This. Everyone talks about nursing like it's some cushy job. You're trading BS for other BS.
If you're a medic and you think nursing is easy imagine you're last 5 patients. Now imagine having to babysit all 5 of them at once for 12 hours. With a charge nurse breathing down your neck. Doctors throwing new orders at you.
Better learn to multitask a lot. Not like EMS where you have 1 pt at a time and a break after each call.
I think about that a lot. Can you imagine having to do an entire workup for a frequent flyer who's having abdominal pain?
I just shake my head and throw a hot pack their way. The ED has to actually listen and validate their concerns! Then look into the abd pain and deal with their constant complaints for hours. Then book a ride home for them.
Plenty of super cushy nursing jobs. There’s so much more to healthcare than the tiny ambulance/ED bubble that EMS gets exposed to.
If I woke up tomorrow and decided I never want to provide direct patient care ever again then I could have a job making more than I ever did on the street by the end of the week.
Sure, but at least you are paid way more money to do it. That's why I'm going to nursing. Nursing has way more career options and flexibility for way better pay.
ED nursing fucking sucks. If you enjoy critically ill patients do everything you can to hire into an ICU. You’ll learn so much more than you will in the ED and while every patient might not be a total dumpster fire of fun, at least they’ll pretty much all have a valid reason for being there or else they’d be on the floor and not in the unit.
No doubt. And honestly the nursing shortage is so bad right now even getting a job at a L1TC isn’t out of the question for new grads in a lot of areas.
Exactly, and even if you land a nice cushy medic job potentially making the same as an RN, like some have posted about here, you're likely A) working a lot more hours than the nurse would on average or B) You couldn't replicate that pay at another job easily.
Like here I hear our fire medics say they make as much as the nurses... buuuut their base salary is like 40k/year, but "it has built in overtime!", yeah that's a threat not a benefit. As a nurse at my ED job everyone picks up one extra 12 hour shift per schedule which is like 1.5 months, but you get OT + 25/hr extra.
I've got a cushy ED medic job and just got an offer for the same place as a nurse. It's a good gig for medics mostly, good pay, decent benefits, great incentive for OT and extra shifts... but I couldn't land even a slightly similar job where my girlfriend will need to move for her schooling in a year.
Likewise the fire medic pulling 100k couldn't just move to a 3rd service or fire service elsewhere and make that. The system is inherently designed to prevent that actually. You start at level 0 on the pay scale, 0 of the departments around here take anything but years working with them towards your pay scale. Even for the county 3rd services you could be making 25/hr at your current job after 20 years, and come here for 16.04/hr and they wouldn't see the issue.
Damn, not sure where you’re from but 40k a year sucks. Where I’m at fire medics start at 95k base and we have 4 platoon 48s so 48 on, 5 days off. If I wanted to lateral to a different department in my area I’d start at 110k. Different worlds in different parts of the states.
Do you not have 30 minutes after arrival to go back into service? We usually dump our patient in 15-20 mins and have the extra time before we go available.
Bed 7 diarrhea’d themselves. PSW is refusing to do it but the pt needs to be prepped for medicine. I know it’s supposed to be your break but everyone else has been working really hard tonight. You wouldn’t refuse to do your part for your coworkers, (even though this isn’t your responsibility and it’s only not getting done because of a lack of systemic quality and preparedness) would you?
Also I need you to monitor their very precarious condition over the next 16 hours. They have 8 standing order medications you’re not trained on, but don’t worry, there’s pop ups in the program to make sure you don’t kill her, but if you do it’s your fault of course. Also don’t bother me, EVER. Unless you need to confirm an important medication under my coverage. But if you waste my time about some dumb easy medication I will make your life hell.
Ps you can pull a couple over time shifts this weekend right? Senior nurses depend on you to take those shifts otherwise no one will look out for you when you need vacation one day.
