wannabe emt seeks advice

[Richard B the EMT]

The Bulldog just mentioned, for getting some experience, joining a volunteer fire department. Don't forget that there are also non fire department related volunteer ambulance services, usually "community based" in nature, that can offer experience. Some are actually college and/or university based, so you'd be attending college while getting said experience.

[Lone Star]

Emt is just the beginning. Why would I stop there

.emt-p is my goal, but emt l-b has to be first. Thanks for all the support guys I thought this was the place to seek motivational advice from other emts but I guess this isn't the place.

HOLD THE PHONE!

You came to US asking a question (which was answered very well) about becoming an EMT-B and the possible 'problems' you might encounter because of your age and the fact that you decided to quit school.

If you're looking for the 'touchy feely belly rubs and ice cream speeches', EMS ISN'T the place to find it!

You were given some really good advice on how to accomplish a goal that you want to reach, and then you act like a common chucklehead because you didn't get the rosy answers you expected.... very bad form! You can't slap the messenger simply because you don't like the content of the message.

You stated:

I appreciate the insight, but I don't believe you know where I'm coming from. The short amount of time it takes to get certified is not at all what draws me towards this career path. I'm interested in helping people and even saving lives. I wouldn't care if I got paid less tgan minimum wage and it took 5 years to get certified, this is what I want to do with my life and I'm absolutely sure of it.So no matter how you believe my attide about my future is, know that I wont stop until I'm an EMT.I DON'T CARE WHAT IT TAKES.

It appears that 'the short amount of time it takes to get certified' IS part of the equation though... There have been some very good snippets of advice that included at least two years in college (which by the way will help with your age and insurance issues); and all of a sudden you're accusing us of trying to keep you down and out of EMS....GROW UP!

Rather than piss and moan about how 'mean' everybody is being toward you, try shutting your mouth, putting your fingers on hold and actually LISTEN to those of us that have 'been there/done that'.

Many of us here have seen the 'glory hunters' and "half stepping wannabe's" come and go. This isn't a career/profession for just anyone. It takes a special breed to survive the 'uglies' that are in store for you. You came to us looking for the truth, but it appears that "YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!" (Thank you,Jack Nicholson!)

EMS has been noted for 'eating it's own', and you've done nothing but piss off the pirahnas in the pool!

Yes, you'll have to start at EMT-B. That's looking at around 6 months of school (even through a college). If you want to become a competent Paramedic, then your Associates Degree is the next logical step. Yes, you can go to one of those 'patch mill schools' that is flooding the market with more 'cookbook providers' than steller Paramedics; you're not only cheating yourself, you're also cheating every patient you provide care for.

EMS is a 'dog eat dog world' and right now you've let the pack know that you're wearing milkbone underwear, and drawn a big red "bulls eye" on your forehead....now is NOT the time to piss off the archer!

The best advice I can give you right now is to actually LISTEN to the advice being given, and don't start throwing temper tantrums because you don't like the fact that we're trying to tell you how much work is going to be involved in 'doing it right'!

You said:

I wont stop until I'm an EMT.I DON'T CARE WHAT IT TAKES.

With a statement like that, it's time to put up or shut up. You've been given the tools to make it happen....now prove what you said is true, and make it happen; or slink away with your tail between your legs. The ball is in your court...play it, or hit the showers!

[soontobEMT]

Alright lets try this again. Maybe I came off as a whiny little kid but that was not my intention whatsoever.here is some more info about me so you guys know a little bit more about my situation. I live in San Diego(north county).my grandfather is a retired ff/p of 28 years.I plan on attending a four university and hopefully med school while serving as an emt to hopefully become some sort of physician.now I don't want you to think this is just a temp. gig for me. I intend on being an emt-b/p for at least 8 years +. Now I know your thinking,why am I not rynning to my grandfather for all of this info? That is because we don't have a close relationship at all and when I do talk to him about tgis line of work he wants to candycoat it and tell me how glorious this career is ( I think this is due to him thinking I'm naive because of my age

[ERDoc]

Alright lets try this again. Maybe I came off as a whiny little kid but that was not my intention whatsoever.here is some more info about me so you guys know a little bit more about my situation. I live in San Diego(north county).my grandfather is a retired ff/p of 28 years.I plan on attending a four university and hopefully med school while serving as an emt to hopefully become some sort of physician.now I don't want you to think this is just a temp. gig for me. I intend on being an emt-b/p for at least 8 years +. Now I know your thinking,why am I not rynning to my grandfather for all of this info? That is because we don't have a close relationship at all and when I do talk to him about tgis line of work he wants to candycoat it and tell me how glorious this career is ( I think this is due to him thinking I'm naive because of my age

Now we've got some better information to help you with. I'll leave the EMS stuff to the SoCal providers here but I do want to make one comment. Med schools usually don't care about your high school record but in the case of a GED, be preparred to explain it in your essay/interviews. I can't guarantee you will have to deal with it but it may stick out like a sore thumb in a group of Type-A gunners. I found EMS to be a great preperation for medical school in regards to feeling comfortable dealing with pts.

[nypamedic43]

EMS is a tough job and every call puts everything you are and everything you own on the line as well as your boss and partner. That being said, if your goal is truly to help people and to make a difference...then ALL of the above advice needs to be taken. You will also realize very early on, once you get your EMT, that you cant save everyone and neither can your Paramedic partner.

