From EMT to PACU RN

This nurse's journey from EMT to paramedic took an unexpected turn when COVID-19 hit.

Welcome to Nurse Ascent, a twice-weekly newsletter created by nurses for nurses. This week one nurse shares his story of envisioning himself as a firefighter then finding himself working the frontline as a new RN at the beginning of the pandemic. We also discuss a possible separate outbreak of cyclospora, 19 million eggs recalled for salmonella, as well as an incoming increase of generic drugs prices after Trump's proposed tariffs take affect.

But first....

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Acute Care Nurse Practitioner - Hospitalist, Banner Health

Phoenix, AZ

Shift differential: $125 per shift

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Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), AMN Healthcare

Bradenton, FL

$206.61 - $223.65/hourly

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Merced, CA

$135,000 - $190,000/year

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Nurse Spotlight: Nic Ewbank RN, BSN, EMT-P

What I do for work

I currently work as an RN at large metropolitan hospital in the recovery room. Our particular PACU focuses on out-patient surgeries, however being attached to the hospital, we do recover patients who are to be admitted to the hospital as well. I would say that our PACU acts as a jack-of-all-trades in recovery rooms.

How I got here

I became an EMT first before I worked in as a paramedic in the private transfer field for 6 years before I got my RN license. As a new RN, I was hired to the ER right before the pandemic began. 6 weeks into that position was when COVID was declared a pandemic which caused a lot of things to shut down. In those first weeks, no one was leaving home and nearly no one was coming to the ER at that time. Our census during those first weeks dropped to near zero. The hospital had just hired 6 new nurses with few patients in the ER, so they transferred 5 of us new hires to the ER to train to work in the ICU where they needed more hands. From there, I worked as a COVID ICU nurse for a year before taking my experience as a paramedic and critical care nurse to apply for a job in the recovery room.

Growing up I was in Boy Scouts where I ended up teaching a CPR certification to younger scouts for our merit badge training. When looking for a career to pursue in early college, I remembered that these trainings always interested me and that’s what drew me to the EMT field. One of my instructors there guided me to continue my education rather than immediately pursuing firefighting which led me into paramedic training before I joined a transition program for paramedics and LVNs to get their ADN. In the program we were placed in a summer crash course to catch up to the first half of the program and I joined in the rest of the cohort for the last two semesters to graduate with my ADN that started my nursing journey.

Headlines in Healthcare

FDA reports new cyclospora outbreak

Federal health officials have identified a new cyclospora outbreak stemming from an unspecified product. According to CBS News, the FDA initiated a "traceback," which is when investigators follow the path of a potentially contaminated food product through the supply chain in an effort to identify the origins of a foodborne illness outbreak. This comes as health officials in North Carolina say they are investigating more than 560 cases there since May 1 that are possibly linked to parsley, cilantro and lettuce.

19 million eggs recalled for salmonella outbreak

Nearly 100 people across 17 states have been infected in a salmonella outbreak linked in part to recalled eggs, according to the FDA. Last week, 19 million eggs were recalled from several supermarkets over a possible contamination with salmonella. In total, 98 people have been infected, including 26 who have been hospitalized. According to ABC News, the recalled eggs can be identified by a code number P-1950 or 0840962 with a Julian Date between 157 and 184.

Tariffs on generic drugs will lead to higher prices for US

The CEO of Indian pharmaceutical company, Dr. Reddy’s, warns that President Donald Trump’s plan to impose tariffs on generic drugs will lead to patients in the U.S. paying higher prices. Last week, Trump announced that generic drugs imported into the US will face zero tariffs for two years starting August 1, before a 100% levy takes effect in August 2028 and rises to 200% a year later. According to CNBC, the manufacturing of generic drugs in India leads to a significant decrease in the cost of medicine to the United States. It is estimated that moving the manufacturing of generic drug portfolio to the US could take four to seven years.

More on Nic

A day in my life

I carpool into work for an hour commute with a couple coworkers in the morning. At work, we usually get our first cases by 8am when I come onto shift. Our nurse-to-patient ratio varies from 1:1 to 2:1 depending on the level of care the patients need post-op. We do see ICU-level patients with ventilator support or that are on drips who will be have a 1:1 ratio. RNs are staffed to stagger in to their shifts at varying times to best cover cases as they come out of procedure, but we work 12-hour shifts. Because of my start time, I do sometimes end up staying late over my shift to help with patient needs for the final procedures of the day.

My self-care routine

My wife and I have a 2-year-old, so much of my free time revolves around spending time with him right now. Learning the importance of self-care has been quite a journey for me, especially while working as a nurse throughout the pandemic. Recently for me it looks like chilling in the pool, spending time playing video games, and getting out to go hiking to help me unwind and relax in my free time.

Share your story & be entered to win

As part of our effort to spotlight nurses, we’d love to feature you in an upcoming issue of Nurse Ascent! Share your story by filling out our quick interview form, and you’ll be entered into a raffle to win a $50 gift card.

An image of author Katie Scoggins is pictured.

Meet the author:
Katie Scoggins
(RN, BSN & Health Writer)

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