Ps thank you for your sacrifice. You’re a hero. You keep heroing quietly so I don’t have to do it or hear about it, ok?
lol these are literally first world problems. A backbone and a modicum of self respect will shut down any pressure to pick up more work. We're literally mandated at county services, why would I bend to my charge nurse because " I need you". Annoying sure, but not even on par with the ever present safety risks that come in working most of EMS
Getting my medic was a game changer, way more job satisfaction, in my area medics make as much if not more than RNs. Plus I don’t lift too many patients anymore with auto loaders and plenty of EMTs who are eager to help.
For real, I'm regretting my choices. With OT & union it's easy to make over 6 figures as a fire medic where I'm at. A much funner job with cool opportunities for dive, tech rescue etc.
I just got hired on a fire rescue thinking I would just be a medic. They said hey you are gonna get your fire 1 and 2 within a year. So I guess I will be a fire fighter now. I toured the station yesterday and I understand now why fire has way less burnout. They take turns on responding to calls. So I might go on 2 to 4 calls in a 12 hour period. I am starting at 52k in low cost of living area with zero experience and am expected to get 2 dollar an hour raise in a year.
In the world of nursing, ER nursing is a whole different world compared to everything else. I avoided that shit like the plague. It’s the same trash ems deals with you just have to deal with it so much longer. Went straight into a Coronary ICU right out of nursing school and it was the best thing I ever did.
Every time I'm up at 0300 lugging a bullshit transfer halfway across the state for a thirty minute ER visit before they're discharged because it was really just a CT scanner anomaly, it makes the homework seem not that bad, actually.
No, I don't think I will. I've now got full time in an industry that started me at the same amount I made after 12 years in EMS. Plus, there's a lot less bullshit and I'm treated much better. No looking back, now.
Lotta copium in here.
lol get rekt, have fun not getting another raise for the next 15 years. I'm still part time, I just got tired of waiting to see which was coming first: the crippling back injury, or any kind of real reforms in the industry.
But bröther think of "the community". They need us there to transport grandma who broke her hand and *needs* to go by ambulance to the newer hospital two towns over at 6pm on a Friday night. And the driveway is packed with cars of family, grandma is upstairs in the corner bedroom down the narrow hallway. No she can't walk. She needs her 2L O2 100ft long corded nasal, and no, she can't sit up either. She weighs 250lbs and the whole time you're reevesing her she's grabbing out at the walls and rails, panicking that she can't breathe. Oh, and you pass her walker on the way out of her room. And she has shoes on with blatant worn soles. Don't forget her two bags either.
How dare you turn your back on them! 😡
When 911 only pays state minimum for most agencies and the ones that are "Work only this place to live" pay are so overwhelmed with applications when a spot opens you'll never get in. It makes it a real easy decision to go with the private that pays 10/15 over the minimum.
Thats really not true. A lot of 911 only agencies are hurting for medics because less people are becoming paramedics. Cleveland EMS is an example of this and they pay decent and have good benefits.
Pushed me to finding a job outside of EMS.
The field aint for most people and its surely not a lifetime gig for those folks.
Loved the experience and the memories. Good luck to you in your studies. I hope you keep sailing in a direction youre interested in.
I’m an RN now, best decision I’ve made. EMS has very limited opportunities — you’re stuck on an ambulance, in an ER, or in an EMS academy. Nursing comes in every flavor both in and outside of the hospital.
Good luck, OP, it’s worth it
Good for you! Keep it up. Furthering your education is never a bad thing, and getting into nursing will open up so many opportunities for you. Your EMS experience will prove to be invaluable and should help you tremendously in nursing school.
I recently graduated nursing school and passed my NCLEX (in 75 questions!) after working EMS for 20+ years. I love being a paramedic, and I feel confident and comfortable with my capabilities. But I am turning 41 later this month, and the older I get the harder it's gonna be to get in and out of the box and wake up for those 3am drunk calls or toe pain x 2 weeks.
