Interested in becoming a Paramedic in So. Cal.

[zzyzx]

Good luck with everything, Mike. I think you'll find that working in EMS is a great adventure.

I respect the fact that some people can do very well as new medics without having any 911 EMT experience. However, I very rarely come across such people. Here in Riverside were I work, we get new medics all the time. They stay for 6 months to a year before they get hired by a fire department in LA or OC. Personally, I'm glad I spent three years as an EMT before I became a medic. I had the chance to educate myself with classes and reading, and I also had the chance to work with many veteran medics. One of my partners had been a medic in Vietnam and was one of the very first paramedics working in So Cal. I've learned many valuable things not only from these veterans, but also from the new medics that I worked with. Like the saying goes, the best way to learn is from other people's mistakes!

Anthony, I think you have a misconception about the Inland Empire. This is a busy metro area with the same call volume as LA and OC. I worked for one year in LA including a part of South Central. We get the same type and volume of calls in Riverside as in LA, just not as many shootings. I actually live in Santa Monica but transferred to Riverside in order to get the chance to work alongside a paramedic. I also took the paramedic prep course, which was excellent.

If you're looking for paramedic schools, I recommend Daniel Freeman. I loved every minute of it. The schools in the IE, like Crafton, Victor Valley, NCTI, and the one out of Riverside Community college are all good schools too. The only one I would absolutely tell you to stay away from is Mount Sac. Let me know if you have any specific questions and I'll be happy to answer them for you.

[AnthonyM83]

ZZ, sorry, I've been trying to learn about a Kern County, San Bernardino County, and Riverside County lately and momentarily confused yours with Kern County, where the call volume is much lower.

Could you please write more about Mt. SAC? It's supposed to be the most academically rigorous course around. I've heard the teaching skills isn't as good, but I've only heard it from non-medics or students from other schools. What I'd like is to find an experienced medic who has worked with medics from the different schools and can actually be a good judge.

I like the staff at Daniel Freeman / UCLA and have been volunteering as a role-player whenever I can to get exposure, but my worry is that I'll be doing my internship under such a limited scope. It's basically only O2, EKG, IV, transport for every call. Who did you do your internship with?

Note: I'm trying to keep the convo in the thread, as I'm sure it'll come up on a lot of people's Google searches trying to find opinions on S. California paramedic schools. It's hard to come-by online.

[zzyzx]

Anthony,

I did my internship with LA City Fire. Their scope isn't as bad as you think. I had wonderful preceptors.

Mt. Sac is awful. Like you, I also thought it was a good school before I went there. I knew lots of people who'd failed there (their failure rate is over 50%, and most of the people who pass are on their second try), but I figured that these guys just hadn't worked hard enough. Well, I went there for one week and dropped out because it was just so stupid. It's not like you learn more going to Mt. Sac; everything is just made out to be much harder than it really is. My experience with Daniel Freeman was awesome. I have nothing but good things to say about the program. Daniel Freeman is the second oldest paramedic school in the US, and you'll be proud to be an alumni.

[zzyzx]

Hereis the California scope of practice. Counties can take things away (such as intubation for peds in LA) but can't add to it.

100106. Scope of Practice of Emergency Medical Technician II (EMT-II).

(a) An EMT-II may perform any activity identified in the scope of practice of an EMT-I in Chapter 2 of this Division.

( A certified EMT-II or an EMT-II trainee, while caring for patients in a hospital as part of their training or continuing education, under the direct supervision of a physician or registered nurse, or while at the scene of a medical emergency or during transport, or during interfacility transfer when medical direction is maintained by a physician or an authorized registered nurse and according to the policies and procedures approved by the local EMS Agency, may:

(1) Perform pulmonary ventilation by use of the esophageal airway.

(2) Institute intravenous (IV) catheters, needle or other cannulae (IV lines), in peripheral veins.

(3) Administer intravenous glucose solutions or isotonic balanced salt solutions, including Ringer's lactate solution.

(4) Obtain venous blood samples for laboratory analysis.

