Re: EMT-P to RN programs

["A. Armstrong" <armstrong@wwisp.com>]

Bill you make some wonderful points.  I too began as a paramedic and then
went to nursing school because I wanted to be a better medic - to have more
depth of understanding and assessment skills of a broader base.  While an ED
nurse and a medic share many common skills there is a big difference in the
model of care.  Both do many of the same things but just as we caution
students concerning the "cookbook" approach in ACLS I would caution bridge
programs.  A basic RN program never teaches many of the things a medic needs
and the same is true for the medic programs for the RNs even though both may
teach many of the same skills. While it is true a bridge program could skip
some of the skills, technical skills alone do not make a nurse nor a medic.
A nurse must learn to "think like a medic" and the same is true for the
medic.  Hopefully in that process they develop a true appreciation of the
other.

Just my 2 cents.

Anne Armstrong BS, RN, CEN, EMT-P and soon to be MSN (I hope)
----- Original Message -----
From: <BillF877@aol.com>
To: <flightmed@flightweb.com>
Sent: Friday, December 07, 2001 04:19
Subject: Re: EMT-P to RN programs


> First of all I would like to say that I have met many excellent RN's and
> Paramedics over the years. I started out as a Paramedic, and then went to
an
> old fashioned 33 month diploma program. I guess those are extinct now, but
> they served a great purpose.
>
> There is no easy answer on the issue of "bridging" from one discipline to
> another. I would offer this much though. Both the EMS and Nursing programs
> offer a rather diverse education for their intended purposes. There is so
> much more to the EMT-B and EMT-P programs than learning airway management.
I
> am not sure that the RN who takes one of these bridge programs is learning
> all of those little intangible skills and knowledge points that makes them
an
> excellent field provider. By making any RN sit through the whole program
will
> not only give the RN a wonderful review of the EMT-Paramedic knowledge
base,
> but also give them better insight to field care. Another aspect of sitting
> through the whole Paramedic program is the idea of credibility. There is
much
> to be said for walking in someone else's shoes.
>
> By the same token, there is so much more to an RN program, and to the
> practice of Nursing. It is easy to look at the common skills of an RN in
the
> ER taking care of a chest pain patient and think that it is only a matter
of
> sticking an IV in, drawing blood, and hooking the patient up to the
monitor.
> By attending a fully accredited RN program any Paramedic is going to be
> getting more knowledge just like the RN who would attend the whole
Paramedic
> program. The end result is a really knowledgeable and capable individual.
The
> Paramedic who goes through the whole RN program is going to have better
> credibility.
>
> I am reminded of the time a Paramedic once said to me, "I want to go get
my
> my RN certification" as though it was a short course like ACLS. I was
rather
> amused. The worlds of EMS and Nursing are still rather diverse, although
they
> share many borders. Besides, it never hurts to have more education.
Anyway, I
> am just waiting for that 24 week bridge course to become a neurosurgeon.
> Drilling those burr holes really looks neat...can it be that difficult...
>
> Just some thoughts-
> Bill
>
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>
>


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