catmasher

Spenac, I got bounced around a little calling that number and eventually was given a "definitive" number to call, which was not operating again until Monday. I am going to keep looking around. I am on a few stand-by lists, so if this actually causes the havoc expected, I am sure I will receive a call. Thanks for the number though.

If anyone knows of a contact that needs emt's for Ike, please pm me or post it up. I am in Houston and would like to help out, but have not established many contacts yet. Also, the numbers that people are told to call to volunteer seem to be unanswered at the moment. Thanks. *edit: if this storm actually gets bad enough, feel free to post numbers, questions, etc so that anyone who would like to help, can.

Read it...I was hired as a consultant when they wrote it! J/k, I looked that up and was able to read some of the pages on amazon. It looks like a classic, I may have to order a copy and put it on the coffee table.

Thanks guys, I appreciate it!

Have not posted in a while, I have been busy finishing school and getting married. I just took my nremt-b test and passed. I am officially an basic! I know it is not a major deal, but I am elated. I start the paramedic school program as soon as summer is over! that is all...

finally, someone breaks it down in terms I can understand! seriously though, everyone is making what I think are great points. Here are some of my thoughts on the responses. I want to stand out to a prospective employer, and while I am in school, I will have opportunities to build my resume beyond what the school provides. If I don't, it seems as though I will be on a level playing field with those that graduated with me, which is what I don't want. I want to stand out on paper, even if it is just a little. I want it to be a no brainer for the HR person or whoever to invite me to an interview as they skim however many other applications. UMSTUDENT: Your abc's were helpful, I will certainly keep those in mind. I also just bought a pimpin new suit on sale that I can use for interviews! The straight scoop is why I asked, and I had an idea why vollies are frowned upon by some folks, (I also see why they are needed in some areas, NREMT-Basic) but the whole volly issue is becoming more clear to me. I don't think I will volunteer, there are 3 hospitals in my area that I would love to work at (and be paid for it). I think it will be helpful to see what happens as EMS drops off the patients, I reckon it will help me understand and perform better as an EMS responder. I am asking these questions so I can learn from your mistakes and hopefully avoid more advanced mistakery. I dont at all mind getting a harsh response, as I would much rather get a bit of a verbal lashing here than make a mistake that causes my career harm. I am pursuing this as much as I can with the long term in mind. I am doing my best to approach this as my budding career, not as something to do for the next few years. This site has been an incredible resource for me as I begin my endeavor here, and I cant thank you guys enough for your replies.

Howdy y'all. Ok, I am starting a EMT-B program in January, and after that I will be attending a paramedic program. My previous job is that of a student and motorcycle mechanic, which does not exactly lend itself to an impressive resume in a healthcare context (the mechanic part, the BS lends itself well.) What would you suggest I do to get my resume to stand out from the others, or at least get into the acceptable range. Obviously, I would like to pad it with activities that will actually teach me something, not just something that might look good such as a club or something. I know many of you (by many, I mean mostly dust=) would not recommend volunteer work, as it takes away from those attempting to further EMS as a career, but would it not be in my best interest to volunteer as a basic while in school? I could be wrong on my train of thought here, but some advice, criticism, ranting, jokes, etc would be helpful as I formulate a strategy.

I have done some research, and have ended up signing up with cypress-fair for the emt-b course (spring semester) and will hopefully attend the paramedic program the following semester(s). They offer two ways to go about getting to paramedic. 1. paramedic academy - accelerated program (3 semesters i believe) and culminates in you being eligible for nremt-p testing. 2. a 2 year program in which you actually get an associates degree and get some really useful classes (a&p 1 and 2, writing courses, and a few others) This is the plan I am pursuing. I would not recommend the program offered by Houston community college. On 3 different days I could get no one on the phone after numerous attempts, and they took an entire week to reply to an email (and they used a pasted response). On the other hand, the receptionist at cy-fair was incredibly helpful, answered all my questions and was generally just plain pleasant to talk to. I have also visited their campus, and it is very new, nice, and professional. I know you were looking for non-community colleges, but I believe they are a very viable option, and cy-fair is also accredited. Hope this helped a tad. ps. Dust, thanks for all your help.

edit* in the previous post the emt class I was referring to was not the A&M one. I am looking at one offered by houston community college. found here http://www.hccs.edu/discipline/emsp/emsp.html Anyone have any good or bad experiences with this one they would like to share?

