Can I do it?

[Curiosity]

It's nice to say "you can do anything you want if you set your mind to it" but there's a considerable chunk of change involved here. I remember my first day of class a girl asks "when are we going to get to see blood because I don't think I can handle that" all this money spent...and turns out, she would pass out at the sight of blood. Had she taken the initiative, done dome research, shadowing, an observational day at an er, she would have realized sooner that she couldn't do it. Would have saved time and money.

I would personally recommend going to your local EMS and talking to them, ask questions about what they think you should be doing to figure out if you can physically do the job. Ask them if there's a specific gym they go to, inquire about trainers who know a thing or two about the physical requirements of this job and try to train with them.

I don't want to discourage anyone from doing what they want, but be informed of what you're getting involved in. Do your homework, and if you figure out you are physically capable then I wish you all the luck in the world and hope to see you around here more often.

[Just Plain Ruff]

It's nice to say "you can do anything you want if you set your mind to it" but there's a considerable chunk of change involved here. I remember my first day of class a girl asks "when are we going to get to see blood because I don't think I can handle that" all this money spent...and turns out, she would pass out at the sight of blood. Had she taken the initiative, done dome research, shadowing, an observational day at an er, she would have realized sooner that she couldn't do it. Would have saved time and money.

I would personally recommend going to your local EMS and talking to them, ask questions about what they think you should be doing to figure out if you can physically do the job. Ask them if there's a specific gym they go to, inquire about trainers who know a thing or two about the physical requirements of this job and try to train with them.

I don't want to discourage anyone from doing what they want, but be informed of what you're getting involved in. Do your homework, and if you figure out you are physically capable then I wish you all the luck in the world and hope to see you around here more often.

Well the girl in your class was just stupid. Pardon my bluntness but seriously, there have been countless shows on TV that depict EMT's and medics and there is blood in those shows. There are shootings and stabbings reported on the news and the news usually says that the patient was transported by ambulance to the hospital so the girl who passes out at the sight of blood was just a moron for not realizing that they would eventually see blood.

I agree with your point, she should have done at least a ride or a shift in the ER but have you ever tried to get a shift in an ambulance or a observer shift in an ER without being attached to some class or educational experience? The possiblity of her getting in an ER to observe is slim to none unless she knows someone. Or getting a shift on an ambulance service to observe might be a bit easier but again, no attachment to an education system then difficult to get a shift.

But on to your other comment on the chunk of change. Of course the person needs to do research into the job, but to let the naysayers tell her that her disability or limp won't allow her to do the job and her to take that as the truth, she needs to get her head out of the sand and do the research.

We assumed that she had done the research since she said that she "really really really wants to be an EMT". Maybe we were wrong. But in all honesty, it's either do it or not, it's up to the OP, not us to fulfill her dreams.

See that's the issue with these forums, we don't know if this person is truly serious or if they just come here to whine and say "wha wha wha, my friends say that I can't do this or I can't do that" All we can do is give advice and tell them, if they want it bad enough there's a will and a way and it's up to them to do the legwork.

It's not up to us to do the job of finding out all the info for them. That's what frustrates me the most.

Edited October 18, 2012 by Captain ToHellWithItAll

[Curiosity]

No doubt this girl in my class was special. That's just the tip of the iceberg of stories from this one.

And I'm not saying not to try either. But before you invest money and time, do some homework. Her disability may or may not hold her back. She's afraid it will. Go out and test your limits before you start. She may find out she has nothing to worry about and can go in with a clear head without worrying about any limitations.

[DwayneEMTP]

Curiosity, that's an excellent post, and my thoughts exactly. It's easy to think pie in the sky, but as the poster hasn't returned to explain the issues, it's unrealistic to say "Do what you want! Don't let anyone stop you!" which was kind of funny as I didn't see where anyone was trying to stop them.

Putting out the money and the effort when it might not be physically realistic, isn't smart....

[Just Plain Ruff]

She really didn't define her limp. That's going to be the gold standard as to how she is able to work or not.

Were I a hiring manager and she had a limp but she passed the agility portion of the interview, and she was a good candidate, she'd get the nod for hiring. She'd then of course have to prove herself in the EMS arena piece as well.

Not saying that she'd get special treatment but can anyone honestly say that she "wouldn't????" Girl with a disability, EMS agency, ADA and all that. Sure she'd get extra time to prove herself. But in the end, she has to be able to do the same job as her partner because putting her out on the streets and her not being able to do the job not only puts her but it also puts everyone else on scene at risk of injury if her limp or disabiliyt is worse than she lets on.

Case in point, worked with a very heavy male medic who was on disability through work for about 3 months due to a medical issue. He was about 350+ pounds. When he came back I thought that maybe he was even larger than he was when he left on disability. My concern was his returning to work and being my partner. He was given many shifts to prove that he was physically fit to return to duty but when the time came for hom to be off of a three man crew, it was decided that he wasn't able to do the job. That sucked when it came to that because his livelihood was on the line.

A group of us came up with some options for him to remain active in the service as a QI/QA manager as well as liaison to the hospitals in our area. It worked out well for him.

So even though she may not be able to do the job in the end, there is no harm in her finding out if she can.

let's also remember that first impressions are incredibly important and some EMS systems will take a look at her when she walks in and form the impression that she can't do the job when she does her fact finding info tour and try to steer her away from doing the job.

[Curiosity]

I don't know if it's the same in every program, but where I went to school, there was a portion of our time dedicated to lifts. We had to pass stair chair and backboard lifts in order to pass a semester. Weights got heavier every semester.

Not capable of lifting, you didn't get a diploma. So all the students that come out of the schools here are physically capable of doing the job.

[Just Plain Ruff]

Now that's a school I'd send my prospective students to. What a great idea.

[Curiosity]

I didn't realize not everyone did this. I'm sorry, my posts were written with the idea that every program had this component.