seems to be more of the medical model, but a bit of a mix).. The CNA idea is decent, but I'm not sure that's a route I want to take..

I'm going to strongly second this. If you enjoy the kind of health care that you provide as an EMT-P now (not sure of your setup; here, FD is the EMS response, non-FD is almost exclusively transport) you would be somewhere between frustrated and despairing of the environment you would find yourself in, even in the ICU; even as an ICU nurse you would not have near the kind of autonomy or adrenaline you get as a medic. I would highly recommend that you find out if your local hospital has an analogous "shadowing" program for perspective RN's and get a feel for it before you spend the money and time to do something that honestly will not improve your application. If you just want to quit FD because you just don't like that environment, then ignore everything I said. Except for the fact that becoming an RN will do nothing to improve your application.

I think what frustrates me the most about "EMS" is the absolute abuse/misuse of the system. The majority of the patients I see (and I see a lot, I would estimate we're in the upper 10% for run volume across the country) are generally non-emergent "I've been feeling ill for a week". My thought of going into ICU nursing was that at least there, the patients need to be there. Seeing high acuity patients every day instead of rarely might be more satisfying. It seems that the only way to make money working in the ICU is to be a nurse or a doctor, the latter of which I'm working towards, the former being a consideration for the meantime.

There is a part of me that thinks a more normal schedule would also work better towards school, and a part of me that doesn't. For normal classwork (i.e. once I move into my pre-reqs and have class on a set day each week) it would be much easier to stay working full-time and attend class, without having to worry about getting vacation time or trades. I also recognize that the 24/48 schedule afford me quite a bit of time to study (both between runs and on my off days, albeit they are few because of part-time jobs).

I dunno. I know I am very dissatisfied with "EMS" and how busy my department is, and I'm just looking at my options.. It would push everything off by about a year, but there's really not much difference between 33 and 34 years old (potential matriculation date to medical school, dependent on if I continue to take classes at a full-time rate)

 

[student1799]

I think what frustrates me the most about "EMS" is the absolute abuse/misuse of the system. The majority of the patients I see (and I see a lot, I would estimate we're in the upper 10% for run volume across the country) are generally non-emergent "I've been feeling ill for a week".

Unfortunately, you're going to see a lot of that working in hospitals as well, especially in the ER. I've read blogs by ER doctors (like this one, "M.D.O.D.") who are very burned out by it.

But if you avoid the ER and work upstairs in the hospital, you could be bored out of your mind. As a medic, you're used to a fair amount of action and movement, but you could be stuck emptying bedpans. Look before you leap.

My thought of going into ICU nursing was that at least there, the patients need to be there. Seeing high acuity patients every day instead of rarely might be more satisfying.

Hate to be the messenger, but the ICU is another major burnout area for medical professionals. First of all, the patients are heavily sedated and hooked up to a million tubes and monitors, so they are seldom able to talk to you. Visitors are strictly limited, and it's deadly quiet. This can be fairly isolating for someone whose previous job involved a lot of patient contact and communication.

But the biggest problem is that most of the patients are so sick that they really shouldn't be in the ICU at all. I'm talking about very, very sick people, typically elderly, with multiple comorbid conditions (metastatic cancer, heart failure, diabetes, sepsis ...). They end up dying in the ICU hooked up to IVs and telemetry, rather than in a more humane environment surrounded by their families, because they never left instructions about end-of-life care (or those instructions were ignored by their relatives). This issue is discussed in a recent article about dying by Atul Gawande: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2...?currentPage=1

Everyone's different, of course, but I would personally find working in the ICU to be very difficult and draining.

 

[CookDeRosa]

I think what frustrates me the most about "EMS" is the absolute abuse/misuse of the system. The majority of the patients I see (and I see a lot, I would estimate we're in the upper 10% for run volume across the country) are generally non-emergent "I've been feeling ill for a week". My thought of going into ICU nursing was that at least there, the patients need to be there. Seeing high acuity patients every day instead of rarely might be more satisfying. It seems that the only way to make money working in the ICU is to be a nurse or a doctor, the latter of which I'm working towards, the former being a consideration for the meantime.

>>

The thing about ICU, is that it's hard for new grads to land these jobs. For nurses who want to become CRNAs, they need a year in the ICU minimum to apply- so you have loads of people trying to do this. CRNAs are big $ jobs, and it isn't day 1 for hiring managers, it's hard to get those jobs. Likely, you'll be working med-surg.

I know you don't want to "be" a CNA, I just think it's a painless way to get your foot in the door. Nursing is about following care plans and specific protocol- you get a good taste of that in the CNA "training." (no thinking required). Taking the state test is also a good experience imo. Did you fold the wash cloth properly? Is the sheet folded wrong? How many seconds between bites? THEN, you get to do it in front of other nurses who'd like nothing more than to call out your mistake, because after all, you are working under their license. It's a world of it's own. The CNA training gives you a behind the scene, it's not for the purpose of becoming a CNA. (although, you could get a CNA job in the ICU-they call these patient techs- which would potentially lead to a direct hire after the RN program if you choose to do that)

 

[FutureDoctorJ]

I have 5-6 more quarters to finish my bachelors, then 7-9 quarters for my med school science pre reqs, all dependant on how many hours I take per quarter. I have recently been pondering taking on of the paramedic to rn bridge classes which would take about a year but allow me to quit the FD sooner with the intent of working icu/ccu or perhaps even as a scrub nurse.

I honestly haven't really thought through all the particulars of this idea, I'm just throwing it out there for input from my fellow nontrads...

Take the bridge class and study for the MCAT.

 

[NonTradClimber]

If a RN bridge is convenient then consider it, otherwise:

I say in your situation you need to use your EMT-P to your advantage. I don't why no one suggested this to you, but look for a job as a ER tech. They love medics, because you are basically overqualified; ie. when it's busy nurses will have you start IVs, take blood for labs, etc. If you're in an area with decent unions, you shouldn't be taking too much of a pay cut from the fire dept.

This will give you obvious benefits over your current fire job, including a more regular schedule (what are you on 48hr. on/ 4 days off?); this should make it easier to schedule classes and go to them.

P.S. Some areas they will hire "ER techs" in other hospital departments and call them "Clinical technicians". Good luck.

 

[FiremedicMike]

If a RN bridge is convenient then consider it, otherwise:

I say in your situation you need to use your EMT-P to your advantage. I don't why no one suggested this to you, but look for a job as a ER tech. They love medics, because you are basically overqualified; ie. when it's busy nurses will have you start IVs, take blood for labs, etc. If you're in an area with decent unions, you shouldn't be taking too much of a pay cut from the fire dept.

This will give you obvious benefits over your current fire job, including a more regular schedule (what are you on 48hr. on/ 4 days off?); this should make it easier to schedule classes and go to them.

P.S. Some areas they will hire "ER techs" in other hospital departments and call them "Clinical technicians". Good luck.

Fantastic idea, but unfortunately ER techs make craptastic wages around here. The whole idea of the ICU RN, on top of gaining new/different experience, is that it would pay enough for me to quit the FD <shrug>