The Scope of practice between a RN and a Paramedic is a wide one, the RN scope is greater.
In the flight ambulance world (I have 10 years experience) in there is a the scoop and run flights (helo's) there is a RN and a Paramedic. The RN is the lead person of the transport.
In fix wing transport (long distance transport), depending on the severity of the patient, it usually is a RN and Respiratory Therapist (RT). Paramedics are not usually used on the long flights on a couple of long haul transport (PHX-YYZ) I had a paramedic who was a RT so it made it nice to have an extra pair of hands and eyes.
Most fire department who have a paramedic rig use Paramedics, some do have RN's that are fire fighters. Paramedics are usually great at the scene to stablize the patient to get them the hospital. They do not have the training as a RN when it comes to medical training. One would think they would, but its not so.
BTW, I would be interested in know if your friends wife was the one who took over on the emergency on the plane, since your friend was out of his scope of pracitce.
Originally Posted by
PassatDoc
In some areas, critical care transport can be done with a paramedic on board. I live in OC, California, and in our county there must be an ACLS*-certified RN when transporting a critical patient in an ambulance. In Los Angeles County, they are allowed to use either an ACLS RN or a paramedic. I have a neighbor who is a paramedic and he works in LA County doing patient transport.
Internists who do a lot of hospital work, as well as ER physicians and pulmonologists, should be comfortable providing care to unstable patients. An orthopaedist friend of mine and his Nurse Practitioner wife were aboard CO EWR-SNA which had to divert to Albuquerque to a patient having a heart attack. They gave him oxygen, aspirin, nitroglycerine and applied the AED (never went off), and got him off the plane alive in NM. They learned he later died in a hospital there. They were both practicing WAY outside their field of expertise but there was no one else who could help on a 737-700 with a small passenger roster.
*Advanced Cardiac Life Support