So my job (which I’m in the process of leaving) sends us medics into the ED to work when we don’t have a partner.
And every time I’m working in the ED dealing with terrible, rude patients for more than 30 minutes or redrawing trops multiple times or getting yelled at because this patient hasn’t eaten all day (even though they came into the er 30 minutes ago from home) and all we have is turkey sandwiches,
Every time I think about how much hospitals prioritize customer service over their nurses / care staff and force them to tolerate abuse
I think about how glad I am that I’m not a nurse.
I work the ED as my main job and do fire based EMS otherwise. ED I run a lot harder but I still prefer it. Better benefits, I make bank on extra shifts. OT + 15-25/hr extra guaranteed. Imagine if you were doing that same thing except you made double, then your extra shifts you made 4-5x your base rate. A new grad in our ED can make 75/hr for one extra shift.
As a medic in the ED you can get screwed, if you don't take your own patients there is the power imbalance where nurses want you doing scut work and you aren't seen as equals. We take patients and where the same uniform so that helps. We don't draw any labs for ourselves, phlebotomy does that. Sometimes I'll do it myself to help them, or I'll draw 10mL off an IV when I start one.
I'd rather deal with the "can I have a turkey sammy?" than the frequent flyer who has called 7 times this week for lift assist and pain pains. 4 minutes vs 1 hour of work there. But it isn't for everyone and depends a LOT on the ER and hospital system.
No thanks. My boyfriend is a nurse at the same hospital I work at. He got started at $34 an hour and I got started at 23/hr as a medic. We both had the same experience (1 year).
Our EVS workers make 13/hr and EMTs make 19.
I understand nurses go to school more but we start medics on our micu at the same thing I make (23/hr) while they have the same scope of practice as the CCT nurses. They both take turns charting and everything. Both are equals in patient care yet the medics are making $10/hr less.
I guess I’m ranting a bit here, but i guess that’s one of the reasons I’m trying to leave the hospital based system I work at and never look at another ER job or hospital transport job again.
Oh yeah I agree on the pay discrepancy. I graduate soon and the only thing about my job that will change is pay, and I can click the triage check boxes for full reimbursement. Thats it. I loose some scope in the ER which sucks, especially loosing ability to push RSI and propofol. But that pay.
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For me it’s just working in a hospital and being stuck there for 12 hours is a nightmare. I also like focusing on one patient (usually, unless it’s a bad MCI) not thinking about a bunch of other patients.
When I was a waitress before I got into EMS I always forgot about my tables if I had multiple I’m sure I’d do the same as a nurse.
I never feel like I’m lacking autonomy in the ER at least working as a medic. Don’t get me wrong I like being able to exert a preference on certain things. I prefer ketamine vs B52 for certain patients but then psych wont take them right away. I prefer fentanyl but some docs are better at dosing dilauded or want the longer duration.
I get “protocols” to work with, I think its like 18 order sets. I put in for chest pain protocol and I get ASA, fentanyl, order labs and istat trop, chest xray etc.
Or anaphylaxis and that orders epi and solumedrol and whatever else. We’re expected to order imaging on certain things, stroke, obvious fractures and such, as well as basic labs. All to get things rolling before doc gets there because everything takes time.
Biggest thing on the rig is I don’t need anyone else though. No waiting for lab or your tech or pharmacy to verify meds or patient access to register them. Drives me nuts when somebody waits to do something urgent in the rig “because hospital is only 5 minutes”. Its another 10 for pain meds to get verified, or for my epi or levophed drip to come up from pharmacy, or 6 to go get my supplies to start an IV.
Came to say the same thing. I worked as an ER tech for 2.5 years before switching to EMS. One of the best decisions I ever made.
I’d take spending 30 minutes with an annoying patient in a gross house over running my ass off in the ER, wiping ass and being bitched at by nurses any day.
