FriendOfAnEMT

I'm not sure what it's like in New Mexico, but the state I'm in right now is not doing that great for hiring EMS other than private as well, unless they want to volunteer. Thanks for the input, irlemt

Thank you very much for the correction, scott33.

Interesting. He's had this dream for moving out to England for a long time, for reasons I'm not too entirely clear about. I did some more research, and what I came up with was that he could definitely transfer to The Republic of Ireland with his Paramedic certification and some work experience/references. It's not the UK, but I'd imagine getting UK equivalent training through their channels would be quite a bit easier if he's at least in physical proximity of a UK country, as opposed to being across the pond, assuming Northern Ireland has access to the training/certification you guys have mentioned. I could be completely wrong about that, and if I am, please let me know. Thank you very much for your time, insight and information. It's been invaluable

Is helping a friend with research considered taboo? I don't understand your rationale. Regardless, thanks for the input regarding the differences between the two programs.

Interesting. I just looked up the difference between a basic EMT's amount of training and a Paramedic's. That's a pretty steep difference. The biggest differences between paramedics and EMTs are the training and the scope of practice (what they are allowed to do). Basic EMTs usually receive 120 - 150 hours of training, while paramedics get anywhere from 1,200 hours to 1,800 hours of training. Paramedic programs often award two-year degrees. -source He said the EMT program in New Mexico was two years, and the Paramedic program was four years. Am I correctly assuming that such a timeline is due to required classes for some sort of degree-like certification? Also, when you say, "US based EMS training will be laughed out of the country in the UK", are you saying all EMS training is considered sub-par, or only basic EMT certification? I can't imagine why a Paramedic trained in the States would be considered incompetent in comparison, but I'm more than open as to the why of this issue. Is there no UK equivalent of a basic certified EMT?

Thanks for the information so far. I have a bit of a predicament, and I was wondering if you gents could help me out. I have a friend in the States who recently started training as an EMT in New Mexico. He's considering going Paramedic, but will probably stick with EMT. His ultimate goal is to move over to the UK, preferably England, and work as either an EMT or Paramedic. He'd like to accomplish this in roughly no more than five years if possible, taking the strictly EMT route as opposed to paramedic. From what I've gleaned from this topic thus far, it seems like the optimal approach would be to finish his EMT training and work as a paid employee of a private company for a year or two, and then apply for a work visa in the UK. Is this a sound or likely feasible approach? I'm unfamiliar with work visa laws, and the general attitude of employing immigrants trained in another country. What obstacles would he likely encounter? In addition, should it be a feasible strategy, after he's moved to the UK and begun work as an EMT, would he be able to opt in for training as a paramedic with relative ease?