Career Path: Paramedic or Nurse?

A video to help you decide if you should go into EMS or Nursing.

[tooshort]

If you want to have a stable career with good hours and decent pay, be a nurse.

If you want to run the streets and have the adventure of a lifetime every shift, be a medic.

[suihkubad]

In Finland, becoming a paramedic means becoming a nurse as well. The school takes four years. Around half work in ambulances and the rest work inside the hospital, usually in ER or ICU. Its always interesting to hear you talk of the system in the US.

[imying]

I’m 49 years old, and after being a machinist for 20+ years, decided to switch careers and went to EMT school. I graduate next week. 4 yrs of nursing school just isn’t a viable option for me. 2 yrs of paramedic school absolutely is. So it’s off to an ambo service while attending paramedic school. Super excited.

[MettaMeta]

Coming out of EMT school my first EMS job was as a tech in an ER. I quickly learned that working in a hospital is not for me and am so grateful to be full-time on an ambo now. Many ex-coworker techs there are heading to nursing themselves meanwhile I am going full speed to paramedicine right now. It really is just a personal preference kind of thing.

[paulnelson]

My youngest daughter is a home hospice nurse and loves it. She feels as a hospice nurse she feels that no one should die alone, many a dinner she has missed to hold ones hand as they die with dignity.

[ryanfromli]

I'm a US Paramedic. The reality is that being a Paramedic here in the states is a lower paid job with less security and less autonomy than most nursing positions. If I could do it again, I'd become a nurse first. Nursing is a more developed field here, and that will always lead you to better money, security and working conditions. I'm not saying there aren't good medic jobs out there, I'm saying it's harder to find them, and you'll make less money. You can always become a Paramedic after you get your RN if you want, but at least you'll have that better paying job to fall back on. American EMS is structurally and culturally a clusterf***, don't get caught up in it if you have bills and kids.

[colebouza]

We cannot forget about paramedic who decide to do fire rescue who make just as much or more then nurses. And also paramedic school generally takes half the time as nursing school granted you don’t pay for accelerated programs. Once a medic you can work in healthcare as well as going back to school for nursing and doing the quick bridge program. Even if medics isn’t your thing, it’s a great stepping stone to getting into healthcare quicker and then going back to school for nursing.

[jasonholland]

Tell you what man... I'm both an RN and a Paramedic. I bridged from Paramedic to RN in 2006 after being a Paramedic for 10 years.. Your review of the situation is SPOT on... Pick based on your idea of the right work environment for you. I love prehospital care. However, I needed to make more money and wasn't interested in the fire service. I've been in hospital administration for many years and come to the determination that clinical care is where it's at for me. A year ago I returned to ED nursing and now I'm moving towards flight nursing. So the options are endless between the two.

[eduardodiaz]

I started as a Paramedic eventually became an ICU Nurse and working on my CRNA. I did enjoyed having the autonomy as a medic that’s the reason I’m pursuing CRNA to have that autonomy as a provider

[mcabros]

Just wanna say that I'm a peds/neonatal critical care flight nurse and I don't find anything about this video controversial. I will say, I work off standing orders and algorithms like you described as well and what I've found is that it leads to a sense of false autonomy compared to docs and mid-levels who have true, full practice-authority. There's a lot of creative problem solving to be done but regardless of how extensive my order sets go, it just boils down to having a lot of different cookie cutters. I think there are also differences in professional philosophy/theory to be considered when choosing between para-medicine and nursing. Nursing academia wouldn't consider what I do as a flight RN capital-N "Nursing" and nursing science does come with a lot of holistic foofoo.

[thismidwestmess]

As someone whos graduating a nursing program in two weeks, and going back to school right away in January for EMT then paramedicine, I wish this video wouldve been available like a year and a half ago :'). This was extremely accurate. I debated for a couple years which route to go, and went with nursing because they make more, but ill gladly take the pay cut to provide pre hospital care, and have a larger skill set.

[georgealex]

Honestly REALLY helpful video because I’m in this exact dilemma. I just became an EMT and was debating if I should pursue being a paramedic in the future, but I think I’ll get an ADN for now while doing EMT work and whichever appeals more later in the future is when I’ll decide if I’ll choose to go BSN RN or Paramedic. Thanks Sam you’re a lifesaver!

[bonniethehusky]

In Germany you have to do an apprenticeship for three years to become a paramedic.
In the apprenticeship you have to do internships in different sections in Hospital, e.g. In ICU, CPU, ER or in the OR and in psychiatric Station. The hours of internships are about 800 hours, the practical time on an ems station are about 1900 hours. After that and 8 exams you are a paramedic. As a paramedic you can work on a ems station or in the ER in hospital as well.

I started my work time as a EMS in the army, After three years I started my apprenticeship to become a paramedic. Now I work on the ems Station in a german army hospital. Over 90% of our patients are civillians, so we are a normal ems station with normal ambulance trucks and an intensive care transportation truck like the German Red Cross or Fire stations for example.

If you want to work on a helicopter you have to do the apprenticeship to become a paramedic, After a few practical years, you can if you pass the Assessment do the course to become a HEMS TC

[liorben-abuhadar]

ER nurses titrate pressors, sedation, and other cardiovascular drugs based on standardized order sets as well. It really depends on the hospital and the setting, but more and more, with ICUs being full, ER nurses are holding all levels of patients from med/surg to ICU level in the ER for extended hours. "autonomy" is more than just titrating drugs and initiating care, ER nurses are tasked with prioritizing in what order to care for their patients, any of whom can be sick or not sick.

[GabrielHernandez-xwgz]

Love your channel and input man. So much real things to consider when entering this field. As for myself, I feel that being a paramedic brings the best amount of balance for my life as far as job satisfaction. Awesome video

[kyleknight]

I just finished EMT school, my goal has been paramedic since I was 14, in EMT school I did 2 12 hour ridealongs with AMR, it was interesting being in an ambulance. I think I'm one of a few people in my EMT course who want to go further into EMS.

[ShaunLang]

as a paramedic for 17 years who is in nursing school, I say go to nursing school. Ems is a sucker bet. It is a grinder, they will use you up at half of a nurse's pay, and when either your mind or your body gives out, they will throw you out without even a second thought. Nurses make more money, work in controlled environments, etc. I wish that I had gone to nursing school (no bridge program in lousyanna) a long long time ago. With that being said, I will be taking a pay cut as a new nurse. You can make money as a paramedic, it's called being a remote paramedic and I made 6 figures working only 6 months out of the year to sit around and watch youtube videos. But overall, nursing is the way to go.

[labreezy]

I didn't think there were videos for the exact situation I was in, and here we are! Thank you, and I hope you keep making these insight videos 💪💯

[willieraus]

Paramedic is also the ticket into the fire service. Make $200, 000/yr as a paramedic on a fire engine (in California at least)

[mike]

I’ve done both and continue to do so. I enjoy being on the ambulance more, but nursing pay has opened up life for me outside of work. I tripled my salary and still get to moonlight on the truck. I don’t regret nursing because I’m able to do more with my family in this past year than ever before. Less autonomy but more pay. BTW there are nursing to medic programs.