The United States (U.S.) faces an ongoing shortage of registered nurses. This shortage had led to a proliferation of new nursing programs and new pathways for transitioning into nursing from other professions such as emergency medical services (EMS). This increase in pathways has enabled paramedics to transition to registered nursing (RN) practice in greater numbers. While the increased number of paramedics entering nursing could be seen as beneficial to address the nursing shortage, this is only true if these newly educated paramedic-RNs are well prepared to practice and do not experience excessive turnover in the first few years. Formation of a professional identity has been specifically linking to higher nurse retention rates and job satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to explore the current role perception of paramedics who were educated as RNs through various different educational programs, and those influences and experiences that facilitated or hindered role perception as nurses.
