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First, welcome to the City. You will find many different opinions here (some you will like, some you won't). I'm sorry to hear about your friend and you community. Can I make one suggestions and please don't take it as me trying to chase away someone new to the site? We all like to help and answer questions, but none of us like to try to decipher a difficult to read paragraph. I am no grammar nazi and make plenty of written mistakes myself but it would help us help you if we had something a bit more coherent and paragraphed to go off of. I'm going to assume that you meant what arctic said. No one is going to begrude you or give you a hard time for wanting to change fields. We have all thought about it once ot twice, I do it on an almost weekly basis. Make sure you understand what EMS really is. The experience you have had is the exception and not the rule. Disasters like that are a once or twice in a life time deal. Do more ride alongs and see the real work involved with EMS before you decide. I don't know the first thing about EMS in Alabama so I can't help you there but have you tried google? Be careful going out of state. An EMS card does not transfer from state to state as easily as your nursing license does. Check with you state EMS office to see what the policy is. You will find that most people on here despise the accelerated card mills. I generally agree with this, with a caveat. If you have been through nursing school, you will probably find EMT class easy. You already have more knowledge of anatomy, physiology and pathology than you need. You know how to do vitals and provide first aid. It is just a matter of learning the more EMS specific things such as traction splints, immobilization, etc.

A comment posted on CBC. Squinting I am a survivor of PTS or OSD (38 year .. A Domestic Veteran) so I speak with a bit of knowledge on this topic as 3 years ago I too was looking 6 feet down I asked for help and was treated as a criminal ...this despite the recent well intended legislation of AB Bill 1. PTSD is presumptive in First responders, Law enforcement, Corrections, Medics and our Fire Fighters RIP BRAD ! I have good days and not so good days, yesterday was not a good day as I knew with the media releases "innuendo" and links connected the dots ... no sleep, calls to non governmental supporters and advocates . I can say without hesitation that not only the EMS/LEO/FF culture of "suck it up princess attitude" is partially to blame, so if one comes out of the closet (so to speak) ones career is simply over. Yet hose in high places are and continue to contort the intent of this important legislation with deny, delay, and when at ones weakest bombard with useless paperwork tactics insisting that many multiple "psychological assessments" be done to attempt to 'disprove' a false claim. At your wish CBC I will present 11 pounds of paperwork and be interviewed as to the literal psychological torture endured by myself at the hands of those intended to help me ? Tomorrow is Mental Health awareness day, so I ask, when the first responders are suiciding .. just what does this say about the supposed HELP that governments purport to be doing about this national traged ? Not a Damn Thing ! I will make note that 3 survivors (2 places in Canada) at their own expense, attempting to set up a "respite" a place to go and spend time with trusted "been there done that type guys" in confidence and respect for the duty they have provided to all Canadians.