Volunteering after high school?

[Caduceus]

I am planning on getting a Bachelor's in paramedicine, and a prerequisite (as you all will know) is being an EMT before entering the program.

I have a couple of questions:

1) Is taking a year after high school to get my EMT and do some volunteer work a good move?

2) What other volunteer work can I do to make my application for the paramedicine BA (which seems pretty selective) better?

Thanks so much for your time.

[mikeymedic1984]

you might be surprised, but in many states it is assumed you need to be an EMT first, but not actually the law. Your problem will be age related, as most services can not hire you until you are 21-23 because of vehicle insurance requirements. Take core classes that give you options other than EMS (in case you change your mind later), you may be able to volunteer or be paid at a hospital ER until you are of age. PM me if you need further advice.

[Caduceus]

Thanks Mikey. I didn't know that, but I suppose it makes sense. If I can't get into the paramedic classes, and even if I do, I plan on getting a major/minor in mechanics.

[paramedicmike]

If you want to test for National Registry paramedic you need to be either a NR EMT or a state certified EMT.

What states don't require being an EMT prior to becoming a paramedic?

[firemedic37]

It is always a good idea to get some EMT experience before entering the Paramedic program, I think it makes it a lot easier since you have seen and used a lot of the equipment prior to class. Volunteering is a great way to learn and gain experience in EMS. I obtained my EMT while I was still in High School and was volunteering for the local Fire Department and Ambulance Service as an EMT.

I found employment at a young age as an EMT (18 y/o) and later as a Paramedic (20 y/o). The service that I volunteer on only states that you have to be 21 years of age to drive, doesn't apply to working in the back. The services that I am currently employed on only requires you to be 18 years of age to drive. I think the age requirements has something to do with the different States or company policies. If I had to wait to be 21-23 before working I would not be in this field.

I will always value experience at any level over a brand new Paramedic without any experience or understanding of EMS. There is definitely a difference between the two, you won't understand until later on in your career but the experience is well worth it.

[Just Plain Ruff]

Actually now that I think about it, I was 21 when I got my first EMS job and I was driving. My driving record was spotless and that helped with the insurance carrier. If you had any points on your license you had to either get them cleaned off or you couldn't drive till you hit 25 or 0 points.

Any accidents and you were automatically denied driving privelidges for a year.

If you had a dwi on your record you were unhireable

If you had any sort of driving conviction other than a speeding ticket, good luck getting on with the company.

They used the failsafe driving system and we hated it but I was always in the top 3 drivers in terms of low numbers. I ended up teaching all the new hires the company driving policies and they had to pass my and one other guys road test. We were tough.

[Caduceus]

It is always a good idea to get some EMT experience before entering the Paramedic program, I think it makes it a lot easier since you have seen and used a lot of the equipment prior to class. Volunteering is a great way to learn and gain experience in EMS. I obtained my EMT while I was still in High School and was volunteering for the local Fire Department and Ambulance Service as an EMT.

I found employment at a young age as an EMT (18 y/o) and later as a Paramedic (20 y/o). The service that I volunteer on only states that you have to be 21 years of age to drive, doesn't apply to working in the back. The services that I am currently employed on only requires you to be 18 years of age to drive. I think the age requirements has something to do with the different States or company policies. If I had to wait to be 21-23 before working I would not be in this field.

I will always value experience at any level over a brand new Paramedic without any experience or understanding of EMS. There is definitely a difference between the two, you won't understand until later on in your career but the experience is well worth it.

Thank you. This is really valuable information. I will be eighteen before I graduate high school. But I thought it was a requirement to have your HS diploma or a GED before you started an EMT class? Is this a case of state government that I should look into for my area?

Actually now that I think about it, I was 21 when I got my first EMS job and I was driving. My driving record was spotless and that helped with the insurance carrier. If you had any points on your license you had to either get them cleaned off or you couldn't drive till you hit 25 or 0 points.

Any accidents and you were automatically denied driving privelidges for a year.

If you had a dwi on your record you were unhireable

If you had any sort of driving conviction other than a speeding ticket, good luck getting on with the company.

