I really want out of CA

[Lisa O]

I really have not liked CA, ever. I am an Army brat who was moved here from KY when I was 5. I have never "adjusted" to it here. I am a person who is in love with water, and rain - clouds, gloom, fog, etc. Someone a few years ago mentioned to me that I should move to WA as a joke, I have not gotten out of my head since. Here is the kicker, I have NEVER been to WA. I have been as far as Oregon, and that is where it ends. (BTW, I fell in love with OR)

We are planning a trip up there next year to check things out. I plan on finishing school here before doing anything drastic, so I am looking way into the future, about 2 years.

I am learning the different areas of WA, aside from Seattle. Can anyone who lives there, or who has lived there tell me about life up in WA. I will have two kids, ages (then) 15 and 13, how are schools? How about employment, esp. for medical / EMT-Medic jobs. I am thinking of staying here, completing my Associate in Science degree, and waiting to do any of the EMS training up in WA, (unless if I can get my EMT-B here, and be okay to transfer up there with out too many hiccups). I have plenty of time to think this through, feel things out, and plan. This is my first step, asking people with first hand knowledge. Then taking the time to actually go up there next year, and see how it really is in person.

Thanks in advance

[Kiwiology]

Oregon is the greatest state in the Union because they require an Associates Degree for Paramedic.

Oregon approved schools: http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/ems/certific/school.shtml#emtp

CAAHEP/CoAEMSP sccredited programs are Chemeketa Community College in Salem and Oregon Health Sciences University in Sherwood.

Note that I didn't include NCTI which is AMR's patch factory.

Washington has some serious education programs for Paramedic, Counties who are part of the Medic One system (King/Whatcom/Pierce etc) require thousands of hours of work.

Now generally, I really do like Seattle it's an awesome city and they have a really cool pointy thing.

Could always get a job as a Tech at Seattle Grace; Arizona Robbins is hawt!

Here is some info from another post regarding WA

1) What are employment opps for EMTs currently like in WA?

On the West side of the state, the opportunities for EMT-Bs are few and far between. I would call the outlook for getting hired here "bleak". The local community collges churn out a few hundred EMTs every quarter and there's just not enough jobs to go around.

2) What are the "best" schools in WA for getting Paramedic cert?

That's something you'll have to research on your own. There are only a few medic programs in the state. I attend TCC, and think it's a superior program for several reasons. PM if you want specifics on each program. Here's the list of approved paramedic programs in WA. Note that several are open to "approved applicants only" i.e.: Harborview is for Medic One, Seatlle Fire and other fire departments only. Tacoma FD is for Tacoma Fire only.

3) Will establishing residency affect my ability to get a job/get into a good program?

Get a job? No. Get into a program? Yes. You will not be able to get into a medic program in Washington without a year of EMT experience. Maybe NCTI waives this rule, but you'd be better off checking with each program you're interested in.

4)What ambulance companies offer Paramedic training?

Some fire departments will sometimes send FF/EMT staff through paramedic training. Many are now only hiring lateral, credentialed medics, as the expense of having a firefighter off the line, as well as paying tuituion, can be a bit excessive. No ambulance services are paying for medic school, that I know of. However, ALS in Yakima is paying for a bunch of basics to upgrage to ILS, for what it's worth.

5) Any advice...at all!?!(remember I'm brand newbie)

There's always a lot of questions about getting a WA EMT cert...

The simple answer is;

1) Get hired or volunteer with an EMS agency. In other words, get affiliated.

2) Meet the WA reciprocity requirements.

2) Submit the paperwork to WA DOH.

The reciprocity page (with all the forms) is here: http://www.doh.wa.gov/hsqa/emstrauma/reciproc.htm

Please note: It takes a while to get your paperwork through the system. A friend of mine moved from CA to WA and it took over three months for his cert to be approved.

So, if you're serious about it... start the process NOW.

And, here's the current lowdown on BLS ambulance jobs in the Seattle Area:

AMR has a huge backlog of applicants, and isn't hiring anyone anytime soon. They do BLS ONLY transports for Seattle Fire as well as Federal Way and Auburn. They also have an ALS/BLS division that works in Pierce County.

TriMed in South King County once again just hired a large batch of EMTs, so no spots there now, although there may be some openings in soon. Best bet is just apply and keep trying. TriMed does NOT hire for part time or day crew (with the very odd exception.) The majority of their hires are for 24 shifts. TriMed does BLS for most of the South King County Fire Departments and a large number of IFTs. They will also be staffing two brand new Nurse/CCT cars soon.

From what I hear from friends at Rural/Metro, they are still way overstaffed and there is still a hiring freeze.

There are a couple of other spots you may want to check ... Northwest Ambulance in Marysville may still be looking and I think that Olympic in Lacy is looking, too.

Now go get me In N Out, stat!

