im a registered nurse and have many paramedic friends and have worked in ED, its very difficult and yes on your placement it is requirement to do night shifts, its not a permanent thing but in most medical professions you have to do them to share the load with the other employees, there are a few who do it fulltime but not many. There are also different levels of paramedics as there are with doctors and nurses and depending on the level depends on the workload. The degree also has a fitness requirement. Its very hard and has less pay than even a registered nurse and ive got friends who do 14 to 16 hour shifts due to understaffing, but then again i dont know where you live. if you are determined enough and willing to get through the crappy training schedule, for no pay i might add. then go for it it!!! i chose nursing over paramedics due to the higher pay level and the easier hours. Also many RN's are ex paramedics so i dont know how enjoyable the job is either. Can you tell im hoping you will consider nursing? you also spend alot of time sitting round emergency waiting for us to find a bed for the patient and its almost like being a taxi sometimes! but please dont let what ive said turn you off but best you know before hand, like any job there are pros and cons but if you have little ones its prob best to think about it coz if you have committments you will never finish a shift on time trust me!