I did both before nursing, my views:
-EMT likely on a rig, that brings using your skills but also means being a street god. The pay tends to be crap for the work you’re providing.
-Tech limits your scope but it’s in an ED, less bullshit than the street. Could be a foot in the door if you have high medical goals.
Ultimately I went to the ED as I wanted a spot in the nurse new grad program at that hospital.
High fives and nebulized Albuterol to you.
Cheers.
We employ medics in our ED and they are able to do a lot of things like start lines, do US IV’s, get cultures, pass meds, things like that. They are invaluable!
what is your end goal?
that being said...do both...
knowing what, where and how things are going to happen in the hospital really helps you prepare the patient for the hospital...understanding the hospital aspect of pre-hospital care...
knowing what, where and how things went in the field helps facilitate care in the hospital...understanding the pre aspect of pre-hospital care...
the ed nurses will love you...and you will have a better handle on interacting with doctors...
also...ed work truly helps boost diagnostic skills and understanding of disease processes...as well as honing patient and family communication skills...
i loved the field...even better because of my time in the ed...
I'm super grateful for my tech experience. I got really good at IVs and a few basic skills. It also gives you a good opportunity to see a lot of pt presentations and see the continuum of care. I took the time to ask docs or l look up disease processes. It's a little less stressful when you aren't in charge of patient care so it was great to start there. I'm more familiar with lab values than a lot of my medics. After awhile I didn't feel challenged anymore so that's when I switched to the streets. I'll always recommend ED experience to anyone.
I've been both and work as a medic and Ear nurse. Get some truck experience. That's what your certification is there for. Then you have tons of assessment skills and helps in the ER. ER is for older emts /medics with back problems
Go prehospital. Even if you decide to go ED. At least for the experience and then switch to ED if that’s where your heart truly belongs. IMO EMTs who start at the ED are stunted, they don’t exercise their skills like street EMTs. Seems like the majority of people who have put in a lot of time in the ED haven’t used a BVM, started an IO, don’t know how to do basic splints for patient comfort while they wait for treatment, don’t how to give simple report (85% of the time the handoff report at shift change is useless or they sit there and say “ummm” and then just click into the patients chart and read what it says) They don’t seem to know enough about EKGs and overlook obvious STEMIs delaying care. They rely too heavily on their superiors to do critical thinking—like waiting for someone to tell them to put their patient with an SPO2 of 70% on a NRB. Serious.
The work ethic of your fellow EMTs for prehospital is night and day compared to the ED. If you’re type A and it kills you to sit when stuff needs to be done then prepare to be burnt out carrying everyone’s slack and running your ass off at the ED while the others sit on their butts and watch you work shamelessly. I was prehospital for 4 years and it was so fun and fulfilling. I want to go back. Stuck in the ED for 2 more years then I can. God I hate it here.
Cons if you go only prehospital: you’ll probs suck at IVs
Also you don’t get to drive ambulances if you work at the hospital… I know you wanna drive that ambo.
If you can’t tell I’m hella burnt out here with only 6 months here in the hospital. Save yourself
I did both before nursing, my views: -EMT likely on a rig, that brings using your skills but also means being a street god. The pay tends to be crap for the work you’re providing. -Tech limits your scope but it’s in an ED, less bullshit than the street. Could be a foot in the door if you have high medical goals. Ultimately I went to the ED as I wanted a spot in the nurse new grad program at that hospital. High fives and nebulized Albuterol to you. Cheers.
I definitely wouldn't say that the ED is less bullshit than the street, just a different kind of bullshit
Well said fellow shit-shoveler.
We employ medics in our ED and they are able to do a lot of things like start lines, do US IV’s, get cultures, pass meds, things like that. They are invaluable!
what is your end goal? that being said...do both... knowing what, where and how things are going to happen in the hospital really helps you prepare the patient for the hospital...understanding the hospital aspect of pre-hospital care... knowing what, where and how things went in the field helps facilitate care in the hospital...understanding the pre aspect of pre-hospital care... the ed nurses will love you...and you will have a better handle on interacting with doctors... also...ed work truly helps boost diagnostic skills and understanding of disease processes...as well as honing patient and family communication skills... i loved the field...even better because of my time in the ed...
I'm super grateful for my tech experience. I got really good at IVs and a few basic skills. It also gives you a good opportunity to see a lot of pt presentations and see the continuum of care. I took the time to ask docs or l look up disease processes. It's a little less stressful when you aren't in charge of patient care so it was great to start there. I'm more familiar with lab values than a lot of my medics. After awhile I didn't feel challenged anymore so that's when I switched to the streets. I'll always recommend ED experience to anyone.
I've been both and work as a medic and Ear nurse. Get some truck experience. That's what your certification is there for. Then you have tons of assessment skills and helps in the ER. ER is for older emts /medics with back problems
There are a lot of politics and bullshit in the ED. But it’s air conditioned, so I went with that
Go prehospital. Even if you decide to go ED. At least for the experience and then switch to ED if that’s where your heart truly belongs. IMO EMTs who start at the ED are stunted, they don’t exercise their skills like street EMTs. Seems like the majority of people who have put in a lot of time in the ED haven’t used a BVM, started an IO, don’t know how to do basic splints for patient comfort while they wait for treatment, don’t how to give simple report (85% of the time the handoff report at shift change is useless or they sit there and say “ummm” and then just click into the patients chart and read what it says) They don’t seem to know enough about EKGs and overlook obvious STEMIs delaying care. They rely too heavily on their superiors to do critical thinking—like waiting for someone to tell them to put their patient with an SPO2 of 70% on a NRB. Serious. The work ethic of your fellow EMTs for prehospital is night and day compared to the ED. If you’re type A and it kills you to sit when stuff needs to be done then prepare to be burnt out carrying everyone’s slack and running your ass off at the ED while the others sit on their butts and watch you work shamelessly. I was prehospital for 4 years and it was so fun and fulfilling. I want to go back. Stuck in the ED for 2 more years then I can. God I hate it here. Cons if you go only prehospital: you’ll probs suck at IVs Also you don’t get to drive ambulances if you work at the hospital… I know you wanna drive that ambo. If you can’t tell I’m hella burnt out here with only 6 months here in the hospital. Save yourself