Nusing route options - questions....

[dmjacobsen]

Where I'm from, EMT-Bs get paid about the same amount as CNAs, but they stay in school longer. It's also hard to find a fire department that will pay for the training of volunteer firefighters and has openings. I looked because I'm always looking for free stuff. You practically have to get hired on by a mid-sized to large agency as a full-time firefighter trainee to get free EMT training. Like you said, it varies by region. On the other hand, a lot of nursing homes pay for the training of CNAs just about anywhere. Even if you pay for it yourself, it only takes about a month. This is more of a personal preference, but I think the shifts EMTs work for ambulance companies are horrible. They often work, 24-72 hour shifts. CNAs might have a physically-demanding job, but EMTs don't have it easy either. Their jobs are highly stressful.

I get your point with the skills, but when I think about the fact that some nursing programs will require you to already be a CNA, I just think it makes more sense to have that knocked out just in case.

As I said, and as you reiterated, it varies by region. In my area (Memphis, TN), CNA's make about $9/hr on average to start, while EMT's make about $11/hr to start. Of course, it varies by agency. Also, this is not factoring in municipal fire departments, which generally pay quite a bit more.

As far as getting an agency to pay for your EMT training -- you're right that it's not going to happen unless you work for a fire department. Very few facilities around here will pay for your CNA training, although there are a few that will do so for a commitment to work for a certain number of years.

For shifts, it depends. I worked for Rural/Metro Ambulance, which had a fairly large presence locally when I was an EMT. I worked 24 hour shifts, but pretty much anything was available -- 8's, 10's, 12's, 24's, 48's, weekends only, weekdays only, nights only, days only. This is not the case for fire departments, of course.

Finally, some RN programs require CNA, but many do not.

All of these factors vary depending on your region, as mentioned earlier. I still stand by my assertion that the skill set is more relevant, the pay is generally better, and the shifts are generally more flexible.