Nursing to paramedic

I am a nurse for a few years now and only like emergency i thought i was confused so i stuck at my course and i was lucky enough to get A&E twce thank god lol this is when i totally knew this was my area but in that placement i alsi go to go out with paramdics and there were two on there that were past nurses too! and i also wish i had picked this although am very lucky to have my nurse training i think i will still taje this option at some point. If its early on in your training i would see if you can change over or at least find out what you like. You could carry on training like i did and then after you have worked abit try paramedic i believe you can keep your Nursing pin number by doing this work too this is what these medics told me. Goodluck go with the heart

Reply 4

dee999

5

I am a qualified Paramedic with 15 years experience and I wish that I had trained to be a nurse! There are much more choices of career path to take if you are a qualified nurse compared to being a Paramedic. I love the job, but there are few opportunities to branch out and do something else within the service. Courses are few and far between and we were expected to fund any further education courses that would benefit your skills yourself! (the service would consider partial funding of paramedic-relevant courses but you had to apply a year in advance and one of my colleagues actually studied cardiovascular care through the open university and asked for funding and was told that the course was not relevant to her role as a Paramedic!) I suggested that it would be beneficial for staff to carry out yearly refresher courses at a hospital (such as intubation and cannulation skills- especially for staff that were employed at particularly quiet stations, but this was dismissed)
Compared to nurses who always seemed to have lots of training and opportunities that they could attend or study in order to broaden their horizons.
I am seriously considering studying to become a nurse now, and if I were you, I would carry on with your nurse training and then if it is still not for you, go for your Paramedic training!

Reply 5

Sounds like wise advice any other paramedics here feel the same?

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 6

Like I say there are good training opportunities in nurses but make sure you
Like it!

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 7

oceanmum

4

Original post by Fruitforty

Hello, I've seen quite a few people leaving nursing courses to become a paramedic. This makes me rethink my course. I currently study nursing but always think I'd enjoy emergency care more and think that paramedics seem to have more medical involvement that nurses. I've just finished my first year of nursing so I'm quite stuck, for a while I was thinking about becoming a paramedic but thought nurses had more options and career choices once qualified and better pay, but now I'm really confused again. Please give me some advice, should I swap to become a paramedic or continue with my nursing? I have passed my first year by the way and didn't really enjoy some of my placements such a ward work so now I'm worried incase I made the wrong decision.

nursing has more career options you can go on to do ost grad courses in mental health/health visitor/sick children/learning disabilities. paramedic training doesn't offer that. pay wise a staff nurses may start on 22k but a more senior nurse gets about 28 and it rises every year incrementally. a band 7 ward team leader or similar gets 35-42k . its very hard work and as a junior most of your work will be on wards thats the reality to gain core skills.
go with your hearts desire. it may be that some universities will credit you with the year you did towards the paramedic course or you could see once qualified how much shorter can the course be

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 8

Mango65

6

Original post by dee999

I am a qualified Paramedic with 15 years experience and I wish that I had trained to be a nurse! There are much more choices of career path to take if you are a qualified nurse compared to being a Paramedic. I love the job, but there are few opportunities to branch out and do something else within the service. Courses are few and far between and we were expected to fund any further education courses that would benefit your skills yourself! (the service would consider partial funding of paramedic-relevant courses but you had to apply a year in advance and one of my colleagues actually studied cardiovascular care through the open university and asked for funding and was told that the course was not relevant to her role as a Paramedic!) I suggested that it would be beneficial for staff to carry out yearly refresher courses at a hospital (such as intubation and cannulation skills- especially for staff that were employed at particularly quiet stations, but this was dismissed)
Compared to nurses who always seemed to have lots of training and opportunities that they could attend or study in order to broaden their horizons.
I am seriously considering studying to become a nurse now, and if I were you, I would carry on with your nurse training and then if it is still not for you, go for your Paramedic training!

Hi, i find this helpful because I am studying nursing and have often thought about paramedic work as I enjoy emergency care. Could I ask if you work at an ambulance service in the UK? and if you know if nurses can go out with the paramedics at all? do you think nursing is as "exciting" as paramedic work?
Thanks :smile:

Reply 9

Original post by Mango65

Hi, i find this helpful because I am studying nursing and have often thought about paramedic work as I enjoy emergency care. Could I ask if you work at an ambulance service in the UK? and if you know if nurses can go out with the paramedics at all? do you think nursing is as "exciting" as paramedic work?
Thanks :smile:

I can only speak for nursing on this one again depends what area you go into with nursing. It can be boring or exciting depending on that factor!

Reply 10

dee999

5

Yes I work as a Paramedic in Scotland. It is not as exciting a job as "Casualty" makes it out to be....lots of time-wasters and non-emergency calls, lots of chest pains, shortness of breath, diabetic emergencies....not that much major trauma! Long 12-15 hour shifts, with very little breaks, probably the most rewarding, but thankless jobs I have ever done! I have just enrolled on the HNC Care & Administrative Practice course and hope to then eventually train as an Operating Department Practitioner as the course has been fully funded by the NHS and placements are based in local hospital theatres. Many Paramedics are leaving the service as they are disheartened with management and the lack of career opportunities. :frown:

Reply 11

Original post by dee999

Yes I work as a Paramedic in Scotland. It is not as exciting a job as "Casualty" makes it out to be....lots of time-wasters and non-emergency calls, lots of chest pains, shortness of breath, diabetic emergencies....not that much major trauma! Long 12-15 hour shifts, with very little breaks, probably the most rewarding, but thankless jobs I have ever done! I have just enrolled on the HNC Care & Administrative Practice course and hope to then eventually train as an Operating Department Practitioner as the course has been fully funded by the NHS and placements are based in local hospital theatres. Many Paramedics are leaving the service as they are disheartened with management and the lack of career opportunities. :frown:

i thought it was getting better now for you guys with more opportunities coming your way

Reply 12

Marett

Nursing in the UK is horrible. Do anything else.

Reply 13

Marett

Original post by angelseyes

i thought it was getting better now for you guys with more opportunities coming your way

nursing is very similar. Also horrible shifts, unsafe patient loads, very low pay... unfortunately I feel it is an unsustainable career in the UK.

As rewarding as it can be the toll on your health and quality of live over the long term is too much, and it is only going to get worse.

Reply 14

Original post by Marett

nursing is very similar. Also horrible shifts, unsafe patient loads, very low pay... unfortunately I feel it is an unsustainable career in the UK.

As rewarding as it can be the toll on your health and quality of live over the long term is too much, and it is only going to get worse.

What do you do now?

Reply 15

RAF_Nurse!

7

Hmm. I have been a qualified nurse for 17 years, specialised in anaesthetics & theatre (same role as an ODP). I completed my nurse training in the RAF and made it to Sgt before commissioning; I retired about 2 years ago after nearly 19 years service and got a job as a theatre manager for a large private healthcare provider.... big £££ and big responsibilities. I got to the point that I was bored so just joined an ambulance trust as a salaried student paramedic. Early days but so far seems good. Fairly pants money atm but these days NHS Para’s go straight to AfC band 6 after their NQP 2 years so better than it could be.

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 16

Karen Louise

I’m a mental health nurse with 14 years experience. Could I become a paramedic?

Reply 17

Original post by Karen Louise

I’m a mental health nurse with 14 years experience. Could I become a paramedic?

good experience towards it they have mental health cars now

Reply 18

jazzymoran