Thinking of a career in medicine? Perhaps National Nurses Week (last week) inspired you to investigate opportunities in that field. Now we’re heading into National EMS Week, starting May 21. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is a gratifying field full of opportunity, pulse-quickening situations, and a high degree of job satisfaction. Here’s more information on both of these exciting career choices:
High Demand for Nurses
The U.S. has a shortage of nurses, and demand for trained professionals in this field is projected to grow faster than any other profession. Experts attribute the growth to factors such as increased emphasis on preventative care, growing rates of chronic conditions like diabetes and obesity, and our ability to now live longer and more active lives.
To become a Registered Nurse (RN), you only need a 2-3 year associate degree. As an RN, you would provide and coordinate patient care, and educate, advise, and support patients and their families. You would also be responsible for assessing vital health information about your patients to provide doctors and specialists with the data needed to formulate a sound healthcare plan.
Specialized Nursing
Demand for all specialties in this field is high, but the most sought-after specialties include dialysis, emergency room, intensive care, labor and delivery, neonatal, and operating room nurses.
For some of the most unique jobs in the field, check out this list from Nursing School Hub, which includes specialties like:
- Psychiatric Nurses – working with patients who have mental illnesses
- Surgical Nurses – working in the OR and assisting surgeons
- Critical Care Nurse – specializing in life-threatening issues, acute trauma, and critical-illness
- Diabetes Nurse – treating all stages and complications of Type I and Type II Diabetes
- Gerontological Nurse Practitioners – focusing on treatment for the elderly
Do you like to travel? There are also specialists called Travel Nurses, who move around the country to assist in areas with the greatest need. If you’re aiming for a management position, consider working toward a job as a Director of Wellness, in which you would set the standards of care for an entire medical facility.
Nursing Salaries
As a nurse, you can expect to make a very respectable salary, as illustrated in this table:
|
Position
|
Required Education
|
Mean Salary
|
|
Registered Nurse
|
2-3 year associate degree
|
$67,930
|
|
Nurse Practitioner
|
Master of Science in Nursing
|
$91,070
|
|
Nurse Midwife
|
Master of Science in Nursing
|
$91,450
|
|
Nurse Anesthetist
|
Master of Science in Nursing
|
$154,390
|
Emergency Medicine
The high-pressure and high-reward field of Emergency Medicine offers another career path ripe with opportunity.
EMS Without a College Degree
If you’re passionate about medicine but don’t feel ready for college, you can consider being an Emergency Medical Responder (EMR), Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), or a Paramedic. All you need is a high school diploma and an advanced certification, which requires about 1,200 hours of instruction and could lead to an associate’s degree. Hospitals, community colleges, and some ambulance service companies offer certification training. Paramedic training can take up to 18-24 months, but you can become an EMT quicker than that.
In a paramedic or EMT position you would be considered a “first responder” – rushing to lend aid in emergency situations such as fires, crime scenes, heart attacks, and accidents of all types. You would keep the patient alive and as stable as possible during transport to a hospital. You may also be required to stitch wounds or administer intravenous medications.
If you’re a student interested in becoming an EMT or paramedic, be sure to take courses in anatomy and physiology!
The majority of EMT positions are offered through private ambulance companies. Local governments and hospitals also employ EMTs. While this job is a great way to provide an extremely valuable medical service, you won’t get rich doing it. As of May 2016, the median annual wage for EMTs and paramedics was $32,670.
Emergency Medicine Physicians
If you have a medical degree, your EMS salary potential is significantly better! While the data varies, the average annual salary for an emergency physician is in the ballpark of $320,000.
EMS doctors have completed a residency training program in emergency medicine and gained board certification from the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM). They then work in ER’s, usually in 12-hour shifts.
Specialties in EMS
With an advanced certification, paramedics can specialize in fields such as Flight (working on medical helicopters), Critical Care, or Tactical. Tactical Paramedics are sometimes known as SWAT medics. They have a special relationship with law enforcement, providing emergency medical care to SWAT teams. Emergency physicians and surgeons are necessary in each of these specialties, too.
Wilderness Medicine
If you love the great outdoors, wilderness medicine may be the path for you. Working with patients in remote locations, you may treat everything from high-altitude sickness and snakebites to broken bones and grizzly bear wounds. Working outside of an ER, you’ll be very hands-on and learn to make the best with limited tools and resources.
Fast on Your Feet?
A career in EMS takes a special kind of person. You need to have fast reflexes and work well under pressure, often in life-or-death situations. You may witness severe trauma, or even be personally exposed to danger.
EMS, however, is an extremely exciting field, with plenty of adrenaline and a lot of growth and career potential. It is also a very rewarding field, in which you can rise to the challenge of solving acute health issues and even save lives.
Wanna Try It Out?
If you’d like hands-on experience in the medical field, check out Envision’s summer programs, such as NYLF Medicine or NYLF Advanced Medicine and Health Care for high school students. In these programs you’ll step into the role of a physician, learning real-life medical skills onsite at some of the nation’s best medical schools. If you’re not yet in high school, you can still participate in Envision STEM programs for middle school or elementary school, each of which includes medical elements.
If you’ve graduated from high school, you’re eligible for our International Scholar Laureate Program Delegation for Nursing and HealthCare. The program is always held in very exciting locations. This summer it is in either Australia or South Africa.
And if you want to test your mettle in the field of EMS, check out the Advanced Emergency Medicine program, held in collaboration with Stanford Medicine, on the Stanford campus.
background-image: a building with the American flag in front of it