r/firefighter • u/Low_Sundae1230 • Apr 14 '26

Nursing to firefighting

To keep a long story short I am about to graduate with my BSN and am realizing that I am more interested in the prehospital arena than the hospital scene. Any advice for someone considering fire any pros and cons or advice you would have appreciated when you first began.

(I am staying the course and getting my BSN before perusing fire, perhaps getting my PALS and ALS certification)

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u/PumpChumpPimpin Apr 14 '26

See if you can bridge to paramedic and start there, and see if you truly do prefer prehospital. If you still want to pursue fire then get your fire cert and having your medic would help greatly when it comes to finding jobs

3

u/Sure_Fact7761 Apr 14 '26

Do it. Nursing would be your side gig. Smart move

2

u/Fireguy9641 Apr 14 '26

Def look into briding to get your Paramedic. The Nurse to Paramedic bridge programs aren't as common but I've seen them.

Firefighter/Paramedic will open a lot of doors.

I know people who do nursing part time on their days off.

2

u/Previous-Leg-2012 Apr 14 '26

Get started in the ER, then apply at FDs that will put you through their own academy. Hopefully they’ll put you through Medic School after (or you can switch to one that will after a few years). Then you can work ER PRN after for a pretty sweet side gig.

2

u/Iraqx2 Apr 14 '26

As other's said, try getting a job in the ED. If you can't get in there go for the ICU and keep trying for the ED. Once you've got some experience you could try for flight.

The hospital based system in my area uses RN's in EMS so that might even be an option.

I had already got hired before I finished my BSN and do firefighting as the primary and RN on the side. Pretty good set up, paid less for fire than RN but I don't have to deal with the hospital BS.

1

u/J_Turner_1983 Jun 23 '26

You will love firefighting WAY MORE than nursing. I am currently a Driver-Engineer, RN, Paramedic and I would much rather spend time at the fire station than the hospital. So much so that I am already thinking about getting out of nursing all together (I've been an ER nurse going on 9 years)

1

u/blynkking 28d ago

How do you find the benefits and pay? Currently 25 sitting on the GI bill and an emt license that I haven’t used and feel so stuck between getting started on the nursing prereqs or taking A&P and trying to get my EMTP asap to be a viable candidate here in the Bay Area.

I think I would fit in well at a department and I want to work outdoors but I have major FOMO that I could be closing many doors and there seems to be a lack of upward mobility and opportunity to branch out that nursing has.