Converse1762 Posted September 9, 2008 Posted September 9, 2008 I am interested in pursuing certification as an EMT-Basic, with the goal of becoming a paramedic. Before I commit myself, however, I'd like to know how a past DUI conviction will affect my progress down the road. Will I be utterly wasting my time? I was convicted of a non-accident DUI in August of 2004, here in California. I promptly completed all of my court-mandated sentencing (fees and DUI education classes) and am presently in full compliance with a valid driver's license. I appreciate any input! Thanks very much.
zzyzx Posted September 9, 2008 Posted September 9, 2008 I believe that AMR will not hire you if it's been less than 3 years since your DUI. Other ambulance companies probably have similar policies. You should call their employment office and find out for sure. Not sure about fire departments. I don't think the DUI would exclude you since by the time you become a medic it'll have been many years since. But again, you should check around.
speedygodzilla Posted September 10, 2008 Posted September 10, 2008 Most EMS apps I have field out ask for all violations in the past 5 years, plus they check your record once they do decide to hire you I assume. It certainly won't help you but don't let it stop you from reaching your goals. Good Luck.
Arizonaffcep Posted September 10, 2008 Posted September 10, 2008 Best thing to do is to call and get in touch with the county health department that oversees EMS in your area. They will best be able to guide you through the process. The best frame of reference I have is several years ago I taught an EMT-B class, there was a student who got a DUI 10+ yrs ago, and the state health dept. (AZ is not county by county) was giving him a bunch of grief over it, even though he'd been on the "straight and narrow" since the DUI. Eventually, he did get it and works for a local FD. But, your county HD would know if they have a time frame from DUI to be able to get certified/licensed.
Dustdevil Posted September 10, 2008 Posted September 10, 2008 This is going to vary from county to county, and from employer to employer. Therefore, there is no "yes or no" answer for you. First, check with your county's EMS licensing authority. If they say it's okay, then you'll need to check with each and every EMS or ambulance employer in that county to find their position on the matter. Just because the county doesn't disqualify you doesn't mean the employers have to hire you. And quite frequently, their insurance carrier will not cover you, meaning they will not hire you. And, of course, in California, there are simply damn few real EMS jobs for EMTs anyhow since the firemonkeys dominate the field. You will very definitely want to find out if there is a job for you before you invest time and money in the school. Good luck!
6Echo25 Posted September 10, 2008 Posted September 10, 2008 I am interested in pursuing certification as an EMT-Basic, with the goal of becoming a paramedic. Before I commit myself, however, I'd like to know how a past DUI conviction will affect my progress down the road. Will I be utterly wasting my time? I was convicted of a non-accident DUI in August of 2004, here in California. I promptly completed all of my court-mandated sentencing (fees and DUI education classes) and am presently in full compliance with a valid driver's license. I appreciate any input! Thanks very much. Since you put this out there, I have to say with great honesty that I wouldn't want someone with a DUI working in emergency services near me. DUI's (especially fatalities) aren't fun to deal with. Unfortunately most of us on this side of the fence don't have a lot of say in such matters. I am considering myself lucky not to live in your area, and only hope you move on to find yourself another means to pay your bills. Fortunately for you and everyone else who was on the road with you the night you decided to drink and drive, you got pulled over before someone got hurt. Or worse ...
VentMedic Posted September 10, 2008 Posted September 10, 2008 You state your age as 33 now and this happened only 4 years ago. You can not blame ignorance of youth for getting the DUI. Besides insurance rates, an employer will have to look at your ability to make descisions. At 29, a full adult at least by age, getting the DUI meant you made a decision that could have had deadly consequences. However, in California, you shouldn't have too much problem since your conviction is petty compared to others that are turning up in their system.
Just Plain Ruff Posted September 10, 2008 Posted September 10, 2008 Since you put this out there, I have to say with great honesty that I wouldn't want someone with a DUI working in emergency services near me. DUI's (especially fatalities) aren't fun to deal with. Unfortunately most of us on this side of the fence don't have a lot of say in such matters. I am considering myself lucky not to live in your area, and only hope you move on to find yourself another means to pay your bills. Fortunately for you and everyone else who was on the road with you the night you decided to drink and drive, you got pulled over before someone got hurt. Or worse ... What a totally arrogant and insulting post to the original poster and it took you only 6 posts to show how insensitive you really are. wow, a stupid mistake 4 years ago and you decide on that alone that you are glad you don't live in his area. That's a little judgemental if you ask me. Yes he made a huge mistake, did he not complete the mandated court requirements? But to throw a blanket statement of glad I'm not living in your area is a big bit of ego if you ask me. So what about the other people in your area that got DUI's? Where are you going to live since I'll bet within 1/2 mile of your house and maybe next door someone has a drunk driving conviction. Good luck finding someplace to live without someone with a drunk driving conviction. I hope that your life has been without challenges or stupid mistakes. That would allow you to throw stones and be squeaky clean. Sure we deal with drunks every day, we deal with the fatalities they cause. We deal with many other things yet someone who has made the mistake and then followed through on the court requirements and then want's to come out and help people and you automatically want to ban him from working in EMS. 1
dougd Posted September 10, 2008 Posted September 10, 2008 Since you put this out there, I have to say with great honesty that I wouldn't want someone with a DUI working in emergency services near me. DUI's (especially fatalities) aren't fun to deal with. Unfortunately most of us on this side of the fence don't have a lot of say in such matters. I am considering myself lucky not to live in your area, and only hope you move on to find yourself another means to pay your bills. He's not the first person to get a DUI and he won't be the last. How long do you hold a boneheaded move over his head? Forever? That's certainly your prerogative, but I think that's pretty extreme - convicted felons get more rhythm from most people. Don't expect me to believe that you've never done something stupid before. Full Disclosure: I had a DUI over 10 years ago. I'm considerably less stupid now than I was then - at least when it comes to things like drinking and driving. Edit: And while I don't reflexively defend folks who drink and drive, if someone in their early-mid 20's gets one and it's more than 5 years old, I'm certainly more inclined to think they were just an idiot as opposed to a menace to society. (Although, I see after the fact that the OP was older than that.)
VentMedic Posted September 10, 2008 Posted September 10, 2008 Yes, but Ruff, in other professions if you are granted licensure (after you are even granted permission to take the classes) your license may be flagged with special notations. This will allow the employer to consider whether special monitoring may need to be in place as a condition of your employment. He's not the first person to get a DUI and he won't be the last. How long do you hold a boneheaded move over his head? Forever? That's certainly your prerogative, but I think that's pretty extreme - convicted felons get more rhythm from most people. Don't expect me to believe that you've never done something stupid before. I don't believe that many of us in the profession have a conviction on our records.
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