Age when looking for work

[nitrofan1]

As a recently graduated AEMT I am wondering if age would stop you from hiring someone. My course studies were excellent, my final grade in the course was a 3.56. My clinicals all had good reviews by the preceptors. My skills test for National registry went through. I have applied for my license in my state and my Instructor said my future work skill should not be a problem.

To my question. I have never been in any medical field and I understand you have to start somewhere. If you were in the position of hiring potential candidates for AEMT or IV would age put you off considering them? I am 50 years old and in very good health.

Thank you for any replies.

[Arctickat]

Nope, I'm almost 50. Provided you pass the entrance requirements you'd be hired. I'm not a fan of discrimination of any sort. That includes age.

[Just Plain Ruff]

Age should not be any issue. If you pass the entrance requirements and they hire a hot 20 year old chick over you and all the people on the hiring committee are young 20 year old guys, then you have a age bias suit on your hands. But in all seriousness, if you are the best qualified then you should get the job.

i'm 46 years old and I'm working towards getting my medic license renewed and as soon as I get it back, I'll be ready to run on the ambulance again on a strictly part time basis. Daddy needs a part time job to pay some bills.

[paramedicmike]

Age is just a number. Approach it with the right attitude and demonstrate you can do the job... just like you would any other job prospect.

[nitrofan1]

Thank you all for the vote of confidence. It has had me worried with past stories on the news and such about it. I was and still and are at the top of my game in my previous career. The age thing and doing a complete turn around going into a profession that is nothing like the old one. My passion and drive to help people is why I'm doing this. The medical field gave me a second chance. I want to pay that forward.

Thank you again for the pep talk!

[island emt]

Just a few thoughts from an old guy:

Don't be surprised if some companies give you a cold shoulder when appling. This is a young persons sport. Many of your co-workers & potential bosses will be younger than your kids if you have any.

Many of the youngsters think they can outwork us old dogs:::

I had to show the kids that while I was older than their parents, my decades of experience and street smarts allowed me to work smarter without hurting myself.

Back injuries are very prevalent in EMS as we have to lift and carry in awkward positions and haul some very large folks from tight spaces such as small bathrooms or worse.

Learn proper lifting positions and think before you do a move. do exercises to strengthen your core muscles/

I just retired at 59 after over 4 decades in EMS and while my back had a few tender days, I managed to maintain it in decent shape after all those years.

I can still out lift most of the kids I worked with through proper technique.

Some managers will want you for your years of life experience and lack of impulsiveness found in youngsters.

Don't get discouraged if you don't succeed at first.

[FlightmedicSAR]

I,m 52- hang in there. I just saw a Fireman get hired at 50 years old, he was in better shape then alot of younger folks.

I just recovered from a long illness- 5 bites from a brown Recluse spider. Still here, able to do my work. God has a sence of humor, trust me on that.

Cheers

[mikeymedic1984]

If I said you would not face some discrimination because of your age, I would be lying, especially if the EMS Director is under 30 years of age. Many Fire Departments have an unspoken or spoken maximum age (but they are dumb if they do). In the interview sell the highlights of why you would be a better hire, for instance:

1. No childcare issues as far as babysitting, or having to call out because the baby is sick.

2. Hopefully more mature.

3. Hopefully a clean driving record and more experience driving.

4. Hopefully you do not look like a frail 80 year old.

5. Hopefully you will not make the dumb mistakes young'uns do, like get a DUI, cause a sexual harassment claim, or call out because someone is throwing a kegger or your favorite band is in town.

I would much rather hire you than a big boobed 21 year old female, but I am the exception, not the rule. If you do find you are not getting the calls for interview, talk to the Director about doing some volunteer third-ride time "to keep your skills up" -- if you are not a jerk, once you make friends with some of the crews you will increase your chances significantly --- it is who you know, not what you know.

[yakc130]

Agreed that some places have unwritten hiring ages, but age discrimination is still against the law if it can be proven.

Having said that, I know that in Ohio, the last that I had heard, the suburban PD's and FD's were allowed to limit the age of new hires to a maximum of 35, but really a lot of them wouldn't hire you after the age of 32. The major cities (Columbus, Cleveland, Toledo, etc) still did hire people that were older if they passed the agility tests. But this was a few years ago, and it may have changed.

I haven't seen a stateside agency restricting hiring on age, only on passing the agility test. There's one agency in Qatar that has a max age of 49. If you are physically fit and can do the job, you really should have no problem getting hired except for how you score during your interview. Concentrate on that, and you should be fine.

Good luck.

[scubanurse]

I think sometimes employers factor age in, but it can go either way. I have a colleague who has the same time as a RN, BSN as me, we had similar GPA's from comparable schools, and same employment history. I got hired for a hospital position over her. Catch was, she was 58. I think employers look at your longevity, and see a 27 year old employee as having at least another 30 years of working ability versus someone older. Conversely, younger employees (mainly female) are likely to have kids and not come back to work or come back part time. So it's all a balance. I agree with what mikey said in an earlier post, sell yourself in the interviews. Sell why you would be a better employee than a young buck.

Best of luck to you!