Registered nurses who work in the trauma or ER department of any hospital can be the first responders in case of an emergency in the hospital to see the patient first but they are not the ones who arrived first in the emergency situation that has happened outside the hospital. They are not considered a first responder.
However, the triage nurse is the one who professionally sees the emergency patients first. Also, they are the ones who look after the patients and fulfill their medical requirements.
Triage nurses determine the level of requirement for any patient and which sort of treatment they need. Registered nurses are the main and important part of any department.
Who is the First Responder?
Firefighters, police officers, EMTs, and paramedics are the first responder who arrived first at the emergency situation. But are nurses first responders? Generally, the doctors available at the time of emergency are considered first responders in any case of emergency who diagnose and direct the treatment to the patient.
Mostly, police officers and firefighters are the ones who are trained as the first responders in any emergency situation. However, the medical treatment is usually provided by EMTs and paramedics but sometimes police officers and firefighters are certified and trained enough to tackle any emergency situation as paramedics and EMTs.
Can a Nurse Become a First Responder?
The emergency department is open 24/7 for patients who need immediate medical attention. Doctors and nurses are the ones who treat emergency patients at any time by their experience and good coordination. Group working is the most important part of an emergency situation for the sake of the patient’s life.
Are nurses first responders? After gaining a first responder certification, still, the registered nurses could not become the first responders because of the EMTs and paramedics. The EMTs and paramedics have been certified in a higher level of training by OEMs so they have covered these duties very well.
How You Can Become an Emergency First Responder?
Anyone can become an emergency first responder after getting trained and certified but you must have the following;
- Full driving license and access to a perfect car.
- Physically fit.
- Aged 18-65.
- Caring and sympathetic nature.
- Accept to a disclosure and barring service check (DBS).
- Training and certification.
How do You Show You Are a First Responder?
You can use and show your documents in the hospital to verify as a first responder. But are nurses first responders? However, after getting a first responder job therefore it is the duty of the first responder to provide emergency medical attention and care to the patients. EMTs and paramedics are the first responders.
Also, they can show their ID cards or license to prove the identity of the first responder in an emergency situation.
What is the Difference Between a Registered Nurse and a Paramedic?
Nurses do not have the training in hazardous materials response, mass casualty triage, and similar topics because of their duty to provide amazing and incredible care to ill patients.
However, there are some cases in which nurses may choose to take additional courses to provide care as a registered nurse in an ambulance for any emergency.
What Are the Duties of the First Responder?
The first responders are certified with a high level of training to provide pre-emergency treatment in an emergency situation. They give a high level of first aid level care, CPR, and automated external defibrillator (AED) usage to the required patient.
Summing Up:
Registered nurses are those who see patients first in the emergency but are nurses first responders? They are not the first responder however first responders are those who are the first to see the patient in emergency conditions before registered nurses like policemen, paramedics, fire brigades.
The medical treatment is usually provided by EMTs and paramedics but sometimes police officers and firefighters are certified and trained enough to tackle any emergency situation as paramedics and EMTs so they are the first responder.