Paramedic to RN? Answering common questions

The role of the paramedic is stressful and also exceptionally rewarding. While they are on the front line of a caring profession, they are often anonymous due to the requirement to deal immediately with the aftermath of a serious incident. They are often abused, worked hard and pushed to the limits in terms of what they have to witness and are generally expected to just get on and deal with every conceivable situation. There is no doubt that the job also brings with it the spiritual rewards of helping others at a time when they are most in need. Despite the rewards, there comes a time when a paramedic may wonder about the Paramedic to RN degree program and the kind of life that it may bring.

Becoming an RN has its attractions. The requirement to help people remains but in many cases the earning potential is higher with more regular working hours in a better working environment. The average salary for a Registered Nurse can be much more than a paramedic and the average job duration for a paramedic is around 8 years, before they either quit or move onto other things, or even before they burn out.

How Do I Make the Transition?

One increasingly popular route to a RN is the online Paramedic to RN Bridge program. The greatest problem that the majority of Paramedics find when they start looking to make the transition is how best to find the time for study. The role of a paramedic can mean that they are working up to 60 or more hours a week and with the demands of family life on top of this, it can be difficult to see how any meaningful study can be fitted into such a hectic schedule. This is where the online bridge program comes into its own. It provides a route to RN while allowing you the freedom of setting your own pace of study.

Is the Paramedic to RN Bridge worth it?

RN training will generally focus on patient education and long term treatment of illness and disease in contrast to the immediacy of patient stabilization and transfer to hospital that is the prime aim of the paramedic. Paramedics who have made the leap speak of a rewarding career but also some frustrations, one of which is the requirement to obtain a doctors consent to administer certain drugs such as D50 or Nitro. As a paramedic they did not need such authorisation, as protocol allowed them to administer without such authority. Most paramedics see the benefits of becoming a RN and of not having to look forward to picking up the pieces after a serious road accident or attending the badly burned victims of an arson attack, often in the depths of winter and surrounded by carnage.

While Paramedics are trained in a variety of advanced medical care techniques, they seldom have the opportunity to interact with patients for more than a few minutes and often do not see the end result of their efforts. Many paramedics find that these reasons are enough for them to seriously consider the move to RN and if this is you, then why not make that move now and make a real difference to your career?

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Paramedic to RN