Flight Medics/Critical Care Worth it?

[paramedicmike]

I actually like this response.

@Mike.....not mad at all i would have responded sooner but i never got any emails saying people responded to my post i just assumed i would be notified.

Good. Like I said, I wasn't trying to piss you off. What I posted was something that I think needed to be said.

At the hospital I work at most of the doctors are much older and jaded and for the very most part they DO come off dickish. Its a problem at my workplace and HR is trying to fix it.

However true this may be, it is generally unprofessional to disparage people with whom you work in such a public forum. If you were to say this to a potential employer you wouldn't be hired. If you're willing to talk about your current employer in such a negative tone how will you talk about the new employer? It's just a headache many hiring professionals don't want.

So, no matter what you think of them, keep it to yourself and off such a public forum as this.

The reason I want to get into EMS is beside care is not challenging in the way I want it to be.

You get out of it what you put into it. If you want a bigger challenge out of bedside care then create a more challenging environment for yourself.

At my job new nurses out of school arent allowed in the ER without a couple years experience. But at the same time the paramedics in the ER have about as much power as the CNA's - no blood draws, no intubation, no meds, no ekg's ect.

Many hospitals with which I'm familiar don't let new RNs work in the ER. This isn't a new trend. It all depends on the needs and staffing availability of the local area. Just because your current hospital doesn't allow new nurses in the ER doesn't mean all do. Look around and see what's out there.

As for paramedics working in the ER, what you're describing is pretty common. My response to that is if you want to do those things in the ER then go be a doc or RN. Paramedics are not trained to be hospital providers. As such, paramedics should not expect to be allowed to do all their paramedic stuff in a hospital.

Because my job will fully pay for all the schooling I want to get into. I am going to get my EMT-P while still continuing to bust out nursing degree courses. I know its probably a longer route but at the moment i really think im going to end up getting my nursing degree as well as paramedics license. I want to work in the ER but critical care transport nursing appeals to me as well.

This is a rare benefit in many hospitals anymore and you're wise for taking advantage of it while you can. I would advise to forgo paramedic training for now and obtain your RN *especially* if the hospital will pay for it. Sure, you may owe them time. But it will be much easier to owe them time as a nurse while pursuing paramedic training than it will be the other way around. I know as I'm currently butting heads with my employer over work and pursing grad school.

Do the nursing education *first*. Then worry about EMS. Besides, you'll be much better served in terms of opportunities down the road if you go that route.

I was asking about the money because yah it does make a difference. I would love to be a teacher but guess what im not going to be able to live comfortably on what they make. Money isnt everything and I get that but the sad truth is there are many jobs that pay well below not only their worth but also just general cost of decent living requirements.

You're right, money is important. But when you're presenting it as one of your main criteria it raises questions.

This is an important part of market research. I guess your involvement here counts as that, too. But don't discount the fact that this is a huge country and there are plenty of other markets for RNs or teachers. So you might have to move. Big deal? That's part of the adventure.

I was only asking the opinion of people who have been in the flight/critical care field because personal know how alot of times can do much more than a google search.

thanks for the input so far guys!

As someone who has a good amount of time in a flight position I'll tell you to go nursing first and then worry about EMS later. I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. But I could've done so much better as a nurse than as a medic especially in a flight job.

You're welcome. Good luck.

[NYCEMS9115]

Im a 27 year old guy living in Chicago and have been a CNA in a hospital for a little over 2 years. I thought I wanted to be a nurse but I have learned bedside care is incredibly boring and the doctors for the most part are dicks. That and seeing the same patient every day for weeks at a time really wears me out. Whenever I get floated down to the ER I really have a good time, the time flies by and its new patients all the time. Lately I have really been thinking about Paramedics. But currently im making 13.50/hour as a lowly CNA. I hear the EMtTs make like 9-11$ and the paramedics make 13ish......which hardly seems worth it for the year and a half of schooling I would need to just end up making less than im making now. PS. my job would pay for any EMT/Paramedic schooling I wanted to go to.

I hear the critical care medics make WAY more as do the flight medics (hourly and call bonus wise) but does anyone know what those job prospects are like? Are they in demand? Is it stable? And what do critical care paramedics and flight medics do when there arent and critical/flight calls? Do they just go out on regular calls? Does their pay go down if its a regular call?

I really like the idea of being able to intubate, push meds without having to call a MD first, and just the general bat shit craziness of code calls, PLUS I like the fact that I could be out in the van riding around or working in an ER. I know the majority of the time its not that crazy at all but I really cant see myself as a nurse or not till im older anyways. So yah anyone have opinions or thoughts on the critical care/flight medic route?

Im also not a fan of becoming a firefighter but it kinda seems like I may just have to go that route to actually make decent money. And when I say decent money I mean 45-50g/year I dont need alot of money to be happy but from what im seeing a regular paramedic making 13/hour = 24g/year = no bueno.