They used the failsafe driving system and we hated it but I was always in the top 3 drivers in terms of low numbers. I ended up teaching all the new hires the company driving policies and they had to pass my and one other guys road test. We were tough.

Would it be useful on my EMT or paramedic applications if I took a defensive driving course?

[firemedic37]

Thank you. This is really valuable information. I will be eighteen before I graduate high school. But I thought it was a requirement to have your HS diploma or a GED before you started an EMT class? Is this a case of state government that I should look into for my area?

Would it be useful on my EMT or paramedic applications if I took a defensive driving course?

From the NREMT:

Typically, persons interested in EMS must be 18 years of age, take and pass an EMT education course, and not have a criminal background. EMT courses are taught in a variety of settings throughout the United States. All US Army and Air Force “medics,” are EMTs. The location of courses can be found by contacting State EMS Offices, found on our website. The EMT course requires about a semester of education to complete.

However there are state requirements. In Iowa you only have to be 17 y/o, there is no requirement for GED or Diploma. You just can't and I repeat can't get your NREMT until you are 18 y/o. I would check with your State and see what the requirements are. I was fortunate and was 18 y/o at the time of my class so I got my National, some people in my were only 17 y/o and couldn't get their National because of this. My class was made up of only High School students (3 are in Med School, 1 in Law School and me).

Once you are enrolled into a program or are hired they should provide a Emergency Vehicle Operation Class (EVOC) which will help teach you how to drive.

[Caduceus]

Cool! Thank you very much. I can't wait to get started with this.

Now here is another question. Should I volunteer on the department in my town or the one in a nearby city. The city has paramedics but my town does not. Would it be better to try and volunteer with paramedics? Or does it even matter?

[paramedicmike]

There are always different ways to view things. While this discussion has been hashed out many times here before, for the benefit of our young friend, it seems rehashing it may be in order.

It is always a good idea to get some EMT experience before entering the Paramedic program, I think it makes it a lot easier since you have seen and used a lot of the equipment prior to class. Volunteering is a great way to learn and gain experience in EMS. I obtained my EMT while I was still in High School and was volunteering for the local Fire Department and Ambulance Service as an EMT.

No. Absolutely not. It is not always a good idea to get EMT experience before undertaking your paramedic education. Prior experience does little more than jade your perception and bring bad habits to your paramedic training. That is not the way to either start of your education or working life.

Start fresh. Start without bad habits. Start without preconceived notions of what's going on that will only wind you or the patient in trouble.

Volunteer EMS is little more than giving away for free what should be reasonably paid for. It devalues the profession. What other professions out there do their job for free as a regular course of business? Physicians? No. Nurses? No. Anyone who works in a medical setting except for EMS providers? No. So why do we insist on allowing it to persist in EMS?

I found employment at a young age as an EMT (18 y/o) and later as a Paramedic (20 y/o). The service that I volunteer on only states that you have to be 21 years of age to drive, doesn't apply to working in the back. The services that I am currently employed on only requires you to be 18 years of age to drive. I think the age requirements has something to do with the different States or company policies. If I had to wait to be 21-23 before working I would not be in this field.

There are a variety of limitations out there based on organizational, insurance or State statutes regarding operating in an EMS environment. Minimum ages for driving are not uncommon. While they don't always limit providers working in the back they can make completion of a crew a challenge. (Here's a recent discussion regarding what can happen with such a situation.)

It would be nice to see a higher minimum age for EMS providers. That, however, is another discussion.

I will always value experience at any level over a brand new Paramedic without any experience or understanding of EMS. There is definitely a difference between the two, you won't understand until later on in your career but the experience is well worth it.

Give me a brand stinking new paramedic fresh out of school over an "experienced EMT now paramedic" any day of the week. That way I know I'm dealing with someone who will have no preconceived notions on how to do things, no "when I was an EMT we did it this way..." attitude to deal with, no "this one time... at EMT camp..." stories to deal with. This is something I believe in even more after all my years in EMS.

(Rather along those lines, if a brand new paramedic has absolutely no experience or understanding of EMS then the paramedic school s/he attended sucks and should be shut down. With any luck, the new program accreditation requirement of NREMT will help do just that and the industry will see an increase in the number of competent entry level providers. That, too, is also another discussion.)