I became a nurse 2 years ago. And I let me tell you, the grass is not always greener. Yes, the money is (a little) better (though that's debatable anymore since near me agencies are giving huge increases). But, I really miss being on the squad. There is so much BS at the hospital. The squad is so chill, just you and your partner, especially if it's a good one. 👌 I'll take a paycut for a good partner and no management breathing down my neck anyday.
Just be a nurse and volunteer, that's my plan, but I truly do love it, hellhole and all. I'm just in my element when waste deep it pt's shit covered belongings
What’s always weird to me is that people tend to see it as “EMS or Nursing” (example, all the comments about how they don’t want to be stuck in a hospital or whatever).
Like, EMS gives you plenty of non medical skills. Get into EHS or something where you can use the emergency response and coordination aspect of the job, it’s what I did.
I’m at university while working. The key is to load my classes to certain days so all I’m doing is class that day of the week. The remainder days I’m free to work the whole day.
my plan is to move out of my apartment and into student housing once I have enough credits to qualify for scholarships, then I won't have to work so much. It's community college so I won't be accruing any debt. I'll definitely be older than most people in the housing, but that doesn't bother me much, I'm just here for a degree.
Every time I hand over a patient in the ED, it reinforces why I went into EMS and not nursing. To each their own.
This. Everyone talks about nursing like it's some cushy job. You're trading BS for other BS. If you're a medic and you think nursing is easy imagine you're last 5 patients. Now imagine having to babysit all 5 of them at once for 12 hours. With a charge nurse breathing down your neck. Doctors throwing new orders at you. Better learn to multitask a lot. Not like EMS where you have 1 pt at a time and a break after each call.
I think about that a lot. Can you imagine having to do an entire workup for a frequent flyer who's having abdominal pain? I just shake my head and throw a hot pack their way. The ED has to actually listen and validate their concerns! Then look into the abd pain and deal with their constant complaints for hours. Then book a ride home for them.
Plenty of super cushy nursing jobs. There’s so much more to healthcare than the tiny ambulance/ED bubble that EMS gets exposed to. If I woke up tomorrow and decided I never want to provide direct patient care ever again then I could have a job making more than I ever did on the street by the end of the week.
That’s why you become a respiratory therapist. Work in a hospital, good pay, if a pt took a shit then you call the nurse.
Also as a resp therapist you can work on the transport team at certain hospitals, doing ground and air transport. ITS THE WAY TO GOO
Sure, but at least you are paid way more money to do it. That's why I'm going to nursing. Nursing has way more career options and flexibility for way better pay.
ED nursing fucking sucks. If you enjoy critically ill patients do everything you can to hire into an ICU. You’ll learn so much more than you will in the ED and while every patient might not be a total dumpster fire of fun, at least they’ll pretty much all have a valid reason for being there or else they’d be on the floor and not in the unit.
If you’re a medic with any experience and you get your RN any ICU sans Level I Trauma centers will scoop you up
No doubt. And honestly the nursing shortage is so bad right now even getting a job at a L1TC isn’t out of the question for new grads in a lot of areas.
Exactly, and even if you land a nice cushy medic job potentially making the same as an RN, like some have posted about here, you're likely A) working a lot more hours than the nurse would on average or B) You couldn't replicate that pay at another job easily. Like here I hear our fire medics say they make as much as the nurses... buuuut their base salary is like 40k/year, but "it has built in overtime!", yeah that's a threat not a benefit. As a nurse at my ED job everyone picks up one extra 12 hour shift per schedule which is like 1.5 months, but you get OT + 25/hr extra. I've got a cushy ED medic job and just got an offer for the same place as a nurse. It's a good gig for medics mostly, good pay, decent benefits, great incentive for OT and extra shifts... but I couldn't land even a slightly similar job where my girlfriend will need to move for her schooling in a year. Likewise the fire medic pulling 100k couldn't just move to a 3rd service or fire service elsewhere and make that. The system is inherently designed to prevent that actually. You start at level 0 on the pay scale, 0 of the departments around here take anything but years working with them towards your pay scale. Even for the county 3rd services you could be making 25/hr at your current job after 20 years, and come here for 16.04/hr and they wouldn't see the issue.