Also suggestions for Chicago based Ambulance services? I feel like people dont like to name names but honestly its just asking opinions!

So yah guys any input would be GREATLY appreciated!

-D

I don't mind the profanity so much but get your EMT; work as an EMT; get into a Paramedic Program; finish it; work as a Paramedic. Then you can decide. Pay your dues; you have barely started in a career in EMS. Good luck....

[Dustdevil]

Point of order:

You can say prick here, but you can't say dick.

It's in the rules.

[FormerEMSLT297]

Iconcur with paramedicmike. It took me 20 years as street EMT, I and Medic before I got the job as a flight paramedic. You could do it faster, but not by much. They like to have experienced providers in the helos.

PS sounds like you do not know the right doctors, the ones i work with at GREAT guysand gals.

[DigDugDude]

thanks for the reponses i talked with the ER boss today and have lined up a ER tech position for after graduation of my EMT B course in july. Which is cool which will get my foot in the door. im going to continue with the paramedics route currently because if I work here till the end of this calendar year ill qualify for much more money next year for my nursing and since paramedics is cheaper and the money resets each year ill just bust it out of the way now. besides there are currently no waiting lists for the medics programs and long waiting lists (which im already on) for the nursing program.

@fiznat thanks for the info and defense I did honestly think the reaction of the boardies here was a little critical myself but to each his own.

@paramedic yah i guess i should have said the doctors can be hard to work with rather than calling them dicks i have a habit of typing like a talk something i need to work on myself.

all in all though THANKS! and if theres any chicago paramedics/EMT's that have been keepin up with this please shoot me a private message as i have a few locally specific questions about companies ECt.

D

[aemtindiana]

This post was done awhile ago so hopefully by now you made your decision. However I believe para medicine is the route to go if you desire freedom to make own decisions and the rush of possibly making a difference in someone's life.

Being a paramedic in flight or on the truck, or both, is a very rewarding career. Pay is not the best but it all depends on what state you look in. Also dedication to your job is a must, not only emotional but physically as we'll. MANY nurses get into that career for the pay, which results in poor skills and lack of caring for their patients, however people at times get into ems for the rush which results in the same. The deciding factor must be what you want to do with your whole heart.

With all that being said being a paramedic has endless possibilities with the right work and certifications. You can work everything from a truck to a casino, to a cruise ship, all the way to TV set paramedics like the myth busters. Not to mention being a huge plus to fire and police dept. in many states. I tell people if you like a set environment and mostly normal hours go be a nurse. However if you like a different everyday, no lunch break, low pay, poor respect job then be a paramedic. I will pick the second every time. Because we are the first ones to make a difference in these people's lives every time 911 is called for any medical or trauma.

Good luck

[kohlerrf]

DigDugDude, Let me speak to you as a "Brother in Arms" and welcome you to the world of critical pre-hospital care. I would submit that your frustration with the current staff you work with is your inability to realize how much you can learn from a medical doctor. Correct this short falling, add a dash of humility and you just might have a future in this business. Every day I go to work I learn how much more I don't know, and I have only been a Medic since 1980. Step back, look listen and feel then slowly move forward.

Good Luck Sir!

[scubanurse]

MANY nurses get into that career for the pay, which results in poor skills and lack of caring for their patients, however people at times get into ems for the rush which results in the same.

Really?? Not a single nurse I know is in it for the pay. Quite frankly the pay sucks, long hours, and a lot of crap. I love nursing because I can make a difference in people's lives.

I tell people if you like a set environment and mostly normal hours go be a nurse. However if you like a different everyday, no lunch break, low pay, poor respect job then be a paramedic

Define set environment? is 3p-3a normal hours for you? Or how about being on call and having to drop everything to come in and cover a unit.

Nurses frequently work without breaks, on our feet for 10-12 hours a shift with a constantly changing environment, unless you work at a LTAC or nursing home, then you might see the conditions in which you speak of. Certainly not for an acute care nurse though.

Nursing and EMS provide unique challenges but your blanket statements are factually incorrect.

Edited January 27, 2013 by Kate_826

[jsd67]

Funny how EMT's and CNA's make almost the same money. My grandmother is in a Nursing home and I see what those CNA's do all day.... nothing.... Most don't even answer the buzzers going off.

CNA - $29,000

EMT- $35,000

At least around here... for 6 or 7 thousand less, you get to sit around in a nursing home baby sitting..

Edited January 27, 2013 by jsd67

[scubanurse]

My suggesting would be to move your grandmother then. File a complaint with the state board... CNA's are the heart of a nursing home. They change the briefs, bath the residents, and do a lot for helping the residents with ADL's. In my opinion they often are mistreated by families and deserve a lot more respect than what they receive.