Nate

I would check with GWU admissions office, a third party is just going to eat your money up. -Nate

When you go to school for as long as doctors do you should be entitled to a nice life and a better lifestyle then someone who spent two years in a community college. If I could afford for a doctor to come to my house whenever I needed him I'd pay for it just to avoid having to drive to his office, wait, and feel rushed out the door because his patient volume is high. I would just make sure I don't use the same doctor Michael Jackson used. -Nate

Make sure it is a bachelors degree, an associates won't do much for you in most situations. A bachelors degree looks better and will do more for our industry as a whole. An associates degree should honestly be the minimum level of education for a paramedic anyways. -Nate

I see nothing wrong with a doctor deciding how or what he/she wishes to do with their practice. Life isn't fair, the sooner people realize this they better off they'll be in life. I know that when it comes time for me to retire there probably won't be a social security system, Medicare will be broke as well, and the risk of having cancer is high (family history)for me. Because of those factors I have made sure to plan ahead. So while I may have less now, I won't be without later on in life. It is called responsibility, and to many Americans seem to forget what it is. I'm really getting fed up of hearing "it isn't fair" being thrown out there. -Nate

A business degree will do you more good than nursing degree. When you're in the management roll you have to look at it a business (even if you're a non-profit organization). Someone with a business degree will run circles around someone with a nursing degree trying to manage a business (unless they just happen to be the next management guru). -Nate

Most paramedic programs aren't over saturated, and just about every community college system in the Houston area has a program (and they are accredited). You'll be required to hold a basic certification to become a paramedic, and there is nothing wrong with working as an EMT-B while you work towards becoming a paramedic. It will be pretty tough to get hired on as an EMT with a municipal service (more so with no experience). Your options here are working for a hospital/clinic which pays anywhere from $14-$17 an hour (most hospitals have decent benefits packages) or going to work for a private ambulance service. There are 326 private ambulance services in Harris County, and I hate to burst people's bubbles but this also includes services contracted by ESD's to provide EMS in a 911 type setting. Every service has it's good points and bad points. Ask 10 people in EMS what they think about a service and you'll get 10 different answers. Like someone mentioned, do your homework. -Nate

My house is one thing I will not risk, no matter what. -Nate

I think schools need to careful how they label their degrees. An "EMS" degree should have more of a business background because I look at as the "service" part of EMS as in the operating a service. I think school need to move towards calling it a BSP or ASP for Bachelors of Science Paramedic or Associates of Science Paramedic which would show a degree focused on making the paramedic a better clinician. Make sense? -Nate

Fifteen fixed mortgage rates are about 4.5% right now. A good return would be between 7-10% on an investment. Investing equity from your house is not a very bright idea. What happens when the markets tank again? Your home is an investment in itself, and should be looked upon as a long-term safe investment. I wouldn't suggest anyone do that unless they are experienced in the markets and are currently financially secure. Most financial planners would not recommend doing this for many reasons. -Nate

I have a Bachelors of Business Administration with a double minor in strategic planning and finance. The trend for most management positions is moving towards degreed individuals. I don't think that a typical bachelors degree in science (even specialized in EMS) is going to give you enough training to be an effective manager. I honestly feel that A&P, Chemistry, Biology, Organic Biology, Cell Biology, and Genetics are all classes that should be incorporated into any paramedic program featuring a four year science degree. The best way to look at it is the BSN (Bachelors of Science Nursing). I guess you could say it'd be a BSP. Education is always for the best, however most degrees only show that you can learn. Specialized degrees like science and business degrees give you the toolset and knowledge needed to understand complex situations and take them apart bit by bit. -Nate

When I became an EMT-Basic I took the state test administered here in Texas. When I became a paramedic I took the NREMT-P test. I let my NREMT-P go after the two years were up and I work for a municipal service. I saw no point in paying someone money every two years just so I could have the ability to move to another state. The NREMT-P test is not difficult, it is not tricky, it is just like every other assessment/exit/capstone type test. My instructor didn't teach NREMT-P, he kept on teaching us how to be paramedics. He told us to review our notes, to take our time, read each question, and think about what you'd do first, second, third. I get tired of people saying that the problem is only NREMT. I don't agree with NREMT, but it is better then no standardized testing at all. The only way EMS is ever going to progress is for it to become more uniform. A paramedic should be the same "type" in every state. The same for other levels. -Nate

Just whatever you do, please do not let the mother or father hold the child while strapped onto the cot like I see done so often around Houston. That is just flat out irresponsible and very dangerous. -Nate

My apologies if this is a repost, I did search unsuccessfully regarding this topic. Who all on here (I know there are a lot of Texas people on here) are going to Texas EMS Conference 2009 in Fort Worth this coming Saturday - Monday? I'll be there, not sure what booth location I'll be in though. -Nate

It does seem like he has something against HFD. I've worked with HFD many times on my scene and even a few of them work PT over at my department. They are good paramedics. -Nate

A bad chief is a bad chief regardless of whether or not it is a fire based service. -Nate