Here in NY, the biggest thing for you would be the insurance company. If you cant be insured, then you cant drive, not even from the hospital to the station, and driving is half the job. Volunteering is a great way to get patient contact, to see the way things are and the way things should be done.

We all started as basics, we all started where you are now. We all asked for advice from different people. It took me 15 years to decide that being a basic EMT was no longer enough for me and I went to school, got my paramedic and my AAS degree AND got hired by the compeny I now work for right out of school. I didnt even have my card...all I had was my score from the testing facility and then my letter from the state.

EMS is physically demanding, anyone who has been in an upside down vehicle for an hour while fire decides the best way to get the patient out or trekked a mile into the woods to carry a 200 lb man out on a backboard after he's fallen out of his tree stand will tell you this job isnt for wimps. The emotional toll can be just as great, anyone who has watched someone die because you cant get to them or did everything they could for the 6 month old in status seizure and they still dont make it, will tell you that you have to get tough....quick. If you dont, you will burn out in about 6 months. But not so tough that you no longer have empathy for the patients you may have tomorrow. I do this job 5 days a week...as of July 1 we were at 8000 calls. and my body aches and my brain is tired but I will get up tomorrow morning, put my uniform on and know that no matter what the day brings me, my patients will get the best that I can give them.

Take the advice that the others have given you, get the education, get the experience. If this is truly your calling all of this will be nothing to you if you are going to do what it takes. Good luck to you

[Richard B the EMT]

FOR THE RECORD, when I joined the now defunct Peninsula Volunteer Ambulance Corps (Queens County, NY), I wanted to drive, but at age 19, was told the insurance wouldn't cover us if I drove at that age. Until I turned 21, I was asked, instead, to become an EMT, which at that time, I had no idea what they were talking about.

37 years later, I feel, prior to my "retirement", that I must have done some good during those 37 years.

[TylerHastings]

HOLD THE PHONE!

You came to US asking a question (which was answered very well) about becoming an EMT-B and the possible 'problems' you might encounter because of your age and the fact that you decided to quit school.

If you're looking for the 'touchy feely belly rubs and ice cream speeches', EMS ISN'T the place to find it!

You were given some really good advice on how to accomplish a goal that you want to reach, and then you act like a common chucklehead because you didn't get the rosy answers you expected.... very bad form! You can't slap the messenger simply because you don't like the content of the message.

You stated:

It appears that 'the short amount of time it takes to get certified' IS part of the equation though... There have been some very good snippets of advice that included at least two years in college (which by the way will help with your age and insurance issues); and all of a sudden you're accusing us of trying to keep you down and out of EMS....GROW UP!

Rather than piss and moan about how 'mean' everybody is being toward you, try shutting your mouth, putting your fingers on hold and actually LISTEN to those of us that have 'been there/done that'.

Many of us here have seen the 'glory hunters' and "half stepping wannabe's" come and go. This isn't a career/profession for just anyone. It takes a special breed to survive the 'uglies' that are in store for you. You came to us looking for the truth, but it appears that "YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!" (Thank you,Jack Nicholson!)

EMS has been noted for 'eating it's own', and you've done nothing but piss off the pirahnas in the pool!

Yes, you'll have to start at EMT-B. That's looking at around 6 months of school (even through a college). If you want to become a competent Paramedic, then your Associates Degree is the next logical step. Yes, you can go to one of those 'patch mill schools' that is flooding the market with more 'cookbook providers' than steller Paramedics; you're not only cheating yourself, you're also cheating every patient you provide care for.

EMS is a 'dog eat dog world' and right now you've let the pack know that you're wearing milkbone underwear, and drawn a big red "bulls eye" on your forehead....now is NOT the time to piss off the archer!

The best advice I can give you right now is to actually LISTEN to the advice being given, and don't start throwing temper tantrums because you don't like the fact that we're trying to tell you how much work is going to be involved in 'doing it right'!

You said:

With a statement like that, it's time to put up or shut up. You've been given the tools to make it happen....now prove what you said is true, and make it happen; or slink away with your tail between your legs. The ball is in your court...play it, or hit the showers!

This gentleman right here is well on his way to having said associates degree, which many of us (including myself) figured would never happen for one reason or another including the fact that this guy was once a anti-being a medic kind of guy. I am proud to say taht this gentleman and a few others that have responded to this thread are now people I consider mentors as was stated don't shoot the messenger just do the time.

Take it from me man, I was a snot nosed EMT thought I knew everything about everything, I was told the same thing get your degree don't go for the patch. Well I didn't listen to these folks the first time and I left my first paramedic program because of the fast paced and the feeling that I was not learning everything I needed to know to be a true provider. Another thing that you will find with most mills is the fact that they teach you the NREMT test they don't teach you the why's and wherefores of what your doing.

To address your comments about GED's...I am not a high school graduate most of you on this forum have never heard this before, I did however receive my GED and I left high school part way through my senior year. Does that effect you in a job hunt yes, however I have found it effects you more when you are looking for those unskilled jobs at McDonalds or Pizza Hut than it does when you are looking for a job at AMR or SDMSE or Balboa...I think you said North County. Anyway don't handicap yourself by just being another number to these companies when you go applying be someone who stands out for having the fortitude to stick out the two years for an AS degree.