One concern I have with going directly into a paramedic program is that I may not have the experience to just get out there and risk the lives of others once I graduate. Also, it is a shorter class to get emt status, which allows me to get a job and school for paramedic while working. I feel like this will also allow me to understand more advanced topics. I have worked as a motorcycle mechanic for a few years and can read engine building theory books all day, but if i have not actually gotten in there and built an engine with the techniques I have read, I wont actually understand.

If you have time, could you please explain why you feel 1 person should not be trained for both? I will also search the forum, I am just curious on your own personal view as well.

Thanks for those resources, some of those are new to me and look very helpful. Education is what i am putting priority on, not getting out there and getting paid. I stopped by 2 firestations and they said that 99% of houstons 911 response is run by fire dept. Is that false? I also found some documents detailing what must be done to operate an ambulance in houston, and found this, which makes me think he was correct. " Per City Ordinance Chapter 4, Sec 4-9 EMS Providers are required to obtain permission from the Houston Fire Department Dispatcher before running Emergency Lights and Sirens within the City of Houston. " It is very possible i am wrong. I am just making sure that once i get educated, i will be able to work. I am stuck in houston for the next few years and it would not be good if i were not able to get a paid position in 911 reponse. Honestly, i dont want to work transport for much longer than is required for me to establish a firm base in patient care, vitals, etc.

I am looking for training in the katy/houston tx area and have a couple problems/questions. If any of you guys/gals work or have worked around here and could help me out, that would be fantastic. Ok, from my understanding, houston ems is run by the fire dept. So if i want to be a 911 responder, i must be a trained firefighter as well. That is fine and does not turn me away. What i am finding though is that many of the fire/ems houses around here are volunteer. How much of Houston is unpaid? I cant afford to do this for free unfortunately (cheap, but not free). Where is a good school around here that will give me quality training. I would like to do the paramedic route, and my plan thus far is get trained as an emt, probably work for a private/transport service for a while, and at the same time be schooling for paramedic. When i get finished with paramedic school, I am hoping that i have enough training to get hired by a 911 response unit. Is this unreasonable, and am I approaching this correctly for my area? Where do i get the firefighting training? While i understand that the firefighters are emts and visa versa, do they normally only perform one role primarily, rotate, or both all the time? Hopefully i have expressed my questions well enough to get an accurate response, if not please let me know how i can be more specific. Thanks

I understand its a calling, and i feel it would be were i belong in a lot of ways. Fortunatley for me, it does not have to support me as i run an ebay business and have a wife that is a cpa for a large oil company. I am heading down the road in a few minutes to talk with the local crews, and i am going to offer my services as a volunteer while i figure out the legal side of this.

paramedicmike, Thanks for the reply. To be honest i havent been upset or angry about any replies. I have never messaged on forum of professionals, and as such came off the way i did because i was being casual. I understand that everything i post is viewed with a healthy dose of skepticism. And to all of you replying, I apologize for my impression and still thank you for every reply. I was just under the impression that nursing school would be about 2-4 years of school and i am not so sure i can afford that as my previous student loans have hefty payments. I have long thought about being in a profession such as this, and have grown up with a mother who has spared no detail on the ins and outs of what she does. And i have spent much time thinking of "is my head in the right place?" So by being brief in my original post i was hoping to avoid the replies of "examine why you want to do this" and get down to the answers of the record. I understand that this job can have intense periods of boredom and many times is not exciting. All i want to do is make a difference in the lives of those i come into contact with, rather than sitting behind a desk making a filthy rich ceo even richer or performing menial tasks that doesnt really help anyone. Im not looking for adrenaline shots. Again, i apologize to all i have rubbed the wrong way and assure you it was not on purpose.