When 56 year old paramedic Wayne Schneider responded to a respiratory distress call, he didn’t expect to be waking up in the hospital himself. He was shocked to learn he had suffered a cardiac arrest, and more astonishingly he had gone 68 minutes without a pulse. As a paramedic, Wayne knows first-hand how lucky he is to be alive. According to the heraldonline.com, “There are over 300,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the US each year, and of those, approximately 92 percent die. Furthermore, those who survive often have some sort of permanent neurological damage.” Wayne praises both the immediate life-saving actions of his partner and the use of advanced CPR technologies called the ResQPOD and LUCAS mechanical CPR device. The ResQPOD doubles the blood available in the heart for chest compressions during conventional CPR, increasing survival rates by 25% or more.
Paramedics and paramedic firefighters are the first-responders that can mean the difference between life and death of those in danger on-scene. They may save the life of someone on-site or stabilize them to be rescued at the hospital. When paramedics are thinking about a career change within the healthcare industry, they may choose to become an RN. This can be a smart career change for many paramedics, as well as the possibility to have more patient contact on a daily basis and continue to make a difference in more patients’ lives. Paramedics also see one of the biggest salary increases when making the switch to RN, with an increase of $34,330. So whether it’s to grow in your career, to move to a less physically demanding position, or to enjoy an increase in salary, switching to RN can be a smart move for paramedics. That is why Rue Education pre-qualifies paramedics for our RN bridge program. Real testimonials from paramedics that have used the Rue program and enjoy the flexibility of choosing when and where they study for their nursing courses. One firefighter paramedic used his down-time at work to take his nursing courses and work towards his associate’s degree in nursing. If you’re ready to advance your career and bridge to RN, Rue is ready to help!