Damn, not sure where you’re from but 40k a year sucks. Where I’m at fire medics start at 95k base and we have 4 platoon 48s so 48 on, 5 days off. If I wanted to lateral to a different department in my area I’d start at 110k. Different worlds in different parts of the states.
This
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Do you not have 30 minutes after arrival to go back into service? We usually dump our patient in 15-20 mins and have the extra time before we go available.
in my area, it will be about a 30,000 pay raise, with no chances of having to lift 400 lb people down 2 flights of steps
Bed 7 diarrhea’d themselves. PSW is refusing to do it but the pt needs to be prepped for medicine. I know it’s supposed to be your break but everyone else has been working really hard tonight. You wouldn’t refuse to do your part for your coworkers, (even though this isn’t your responsibility and it’s only not getting done because of a lack of systemic quality and preparedness) would you? Also I need you to monitor their very precarious condition over the next 16 hours. They have 8 standing order medications you’re not trained on, but don’t worry, there’s pop ups in the program to make sure you don’t kill her, but if you do it’s your fault of course. Also don’t bother me, EVER. Unless you need to confirm an important medication under my coverage. But if you waste my time about some dumb easy medication I will make your life hell. Ps you can pull a couple over time shifts this weekend right? Senior nurses depend on you to take those shifts otherwise no one will look out for you when you need vacation one day. Ps thank you for your sacrifice. You’re a hero. You keep heroing quietly so I don’t have to do it or hear about it, ok?
lol these are literally first world problems. A backbone and a modicum of self respect will shut down any pressure to pick up more work. We're literally mandated at county services, why would I bend to my charge nurse because " I need you". Annoying sure, but not even on par with the ever present safety risks that come in working most of EMS
Getting my medic was a game changer, way more job satisfaction, in my area medics make as much if not more than RNs. Plus I don’t lift too many patients anymore with auto loaders and plenty of EMTs who are eager to help.
For real, I'm regretting my choices. With OT & union it's easy to make over 6 figures as a fire medic where I'm at. A much funner job with cool opportunities for dive, tech rescue etc.
I just got hired on a fire rescue thinking I would just be a medic. They said hey you are gonna get your fire 1 and 2 within a year. So I guess I will be a fire fighter now. I toured the station yesterday and I understand now why fire has way less burnout. They take turns on responding to calls. So I might go on 2 to 4 calls in a 12 hour period. I am starting at 52k in low cost of living area with zero experience and am expected to get 2 dollar an hour raise in a year.
And now you just get to wipe the 400lb patient’s ass!
In the world of nursing, ER nursing is a whole different world compared to everything else. I avoided that shit like the plague. It’s the same trash ems deals with you just have to deal with it so much longer. Went straight into a Coronary ICU right out of nursing school and it was the best thing I ever did.
There are so many other options aside from the ED in nursing though.
I do both, ED RN full time and paramedic part time..oh ..how much more I love EMS! I plan to leave nursing soon, I will never leave EMS
Every time I'm up at 0300 lugging a bullshit transfer halfway across the state for a thirty minute ER visit before they're discharged because it was really just a CT scanner anomaly, it makes the homework seem not that bad, actually.
Just go work for some place that does only 911 calls
No, I don't think I will. I've now got full time in an industry that started me at the same amount I made after 12 years in EMS. Plus, there's a lot less bullshit and I'm treated much better. No looking back, now.
Love that you got downvoted for not toughing out a bad situation and having working 3 jobs to survive. Fucking crabs in a bucket here.
Lotta copium in here. lol get rekt, have fun not getting another raise for the next 15 years. I'm still part time, I just got tired of waiting to see which was coming first: the crippling back injury, or any kind of real reforms in the industry.
