Paramedic to Registered Nurse Bridge Programs
Paramedics are an indispensable part of the healthcare system. They are highly-trained emergency medical personnel who travel to critical medical situations and give advanced life support to patients. While the job can certainly be fast-paced and very fulfilling in many ways, some paramedics transition into a career as a Registered Nurse (RN) for its benefits.
Some of the benefits of becoming an RN are reduced job stress, increased salary, job stability, increased patient engagement quality, and more opportunities for advancement. Many schools are now offering bridge programs to make it easier for paramedics to pursue a nursing career.
Paramedic-to-RN bridge programs provide an efficient educational transition for paramedics interested in going to nursing school. This article covers the two types of Paramedic-to RN bridge programs, including the program length, career opportunities, and salary outlook upon completion.
What Job Do Paramedics Perform?
Paramedics’ main duties include assessing and stabilizing a patient’s condition while transporting the patient to a healthcare facility. They give documented reports to the providers and nurses, and assist with admitting the patient to the emergency department.
How are Paramedics Different From Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs)?
As licensed healthcare professionals, paramedics have more education, training, and experience in emergency medicine than EMTs for the assessment and treatment of a patient with an acute injury or illness. Both positions can provide basic life support and simple medications like oxygen and glucose to patients, but only paramedics are allowed to perform more complex procedures such as starting IV lines, administering a wide range of drugs, and intubating patients to provide an emergency airway.
What Are the Benefits of Becoming an RN?
Many paramedics who consider becoming RNs do so because of one or several of these reasons:
- Job stress. Paramedics, as a routine part of their job, experience intensely stressful situations. These often include failed resuscitation outcomes or fatalities. Paramedics are also frequently in dangerous environments where they are verbally threatened or even physically assaulted. These factors negatively affect the mental and physical health of paramedics, leading to a high degree of burnout. On the other hand, most work settings for RNs are much more predictable, slower-paced, and are often staffed with a team who can share patient care and work responsibilities.
- Salary. RNs earn significantly more money than paramedics. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, RNs earn a median annual salary of $81,220 – more than one and a half times the pay of paramedics, who earn a median annual salary of $49,090.
- More varied and stable career. Paramedics can only work in one specialty area. However, RNs have more varied career options offering long-term stability. RNs can focus on specific areas of interest, including emergency care, geriatrics, intensive care, and radiology.
- More opportunity for advancement. A career in nursing introduces many more opportunities for advancement into leadership and management positions. RNs can also earn master’s or doctoral degrees to further transition into careers in education, nursing policy, and executive leadership.
- Increased patient engagement quality. Paramedics undoubtedly play a key role in clinical healthcare, but their patient interactions are typically hurried and stressful as a necessary function of the job itself. RNs can provide care to the same patients over several hours or shifts, sometimes even over weeks or months – resulting in more meaningful clinical engagements and higher-quality care relationships with patients.
Paramedic-to-RN Bridge Programs
Paramedics who wish to transition into the nursing field may choose to enroll in a Paramedic-to-RN bridge program. This is an accelerated curriculum that offers the academic education and clinical training necessary for the career change. Paramedics may also explore traditionally-paced programs with other undergraduate students.
Program Requirements
While each bridge program will have its own specific requirements, most will typically require:
- A high school diploma or GED
- Course and grade transcripts from high school and beyond
- Completion of all prerequisite classes
- A record of all current immunizations
- Current CPR/BLS certification
- A minimum passing grade in the Health Education Systems Incorporated (HESI) exam
- Program completion for Emergency Medical Services within the past three years, accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Program (CAAHEP)
- A current, unrestricted state or national Paramedic Registry Certificate
- A minimum of one year of paramedic experience
- Personal and/or professional references
After successfully earning their selected degree, graduates then obtain RN certification by studying for, taking, and passing the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN). Finally, nurses apply for RN licensure through the Board of Nursing of their state and join the workforce.
Two Types of Paramedic-to-RN Bridge Programs
Paramedics can enroll in a bridge program for either an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). With some differences, programs for both degrees will include patient assessment courses, nursing theories and research, and in-person clinical training alongside providers, nurses, and patients in a hospital, clinic, or other healthcare facility. Nursing courses will introduce students to areas of healthcare involving non-emergent patients outside the narrower scope of paramedic training. Here’s a brief overview of the differences between a Paramedic-to-ADN and a Paramedic-to-BSN bridge program.
- Paramedic-to-ADN Bridge Program
- Program Length – Earning an ADN takes less time to complete than earning a BSN. ADN programs are about one-and-a-half years, compared to a four-year BSN. This makes it a more appealing option for those graduates who want to transition and begin a career in nursing as soon as possible.
- Career Opportunities – Graduates holding an ADN degree and wishing to further their nursing career may have fewer opportunities than those with BSN degrees.
- Job Salary – ADN salaries can be lower, as employers are more likely to promote nurses with a BSN to positions with more responsibility within the organization.
- Paramedic-to-BSN Bridge Program
- Program Length – Earning a BSN degree will take between two to four years. The curriculum may include additional nursing research or policy classes.
- Career Opportunities – A BSN is quickly becoming the industry standard for nursing education. Leadership courses are integrated into the BSN curriculum and are not covered in the ADN program track. Therefore, employers are more likely to hire and promote nurses holding a BSN degree, which provides career advancement opportunities in management and administration. Additionally, nurses with a BSN degree are able to pursue more advanced degrees (master’s and doctoral), which can further broaden their career options.
- Job Salary – Graduates with a BSN earn a higher median salary in accordance with their more advanced leadership positions.
Regardless of the degree, students may have the option to enroll on a part- or full-time basis depending on their budget, personal/family obligations, and job responsibilities, which will affect the overall length of their selected program.
Can I Be a Paramedic AND an RN?
Some healthcare professionals practice as both a paramedic and an RN. For example, they may work as a nurse in a hospital during the week and as a paramedic part-time on the weekends. Furthermore, nurses with a BSN can use their experience and training in pharmacology and in pathophysiology when assessing complicated patients in the field with a particular presentation or illness. Having a background in both nursing and paramedicine is also very useful for work in the emergency departments or as a flight nurse.
Medical professionals who practice in different careers must respect the scope of practice for each career. When working as a paramedic, a professional can only perform the tasks they have been trained in as a paramedic and may not perform any tasks that are specific to their career as an RN.
Can EMTs Become RNs?
Yes. Many programs will give credit for the education, field experience, certification, and hours of training completed as an EMT. These credits could shorten the time needed to earn an ADN or BSN.
How to Select a Bridge Program
Paramedic-to-RN bridge program graduates share the same path as graduates from traditional nursing programs: get accepted to nursing school, earn a degree, pass the NCLEX, and then apply for state licensure. To ensure the best chance of success in a nursing career, applicants should narrow down their choices of bridge programs and select the one that best suits their requirements. Factors to consider when searching for a Paramedic-to-RN bridge program include:
- Type of nursing degree
- Budget, including housing, if needed
- Type of school, size of classes
- Campus life and resources
- Surrounding community and culture
- Accreditation
- Program ranking and NCLEX pass rate
Check out How to Compare Nursing Programs for more tips and to get started today.
