Registered nurses can become paramedics in Australia by completing a Bachelor of Paramedicine and registering with the Paramedicine Board. Though your nursing registration won’t grant you automatic registration, many universities will give you credit for the courses you’ve already completed without having to start from scratch. Nursing registration also qualifies you for a few pre-hospital roles you could start today, so you don’t have to go straight back to university when moving from nurse to paramedic.
Is there a nurse to paramedic conversion course?
No single course will convert your nursing registration into a paramedic one. To register with the Paramedicine Board, you’ll need to complete an accredited paramedicine degree, regardless of what you’ve studied before. The nursing and paramedicine boards treat them as separate professions, so your nursing registration won’t count toward paramedic registration.
Your nursing degree can still shorten the paramedicine degree, though. Universities often give registered nurses credit for units they’ve already completed, like anatomy, physiology, clinical skills and emergency mental health. How much credit you get depends on the university and on the nursing degree you completed.
Nurse to paramedic bridging programs work the same way. They shorten the degree without letting you skip it, which is why the fastest routes still take around 18 months of study.
How to become a paramedic as a registered nurse
You must follow the same route as any paramedic, though you’ll take a shorter course in the middle to account for the units you’ve already completed. This is how you can become a paramedic if you’re already a registered nurse:
- Check how much credit you’ll get: Ask each university what your nursing degree counts for before you apply, since the amount changes from one course to the next.
- Complete a paramedicine degree: You can study full-time or part-time, and every accredited degree includes clinical placements with an ambulance service.
- Register with the Paramedicine Board: Having this degree is what makes you eligible to register as a paramedic, so you need to get one even if you already have a degree in nursing.
- Apply to an ambulance service: Services hire new registrants as graduate paramedics, supervised for their first year on road. Your nursing background won’t exempt you from this requirement either.
The good thing about becoming a paramedic as a registered nurse is that you can finish the degree in about half the usual time with credit, depending on the university. For example, at Edith Cowan University in Western Australia, registered nurses can finish up to 18 months sooner through a dedicated nurse to paramedic pathway.
Other universities set their own credit policies, so the credit you’d receive elsewhere could be more or less than this. Check with each university you’re considering before you commit to one.
What dual registration means
You’ll hold two separate registrations once you qualify, one with each board. The nursing and paramedicine boards expect you to have recent practice in both professions, so you’ll need enough work in each to keep both of them current.
The Paramedicine Board also expects you to meet each profession’s professional development and insurance standards separately, so you’ll pay application and renewal fees for both registrations as well. You’ll also need to be clear at work about which role you’re in, since your employer and colleagues need to know if you’re practising as a nurse or a paramedic on any given shift.
Pre-hospital roles you can work as a nurse now
You don’t need paramedic registration to start working outside a hospital. Many employers already hire registered nurses for pre-hospital care, so becoming a paramedic isn’t your only way to work outside a hospital:
- Ambulance transport attendant: Victorian employers accept Division 1 registered nurses for this role once they’ve completed a bridging course for non-emergency transport. Royal Flying Doctor Service Victoria lists it as one of the qualification routes for its attendants.
- Offshore medic: Oil and gas facilities hire nurses as their on-site medic. In NOPSEMA’s review of offshore facilities, 15 out of 53 wanted a registered nurse and another 10 accepted either a nurse or a paramedic.
- Flight nurse: NSW Ambulance crews its fixed-wing aircraft with a pilot and a flight nurse. You’ll need critical care experience from emergency, intensive care or coronary care nursing first.
- Private patient transport: Some private operators in NSW advertise ambulance transport attendant roles that ask for registration as either a nurse or a paramedic.
Try pre-hospital care before you switch
A second degree is a big commitment, so it’s a good idea to find out whether paramedic work suits you first. IPC’s Certificate IV in Health Care and Diploma of Emergency Health Care qualify you for event medical and industrial roles you can pick up around nursing shifts. Some of your nursing study may count toward recognition of prior learning, which a course adviser can assess before you enrol.
FAQs
Is there a registered nurse to paramedic bridge program in Australia?
Not one that replaces the paramedicine degree. Some universities offer credit or dedicated pathways for registered nurses that shorten the degree, though you still need to complete it before you can register as a paramedic.
How long does it take a nurse to become a paramedic?
It takes about 18 months of full-time study at universities that give generous credit for nursing, or three years without it. Once you register, you’ll also complete a supervised graduate year with an ambulance service before you can work independently.
Can you keep your nursing registration after becoming a paramedic?
Yes. You can hold both registrations at once, though you’ll need recent practice in each profession to keep them current. You’ll also have to pay registration fees to both boards.
Is there a paramedic to nurse bridge program?
No, you’ll also need an accredited nursing degree to register as a nurse, though some universities give paramedics credit for units they’ve already studied. Ask each university how much your paramedicine degree counts for before you apply.
Can nurses work on ambulances without becoming paramedics?
In some roles, yes. Victorian employers accept registered nurses as ambulance transport attendants after a bridging course, while some private patient transport operators hire nurses directly.
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