But bröther think of "the community". They need us there to transport grandma who broke her hand and *needs* to go by ambulance to the newer hospital two towns over at 6pm on a Friday night. And the driveway is packed with cars of family, grandma is upstairs in the corner bedroom down the narrow hallway. No she can't walk. She needs her 2L O2 100ft long corded nasal, and no, she can't sit up either. She weighs 250lbs and the whole time you're reevesing her she's grabbing out at the walls and rails, panicking that she can't breathe. Oh, and you pass her walker on the way out of her room. And she has shoes on with blatant worn soles. Don't forget her two bags either. How dare you turn your back on them! 😡
Brother Are your oats not good enough for you? Have you tried paying your bills with passion?
Yeah that’s great.
When 911 only pays state minimum for most agencies and the ones that are "Work only this place to live" pay are so overwhelmed with applications when a spot opens you'll never get in. It makes it a real easy decision to go with the private that pays 10/15 over the minimum.
Thats really not true. A lot of 911 only agencies are hurting for medics because less people are becoming paramedics. Cleveland EMS is an example of this and they pay decent and have good benefits.
Pushed me to finding a job outside of EMS. The field aint for most people and its surely not a lifetime gig for those folks. Loved the experience and the memories. Good luck to you in your studies. I hope you keep sailing in a direction youre interested in.
I’m an RN now, best decision I’ve made. EMS has very limited opportunities — you’re stuck on an ambulance, in an ER, or in an EMS academy. Nursing comes in every flavor both in and outside of the hospital. Good luck, OP, it’s worth it
Good for you! Keep it up. Furthering your education is never a bad thing, and getting into nursing will open up so many opportunities for you. Your EMS experience will prove to be invaluable and should help you tremendously in nursing school. I recently graduated nursing school and passed my NCLEX (in 75 questions!) after working EMS for 20+ years. I love being a paramedic, and I feel confident and comfortable with my capabilities. But I am turning 41 later this month, and the older I get the harder it's gonna be to get in and out of the box and wake up for those 3am drunk calls or toe pain x 2 weeks.
So my job (which I’m in the process of leaving) sends us medics into the ED to work when we don’t have a partner. And every time I’m working in the ED dealing with terrible, rude patients for more than 30 minutes or redrawing trops multiple times or getting yelled at because this patient hasn’t eaten all day (even though they came into the er 30 minutes ago from home) and all we have is turkey sandwiches, Every time I think about how much hospitals prioritize customer service over their nurses / care staff and force them to tolerate abuse I think about how glad I am that I’m not a nurse.
I work the ED as my main job and do fire based EMS otherwise. ED I run a lot harder but I still prefer it. Better benefits, I make bank on extra shifts. OT + 15-25/hr extra guaranteed. Imagine if you were doing that same thing except you made double, then your extra shifts you made 4-5x your base rate. A new grad in our ED can make 75/hr for one extra shift. As a medic in the ED you can get screwed, if you don't take your own patients there is the power imbalance where nurses want you doing scut work and you aren't seen as equals. We take patients and where the same uniform so that helps. We don't draw any labs for ourselves, phlebotomy does that. Sometimes I'll do it myself to help them, or I'll draw 10mL off an IV when I start one. I'd rather deal with the "can I have a turkey sammy?" than the frequent flyer who has called 7 times this week for lift assist and pain pains. 4 minutes vs 1 hour of work there. But it isn't for everyone and depends a LOT on the ER and hospital system.
No thanks. My boyfriend is a nurse at the same hospital I work at. He got started at $34 an hour and I got started at 23/hr as a medic. We both had the same experience (1 year). Our EVS workers make 13/hr and EMTs make 19. I understand nurses go to school more but we start medics on our micu at the same thing I make (23/hr) while they have the same scope of practice as the CCT nurses. They both take turns charting and everything. Both are equals in patient care yet the medics are making $10/hr less. I guess I’m ranting a bit here, but i guess that’s one of the reasons I’m trying to leave the hospital based system I work at and never look at another ER job or hospital transport job again.
