Any EMT's in here?

[LowSpeed_HighDrag]

Im getting out of the military within the next 4 months. Im very interested in emergency medicine, and Ive always been fond of helping those in need. I have never been a math guy, life science was ok but chemistry was a mess for me. Im more of a history/english person, but I think I can apply myself and do alright in biology/anatomy oriented classes.

A little about myself:
-4 Years, Active Duty Marine Corps, Numerous Personal Awards, *soon to be* Disabled Combat Veteran.
-Neat and professional, fit, enjoy high stress environments, like to work with people, not squeamish in the least
-Married, no kids. Need to make about 35,000 a year to sustain my lifestyle with the amount my wife is making currently. Will need to work at least 25 hours a week while taking EMT courses.

I was wondering if anyone here is an EMT, and if so, maybe you could answer a couple of questions for me?

1)Since the GI Bill is covering my tuition, should I:
-Start with my EMT-B cert and try to get hired from there?
-Take the Front Range Pre-Paramedic cert, which is 2 semesters of EMTB, EMT refresher, anatomy, emt intravaneous, basic EKG, medical terminology, and clinicals?
-Or find a college that does Paramedic as an Associate degree in 2 years of class time (Im having a hard time finding one on google that is within 1 hour of my home)?

2) Since I am not a math oriented person (we're talking counting on fingers and toes here), am I asking for trouble by going into this field?

3) "The Internet" says that the EMT field will grow by 30% from 2010-2012. Are you guys seeing alot of new positions open up, and if so how often are you seeing fresh hires with no applicable work experience coming in?

4) Knowing what you know now, would you still be an EMT or would you have taken a different path?

5) Generally, what is the average pay for a new guy in this field?

6) I have a few visible tattoos, they are tasteful but large and not gang related (forearm, bicep, and above elbow area). Do you foresee this keeping me from getting hired? Is it normal for EMT's to wear long sleeves on the job?

7) I have some significant hearing loss with a service-connected disability. I can hear pretty well, but not according to those damn sound booths. I do have hearing aids, but hate the goddamn things. Will this possibly keep me from getting employed?

Last but not least...

8) Are you satisfied with your job?

[Hmac]

As a long-time Medical Director for our ALS ambulance service, I'd suggest that you aim for the EMT-P route with an eye toward a college degree and subsequently becoming a Physician Assistant. The pay for a PA is about 3x that of EMT-P. If that route isn't feasible, being a Paramedic is a good job and should meet your expectations. Demand will continue to be high. At our shop, your tatoos wouldn't likely have a significant effect on hiring, as opposed to visible piercings or face/neck/hand tattoos. Some EMT-P jobs contain alternate pathway opportunies that can be useful. We, for example, cross-train and certify all our Paramedics as Respiratory Therapists and they do all the RT and ventilator management or ER Tech at our facility when not actually on a call or transfer.

[The_War_Wagon]

Paging Gutshot John. He's former Navy, and a professional EMT here in da' 'Burgh.

[dmaxfireman]

I am a firefighter / EMT, originally only went the EMT route to get the job but now I am glad I got it.

If you want to focus primarily on the emergency medical field I STONGLY suggest going with a Paramedic program it will give you the best bang for your buck. I am assuming you have basic first aid experience from the military to give you some real life experience. As for the college part if you choose I would take all the prerequisites for a PA or RN program for down the road. Although becoming a PA or RN will never give you the high-stress environment you are looking for. I also prefer the "high stress" environments, I don't know if I could ever handle a desk job.

[ofdlt]

I was in the same boat some 20 yrs ago. Just finished my 8 years in the suck and needed something to do. If you are strickly interested in the medical field, then by all means persue that. Use your GI Bill for an RN or PA degree via a paramedic route. Many locals have bridge programs that take into account your PM training. With that said the medic or emt only route will lead to a boring job as a taxi driver in a van with lights. Many EMS systems are now two tier, with the FD getting the initial dispatch and a private ambulance getting the transport. On the private the work is already done when you arrive and you get to sit at triage with your pt...; ie hugging the wall. The economic times of today now have the local govenments wanting to cash in on insurance and god forbid obama care. Many municipalties, mine included are begining transport to pay the bills thus forcing the private ambulance compines out.
To sum this up I went the Fire Department route, to be in the action and to have the stability and benifits a municipality offers. If you want to provide actual care to people who need it on the street; the FD is and/or will be the best option imho.
I am an Engine Company officer and will be happy to provide any additional info. Best of luck with whatever you choose and that Marine service opened many doors for me. Semperfi.

[NCMedic]

I have been in EMS for 15 years, 10 as a Paramedic, in several states so I will do my best to answer your questions however it depends on what area of the country you will be living in as to what options are available to you. Depending on where you are located, EMS may appear in several forms, it maybe fire based, private for profit, nonprofit or volunteer based, third party, etc. There are different opportunities within EMS as well, as others have pointed out, I will assume that you are wanting to do 911 emergency work and not non-emergency transport or convalescent work. Figure out how your area works and plan accordingly. Are you wanting to make this a career or a stop gap until something else?
I'm a proponent of working your way up the system, I would get your EMT-B certification and then try to get hired doing transfers and get a feel for it, if you don't like doing transfers, 911 work won't be all that different, it will get you a feel for how things work as well as get you used to dealing with patients, hospital staff, etc.
I wouldn't worry about the math too much, there's a app for that. You shouldn't be doing drug calculations on the fly in your head anyhow.
EMS will always have a high attrition and turn over rate due to multiple factors, people will always get sick or injured. EMS is a relatively new occupation, constantly evolving and changing.
Get a degree, you can use it to step to other fields if you want, if you stay in EMS for any length of time, most places will require a degree for promotion. Pay depends on area. SW Pennsylvania $10-12 /hr is pretty good for a Paramedic, in NC where I am now, high 30s is starting for new medics.
As far as tattoos and piercings, that is service dependent. We have to have all tattoos covered, the fire department does not.
You will be able to hear patients, listen to lung sounds, listen to a radio, talk on a phone... I have worked with a medic who had significant deafness, she wore hearing aids and had amplifying stethoscope, I've worked with medics with one arm, part of a hand, etc.
I still do enjoy EMS after all this time. Good luck to you, shoot me a PM if you want and I'll try and help you out anyway I can.
Sent from this... Using that...