(5) Apply and use pneumatic antishock trousers.

(6) Administer, using prepackaged products where available, the following drugs:

(A) Sublingual nitroglycerine preparations; ( syrup of ipecac;

© lidocaine hydrochloride;

(D) atropine sulfate;

(E) sodium bicarbonate;

(F) naloxone;

(G) furosemide;

(H) epinephrine; and

(I) 50% dextrose.

(7) Defibrillate a patient in ventricular fibrillation.

(8) Cardiovert an unconscious patient in ventricular tachycardia.

(9) Assess and manage patients with the conditions listed in Section 100120 of this Chapter.

(10) Perform the following optional procedures or administer the following optional drugs when such are approved by the medical director of the local EMS Agency, and included in the written policies and procedures of the local EMS Agency, and when the EMT-II has been trained and successfully tested in those topics and skills as required to demonstrate competence in the additional practice(s):

(A) Perform gastric suction by nasogastric or orogastric intubation or through the esophageal gastric tube airway;

( visualize the airway by use of the laryngoscope and remove foreign body(ies) with forceps in airway obstruction;

© perform pulmonary ventilation by use of endotracheal intubation;

(D) administer calcium chloride;

(E) administer morphine sulfate; and

(F) utilize snake bite kits and constricting bands.

© The local EMS Agency may approve policies and procedures to be used in the event that an EMT-II at the scene of an emergency attempts direct voice contact with a physician or authorized registered nurse but cannot establish or maintain that contact and reasonably determines that a delay in treatment may jeopardize the life of a patient. The EMT-II may initiate any EMT-II activity authorized in this section in which the EMT-II has received training, when authorized by the policies and procedures of the local EMS Agency, and certification until such direct communication may be established and maintained or until the patient is brought to a general acute care hospital.

(d) An EMT-II may initiate only the following forms of emergency treatment prior to attempting voice or telemetry contact with a physician or authorized registered nurse in accordance with written policies and procedures approved by the local EMS Agency:

(1) Administer intravenous glucose solutions or isotonic balanced salt solutions, including Ringer's lactate solution, when it is reasonably determined that the patient has sustained cardiac or respiratory arrest or is in extremis from circulatory shock.

(2) Perform pulmonary ventilation by use of an esophageal airway, or endotracheal intubation if certified to do so, when it is reasonably determined that a patient has sustained respiratory arrest.

(3) Apply and use pneumatic antishock trousers when it is reasonably determined that the condition of the patient necessitates such action.

(4) Defibrillate a patient in ventricular fibrillation.

(5) Cardiovert an unconscious patient in ventricular tachycardia.

(6) Visualize the airway by use of the laryngoscope and remove foreign body(ies) with forceps in complete airway obstruction.

(e) In each instance where limited advanced life support procedures are initiated in accordance with the provisions of subsection © of this section, immediately upon ability to make voice contact, the EMT-II who has initiated such procedures shall make a verbal report to the EMT-II base or satellite hospital physician or authorized registered nurse. Written documentation of the event shall be filed with the EMT-II base hospital physician, when possible, immediately upon delivery of the patient to a hospital, but in no case shall the filing of such documentation be delayed more than twenty-four (24) hours. Documentation shall contain the reason or reasons, or suspected reason or reasons, why the communication failed and the emergency medical procedures initiated and maintained, including, but not limited to, evaluation of the patient, treatment decisions, and responses to treatment by the patient. The base hospital physician shall evaluate this report and forward the report and evaluation to the medical director of the local EMS Agency within seventy-two (72) hours.

(f) The scope of practice of an EMT-II shall not exceed those activities authorized in this section unless specifically approved in accordance with the provisions of subsection ((10) of this section.

[VentMedic]

I have a degree in biology from SIU so the science aspect is something I have a pretty firm grasp on. Physically I am getting into pretty good shape and I train 5 days a week trying to get in better shape. I also have been training for a triathlon coming up at the end of this month.

