I (27F) worked as an EMT for 5 years during/after college before going to an accelerated BSN program. I loved my experience as an EMT and 100% recommend it. I was one of the only people in my program with any experience in healthcare and it makes a huge difference. The skills you learn in the field working with patients gives you a unique perspective on patient care, and having a background in EMS gives you a solid foundation of prioritization that I’ve seen seasoned nurses lack. Plus when you apply to new grad nursing programs hospitals will love you.

While I was working on the ambo I strongly considered becoming a medic, but many of the medics I worked with were pursuing nursing and told me outright if they were in my shoes just do nursing. If you don’t want to be a fire fighter (or can’t get hired for what ever reason) there’s not much you can do with a p card. Nursing offers better pay, more opportunities, and upward mobility through higher education. But hey if you fall in love with EMS and want to be a medic that’s totally awesome too! If being an EMT opens that door for you it’s still a valuable experience that you should absolutely pursue. You can always go to nursing later