[NinjaMedic]

FWIW here in Austin I made $63,500 my first year with OT as a paramedic. Starting pay for EMT-B's (Medic 1 in our rank system) is 14.90/hr with no experience. In November we should also have full Civil Service protections. Not sure if relocating is a possibility . . .

[NinjaMedic]

1)Since the GI Bill is covering my tuition, should I:
-Start with my EMT-B cert and try to get hired from there?
-Take the Front Range Pre-Paramedic cert, which is 2 semesters of EMTB, EMT refresher, anatomy, emt intravaneous, basic EKG, medical terminology, and clinicals?
-Or find a college that does Paramedic as an Associate degree in 2 years of class time (Im having a hard time finding one on google that is within 1 hour of my home)?

Get your paramedic now! It will be much much harder to leave an entrenched position and re-enter a medic program later on.

2) Since I am not a math oriented person (we're talking counting on fingers and toes here), am I asking for trouble by going into this field?

No, there is actually limited math in EMS and once you are on the truck you should be using job aids and quick reference charts than trying to do math at 3am with a sick kiddo and a stressful situation. You will be able to learn what you need to.

3) "The Internet" says that the EMT field will grow by 30% from 2010-2012. Are you guys seeing alot of new positions open up, and if so how often are you seeing fresh hires with no applicable work experience coming in?

We have approximately 50 vacancies currently and are planning to staff 5 new units in the next budget year so we are likely to be 100 vacancies down by fall.

4) Knowing what you know now, would you still be an EMT or would you have taken a different path?

I left firefighting to go to EMS for the money. I have had opportunities that I never would have had a result and would not look back.

5) Generally, what is the average pay for a new guy in this field?

See my post above for Austin most other areas in the country are in the range of 8-10/hr for basics and 10-12/hr for paramedics. Typically it is a very low paying field especially compared to firefighters and police in your area.

6) I have a few visible tattoos, they are tasteful but large and not gang related (forearm, bicep, and above elbow area). Do you foresee this keeping me from getting hired? Is it normal for EMT's to wear long sleeves on the job?

Depends on the community. In many places it absolutely can be a deal breaker. In Austin it is absolutely a non-issue but we have a very liberal community that we serve. Very few of us wear long sleeves except in dress uniform.

7) I have some significant hearing loss with a service-connected disability. I can hear pretty well, but not according to those damn sound booths. I do have hearing aids, but hate the goddamn things. Will this possibly keep me from getting employed?

I doubt it, its not a condition of employment for us. We will do a pre-employment hearing test and annual thereafter to document the hearing loss that WILL come as a result of being in public safety. That said, as long as you are functional and can adequately auscultate lung sounds and blood pressures, hear a normal conversation so you can interview a patient, and also monitor your portable radio so you can stay on the net then you will have no issue.

Last but not least...

8) Are you satisfied with your job?

Absolutely! With the caveat that my organization is fairly unique and has a robust special operations section and has some incredible opportunities as a result.

[NinjaMedic]

Here is a short promo video of our Rescue Medics. Within Spec Ops we also have a Tactical, and a HazMat section in addition to the Rescue section.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-HjWp98NFg

[LowSpeed_HighDrag]

Wow, this thread is really motivating me. I’ve been terrified of getting out and have recently been considering staying in for another 4 because I just felt like there wasn’t a future out there.

As far as becoming a Paramedic right off the bat, apparently all of the AAS Paramedicine courses require at least EMT-B and some experience before enrolling, which means its a no go for me. That leaves me with the Pre Paramedic class, or the EMT basic class. I think the Pre Paramedic is probably the better program as it mirrors EMT-I for a lot of other states, which will probably make me more marketable in the long run, and make the transition from EMT to Paramedic that much easier when/if I finally take that route. I wish I could do the Paramedic program as it is far less taxing on my GI Bill, would give me an Associates, and would possibly open me up to more job opportunities, but such is life I suppose.

HMAC, I really like the thought of becoming a PA someday, but right now I'd like to get into the medical field as soon as possible so I can get a taste for it and see if I want to continue from there. Plus, from what I have heard, PA schools are extremely competitive and I have heard that having experience in the medical field plus a related degree works wonders for getting into a PA program.


DmaxFireman and ofdlt, I hadn't even thought about the firefighter aspect of EMS until you guys brought it up. That’s also something I was always interested in and have always wanted to at least be a volunteer firefighter. Ofdlt, I appreciate the advice and the knowledge in your post. I will certainly apply to as my fire departments as I can as well as EMS.

NCMedic, I get what you are saying about working your way up, and its something I am more than willing to do. In your experience, are employers reluctant to hire fresh paramedics because they had no medical experience as EMT's first?

NinjaMedic, thanks for all the info brother. 63,000, I assume, is not the norm, but would be amazing if I could even get close to that amount. I dont think we could uproot and move to Austin from Northern Colorado, at least not unless I had a guaranteed job with over $45K a year AND some tuition assistance to become a Paramedic, which Im sure is totally unrealistic. Your dept looks awesome, I can only hope to get involved with a program like that.