I want to be a paramedic because I like the idea of practicing medicine and actually doing something with my life that is helping people who really need it. I also want a steady secure career that I can retire from with good benefits. I want to do something that I will enjoy and I think being a paramedic is that something.

And finally So. Cal is where I want to live. I love it here, my friends and family are here and I really dont want to live anywhere else. I grew up in the midwest and I just cant imagine going back.

That is basically where I stand why I want to be a paramedic and why I want to stay in So. Cal.

If you already have a degree in Biology from SIU, put it to good use and transfer into a nice 4 year program. If you haven't fallen out of the transfer time limit, you will probably only need the core classes which will give you an EMS degree instead of a "certificate" as a paramedic with just a little extra "quality" education time. This will set you up nicely for your next career endeavor in medicine or the FD since they like degrees for promotion, fire service degree or otherwise.

Loma Linda has an excellent EMS program with several different tracks for your degree. It will also put you in a teaching hospital environment with dozens of other specialties in medicine to observe for other possibilites. Don't waste the foundation you have already started. A strong educational foundation is key for security in the future. Listing skills may sound impressive, but without the knowledge, they are just skills which can be taught to anyone at any education level. The knowledge sets the stage for professionalism.

http://www.llu.edu/llu/sahp/emc/programinfo.html

[AnthonyM83]

That list doesn't seem complete...what about pacing, Intraosseous IV, amiodarone?

From that list ones I believe we can't do:

© perform pulmonary ventilation by use of endotracheal intubation; (Not For Peds)

-(4) Obtain venous blood samples for laboratory analysis.

-(5) Apply and use pneumatic antishock trousers.

-( syrup of ipecac; (?)

-© lidocaine hydrochloride; (as of recent)

And we recently go:

cardioverting, pacing, and IO IV, and adult intubation is shaky

[Dustdevil]

ZZ, sorry, I've been trying to learn about a Kern County, San Bernardino County, and Riverside County lately and momentarily confused yours with Kern County, where the call volume is much lower.

Yeah, I think Kern County's call volume has dropped considerably since they repainted their patrol cars...

[brentoli]

I should put that on the side of Tactical Cavalier One.

[romee]

Mike, first of all this is another Mike who happens to be a medic in San Diego. I briefly skimmed over the other responses to your question & request for advice. I would concur with some of the views of others that getting into a Fire Department can be a challenge but if that is where your focus is then definitely go for it. With that being said, the trend for the past 5 years or so has been that people go to medic school to be "more eligible" to get hired by a Fire Department. Well, that trend has proved to be faulty in some regards and slowly but surely the before-mentioned trend has started to be reversed. Long story short, if you want to be a medic to actually BE A MEDIC then stay with that focus & I am here to tell you that both AMR & Rural Metro in San Diego are ALWAYS looking to hire medics on the private sector side. It's just a matter of a little timing. I am a product of both agencies with my current employer being Rural who just happens to be the 911 provider in the City of San Diego. It's really an awesome system to work in. You're correct in the amount of schooling that you mentioned but I do need to mention this.....if you want to be a GOOD medic you have to be a GOOD to GREAT EMT first. Whatever you decide on doing, for the sake of your future patients & partners & mostly YOURSELF, don't rush going to Paramedic school just to be a MEDIC. Trust me, you'll know what I'm talkin' about somewhere down the road. Good luck in your endeavors. ROMEE

[AnthonyM83]

the trend for the past 5 years or so has been that people go to medic school to be "more eligible" to get hired by a Fire Department. Well, that trend has proved to be faulty in some regards and slowly but surely the before-mentioned trend has started to be reversed.

I'll have to disagree with that part of the post in that the trend has been reversed. At least in Los Angeles County, being a paramedic makes you much more eligible as a fire department applicant. Not quite the Golden Ticket, but provided you don't have anything weird in your background and you're a decent candidate, it's pretty close to it. And it's only increasing now....I've heard both LA City and LA County have a plan to put all their FFs through paramedic school (they have a real short and cheap one they send them to).