[coolparamedic]

I'll try and give you my take on WA. Having only lived in eastern WA my whole life, I can't really say how the west side is. However, if you want the rainy type environment, the west side is for you. I have spent quite a bit of time in Vancouver, WA in the past year and a half and it seems like it rains a lot. It seems like a pretty decent town. If you drive 15 miles north, east or west, you're out of the big city and into the country. Eastern Wa is, for the most part, pretty arid. We get snow during the winter and its hot during the summer. Where I live we get about 18" of rain a year.

The cost of living is decent. There is no state income tax like there is in OR. AMR is all over the place. Vancouver, Longview, King and Pierce counties (BLS). They're also on the east side (Yakima, Tri-Cities, Spokane). There are several other private services I know of. There is also the fire service, if you want to do that. If you join a volly squad and have your EMT and red card, you can get called to state mobilization fires and make pretty good money from what I've been told.

WA can be a pain to reciprocity in if you're an EMT-Intermediate. They have 5 different certification levels between Basic and Paramedic. One of my co-workers was an I-85 in Idaho but washington would only let him certify as an IV tech. You can look up WA's scope of practice for all of the certs available on the WA DOH website.

As for the schools, I can't really tell you a whole lot. I don't have kids and I've only been to a few schools. I don't personally think they are bad, but maybe someone else can answer that better for you.

If you're into outdoor type things, WA is a great place. We have mountain climbing, hunting, fishing, whitewater rafting, all that type of stuff. Hope that answered a few of your questions. Maybe some of the people on here from western WA can give you some better answers on the west side.

[Kiwiology]

They have 5 different certification levels between Basic and Paramedic.

Aren't they merging all those into one level in line with the 2010 Agenda For the Future changes?

And do you know awesomeambo? :P

[coolparamedic]

I've heard that WA is going to fall in line with National Registry which, in my opinion, is great. It will make it a lot easier for reciprocity among other things.

I do like how you left NCTI off your list of good schools. I am not a fan of them either. It's just a medic mill plain and simple.

There are places that pay for paramedic schools. Generally it is hospital based EMS services though. My EMS service paid for my school, and another hospital based service will pay and has paid for their full time EMT's to go to medic school.

I do know awesomeambo and excellentemt and ImpressiveIntermediate also. I've always gotten crap from this name. Just haven't ever figured out a new one lol.

[Lisa O]

Oregon is the greatest state in the Union because they require an Associates Degree for Paramedic.

Oregon approved schools: http://www.oregon.go...hool.shtml#emtp

CAAHEP/CoAEMSP sccredited programs are Chemeketa Community College in Salem and Oregon Health Sciences University in Sherwood.

Note that I didn't include NCTI which is AMR's patch factory.

Washington has some serious education programs for Paramedic, Counties who are part of the Medic One system (King/Whatcom/Pierce etc) require thousands of hours of work.

Now generally, I really do like Seattle it's an awesome city and they have a really cool pointy thing.

Could always get a job as a Tech at Seattle Grace; Arizona Robbins is hawt!

Here is some info from another post regarding WA

Now go get me In N Out, stat!

Oh thats right, no In N Out huh..lol Damnit! Thank you for the info (yes, that I should have gotten on my own - I totally didnt even think to look for info on here prior to me asking. Sorry about that.) I will save it, and look into as things get closer. The only thing I can do now is finish my Assoc. of Science degree. I think I will take my EMT-B in January as planned, and become certified as I get my degree. I can work and go to school while I start to get my ducks in a row.

Then, if I do move I can have work experience, the degree, and be better prepared. Thank you

I'll try and give you my take on WA. Having only lived in eastern WA my whole life, I can't really say how the west side is. However, if you want the rainy type environment, the west side is for you. I have spent quite a bit of time in Vancouver, WA in the past year and a half and it seems like it rains a lot. It seems like a pretty decent town. If you drive 15 miles north, east or west, you're out of the big city and into the country. Eastern Wa is, for the most part, pretty arid. We get snow during the winter and its hot during the summer. Where I live we get about 18" of rain a year.

The cost of living is decent. There is no state income tax like there is in OR. AMR is all over the place. Vancouver, Longview, King and Pierce counties (BLS). They're also on the east side (Yakima, Tri-Cities, Spokane). There are several other private services I know of. There is also the fire service, if you want to do that. If you join a volly squad and have your EMT and red card, you can get called to state mobilization fires and make pretty good money from what I've been told.

WA can be a pain to reciprocity in if you're an EMT-Intermediate. They have 5 different certification levels between Basic and Paramedic. One of my co-workers was an I-85 in Idaho but washington would only let him certify as an IV tech. You can look up WA's scope of practice for all of the certs available on the WA DOH website.

As for the schools, I can't really tell you a whole lot. I don't have kids and I've only been to a few schools. I don't personally think they are bad, but maybe someone else can answer that better for you.

If you're into outdoor type things, WA is a great place. We have mountain climbing, hunting, fishing, whitewater rafting, all that type of stuff. Hope that answered a few of your questions. Maybe some of the people on here from western WA can give you some better answers on the west side.

Thank you very much. I will keep all of this in mind!