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Welcome. Please keep up the continued work towards completing a degree in an EMS related course of study. Don't give up on obtaining an education in, and completing degree requirements for, registered nursing. Not all nurses work in hospitals. Having a nursing background in combination with an EMS background can open many doors for you that simply having one or the other can't. If you decide to come to your senses and leave Florida behind you there are places where a combination EMS and nursing education can complement each other quite well. You will need some hospital based nursing patient care experience. However, you aren't and won't always be limited to working in a hospital. As an aside, people don't choose EMS for the money. Is it challenging? At times, yes. Does it pay well? Not so much. To answer your questions: 1. Too much to type out here. 2. Yes. I would've started sooner. 3. What do you want to do? In Florida you're somewhat limited to working for the fire truck drivers. Outside of Florida you're looking at opportunities with fire departments, municipal third service, military and other EMS agencies. Get a few years of experience under your belt and you could move into critical care transport. Get a few more years of experience behind you and you could be looking at remote medical support services (e.g. oil rigs, overseas industrial sites and more). With a combination NRP/RN you'll be even more versatile.

Hello EMS goers.. I am currently a student pursuing my associates degree in EMS and at the end of this fall I will be a certified EMT (assuming all goes well). My plan is to start paramedic school in the spring, and I currently have the general education courses and elective component that are the finishing requirements of the associates degree I am studying. I chose a career in EMS not for the money but because I want the reward and challenges that come with a pre hospital setting. Throughout most of high school I had always dreamt of being a Registered Nurse but as I have come to realize I feel much more suited in emergency care in the field as opposed to patient care in a medical (Hospital) setting. The questions that I have for you seasoned veterans out there are as follows: 1. Why did you choose a career in EMS? 2. Do you regret anything in your career, from an educational stand point? 3. What kind of opportunities are out there for specializing as a EMT-P? Thank you everyone

Long story short, to help people. Was always something that I was interested in, even from a very young age. From an educational stand point? Yeah, I had to pause my EMT course (about 2.5 months in) due to student loan issues and then restart from scratch when the next EMT course opened up. If I would have done my homework I could have avoided all of that and just done it in one go. Besides that, no. Went to a great school and got a great education. A lot. Do a quick google search and you'll find many routes you can take as a paramedic. CBRNE, Tactical medic, community paramedicine, flight medic, offshore oil rigs, remote medic, cruise ships, Paramedics without borders, etc etc. As paramedicmike mentioned, there are really great opportunities for paramedic/RNs, mostly in the field of critical care and flight. Sit down at your computer and spend an hour or two researching the job opportunities that can come along with that combined education.

A recent University of Tennessee graduate decides to try horseback riding, even though she has had no classroom lessons to train her for this experience. She mounts the horse, unassisted, and the horse immediately springs into motion. It gallops along at a steady and rhythmic pace, but the rider begins to slip from the saddle. In terror, she grabs for the horse's mane, but cannot seem to get a firm grip. She tries to throw her arms around the horse's neck, but she slides down the side of the horse anyway. The horse gallops along, seemingly impervious to its slipping rider. Finally, giving up her frail grip, the girl attempts to leap away from the horse and throw herself to safety. Unfortunately, her foot has become entangled in the stirrup; she is now at the mercy of the horse's pounding hooves as her head is struck against the ground over and over. As her head is battered against the ground, she is mere moments away from unconsciousness, when to her great fortune......... Frank, the Wal-Mart greeter, sees her and unplugs the horse.