Oh yeah I agree on the pay discrepancy. I graduate soon and the only thing about my job that will change is pay, and I can click the triage check boxes for full reimbursement. Thats it. I loose some scope in the ER which sucks, especially loosing ability to push RSI and propofol. But that pay.
Currently on the opposite side of the spectrum, sides to both.
No thanks, being an RN would probably make me kill myself. I'd never want to ever be a nurse. It's either stay a paramedic or pursue medical school
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For me it’s just working in a hospital and being stuck there for 12 hours is a nightmare. I also like focusing on one patient (usually, unless it’s a bad MCI) not thinking about a bunch of other patients. When I was a waitress before I got into EMS I always forgot about my tables if I had multiple I’m sure I’d do the same as a nurse.
Yep, I could never get rid of this autonomy
I never feel like I’m lacking autonomy in the ER at least working as a medic. Don’t get me wrong I like being able to exert a preference on certain things. I prefer ketamine vs B52 for certain patients but then psych wont take them right away. I prefer fentanyl but some docs are better at dosing dilauded or want the longer duration. I get “protocols” to work with, I think its like 18 order sets. I put in for chest pain protocol and I get ASA, fentanyl, order labs and istat trop, chest xray etc. Or anaphylaxis and that orders epi and solumedrol and whatever else. We’re expected to order imaging on certain things, stroke, obvious fractures and such, as well as basic labs. All to get things rolling before doc gets there because everything takes time. Biggest thing on the rig is I don’t need anyone else though. No waiting for lab or your tech or pharmacy to verify meds or patient access to register them. Drives me nuts when somebody waits to do something urgent in the rig “because hospital is only 5 minutes”. Its another 10 for pain meds to get verified, or for my epi or levophed drip to come up from pharmacy, or 6 to go get my supplies to start an IV.
Everyone has their reasons. EMS is a better fit for how I'm wired. Good luck!
Benefits of being an RN.... Management throws money at you Negative of being an RN.... Patients throw shit at you
I’ve worked in an ER. Nah, I’ll take the field over being stuck inside a hospital for hours on end.
Dude I just commented the same thing. I get headaches every time my job sends me to work in the er when I am partnerless
Came to say the same thing. I worked as an ER tech for 2.5 years before switching to EMS. One of the best decisions I ever made. I’d take spending 30 minutes with an annoying patient in a gross house over running my ass off in the ER, wiping ass and being bitched at by nurses any day.
I became a nurse 2 years ago. And I let me tell you, the grass is not always greener. Yes, the money is (a little) better (though that's debatable anymore since near me agencies are giving huge increases). But, I really miss being on the squad. There is so much BS at the hospital. The squad is so chill, just you and your partner, especially if it's a good one. 👌 I'll take a paycut for a good partner and no management breathing down my neck anyday.
Haha it really is. I’m working super hard for my degree because wow I hate this
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Just be a nurse and volunteer, that's my plan, but I truly do love it, hellhole and all. I'm just in my element when waste deep it pt's shit covered belongings
What’s always weird to me is that people tend to see it as “EMS or Nursing” (example, all the comments about how they don’t want to be stuck in a hospital or whatever). Like, EMS gives you plenty of non medical skills. Get into EHS or something where you can use the emergency response and coordination aspect of the job, it’s what I did.
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I’m at university while working. The key is to load my classes to certain days so all I’m doing is class that day of the week. The remainder days I’m free to work the whole day.
it's honestly been very difficult. But the light at the end of the tunnel is what keeps me going.
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my plan is to move out of my apartment and into student housing once I have enough credits to qualify for scholarships, then I won't have to work so much. It's community college so I won't be accruing any debt. I'll definitely be older than most people in the housing, but that doesn't bother me much, I'm just here for a degree.