va35 Posted February 20, 2011 Posted February 20, 2011 Hello this is my first post and I'm an aspiring ems student who needs step 1. Looking to move to washington dc in about April would there be any private programs to be an emt thanks.
paramedicmike Posted February 20, 2011 Posted February 20, 2011 Despite the blatantly obvious grammatical and punctuation errors, I'll take a stab at answering this. In the meantime, please work on your grammar and punctuation. Where in the greater Washington, DC metro area will you be living? This is important as there are volly fire companies in both Maryland and Virginia that will offer the training you're looking for. EMT training for either state may, or may not, be eligible for reciprocity in DC. Why are you moving to DC to start your career? What career? You do know that DC is one of the most expensive places to live in the country, right? And that traffic is among the worst in the country, right? And that DC is one of the most expensive places to live in the country, right? And that EMS is not well known for being a high salary job, right?
scubanurse Posted February 20, 2011 Posted February 20, 2011 Location is going to dictate most of what you're looking for. I know on the Maryland side, Montgomery College in Rockville, MD has a solid EMT-B program. But Mike is right, most of the volunteer houses will pay for your training. PM me if you have any questions, I ran with Montgomery County for close to 5 years and have some good contacts in the area if you're looking to join with a department. Good luck, and enjoy D.C. it's not all bad
va35 Posted February 20, 2011 Author Posted February 20, 2011 Thank you for the replies. I am from San francisco and just want to expand to the east with my girlfriend which just moved to the Washington d.c area, the place that I would be living in would be on the northern side of town. Would there be any online links that I could take a look at for emt training ? Whenever I try to search online I got nothing but GW university
scubanurse Posted February 20, 2011 Posted February 20, 2011 Northside of town being what area? DC is small but there is just enough differences. You'll probably be close enough to Montgomery County to volunteer there, or to Alexandria or Fairfax to volunteer there too. If you're looking career, you are going to find it a little more difficult due to budget cuts and hiring freezes. Below are some links to the various volunteer associations in the area. I know DC used to have an EMS corps for special events but not sure if they still do much and what the training is like. http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/firtmpl.asp?url=/content/firerescue/dovs/index.asp http://www.fairfaxvfd.com/ http://alexandriava.gov/fire/ I would start there.... also here is the link to the montgomery college EMT program (edit: looks like the MC program is on hold...I know they were having issues with the county in space/competition etc but keep checking) ...know their instructors well and they are good teachers. GW is also a great program to get into, but not sure if you have to be a student of GW to take it.... Their lead is a fantastic instructor who will go to all ends to teach his students what they need to know. http://www.mcemergencyservices.com/index.php/emt-basic http://gwemerg.com/
paramedicmike Posted February 20, 2011 Posted February 20, 2011 Yeah. The "northern side of town" covers a lot of area. Got a neighborhood name? How about convenient nearby cross streets? Or even the closest traffic circle? Any of the three would allow us to better help you than relying on the "northern side of town". The links provided above are a good place to start. But there may be better options if you could narrow down where you'll be.
va35 Posted February 20, 2011 Author Posted February 20, 2011 the exact place is the dc metro area ? I am also planning on coming back home to SF after a year will the EMT licensing be any different from DC to SF ? thank you guys for all the help this is a big move for me I am leaving a lot of things here in the bay area and i appreciate all the help i can get. pardon my grammar i just want to type and get it out there as fast as possible
usalsfyre Posted February 20, 2011 Posted February 20, 2011 If you end up on the VA side I recommend NVCC.
paramedicmike Posted February 20, 2011 Posted February 20, 2011 the exact place is the dc metro area ? Ok. Please look at a map. The DC metro area is huge. It covers the District of Columbia, Northern Virgnia and South Central Maryland. Aside from the District itself there are three or four counties in Virginia and at least three or four counties in Maryland that qualify as being part of the DC metro area. There are millions of people living in the area. The District itself is comprised of four distinct geographical sections (NW, NE, SW, SE). Each area has its own neighborhoods and geographic subdivisions... much like San Francisco with all of its different neighborhoods. Virginia, DC and Maryland are all different regarding their EMS certification requirements. One certification isn't automatically going to transfer to another state or to the District. This is why I was asking where you were going to be. Simply saying "northern DC" includes NW and NE DC... that's half the city. Depending where in NW or NE DC you're located will help determine the closest resources available to you. I'm not asking you for a street address. But if you know you're going to be living "near Wisconsin and M" or "near DuPont Circle" or "near Adams Morgan" or "near Chevy Chase" or "near the Cleveland Park Metro station" then that can help us point you in the right direction both geographically and in terms of available EMS resources. You don't need to tell us the exact street address of where you'll be living. But being a little more specific than "northern DC" would be helpful. I am also planning on coming back home to SF after a year will the EMT licensing be any different from DC to SF ? thank you guys for all the help this is a big move for me I am leaving a lot of things here in the bay area and i appreciate all the help i can get. pardon my grammar i just want to type and get it out there as fast as possible If you want to know how well your certifications from the east coast will transfer to the west coast then you'll need to talk to your local EMS office in San Francisco. I know California has some goofy EMS infrastructure. But your county or state EMS office will best be able to tell you how your certifications will transfer and what additional requirements might be needed upon your return to SFO.
2Rude4MyOwnGood Posted February 21, 2011 Posted February 21, 2011 (edited) Hello this is my first post and I'm an aspiring ems student who needs step 1. Looking to move to washington dc in about April would there be any private programs to be an emt thanks. I live just outside of DC in VA. I did my basic through Northern Virginia Community College which has a handful of locations located throughout the NoVA area. Not far from DC either. Looks like George Washington University is the place to be when it comes to basic training if you live in DC: http://education-por...hington_dc.html Edited February 21, 2011 by 2Rude4MyOwnGood
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