# Anyone work full time through Paramedic school?



## hogwiley (Sep 21, 2013)

Has anyone worked full time while going through Paramedic school, or nearly full time? How did that work out for you?

I work 32 hours a week and I'm wondering if its realistic to keep that up for the entire time. So far its sucked horribly but its been manageable. I work in a hospital and I cant really do any studying at work(Im lucky if I have time to take any sort of lunch most shifts), so studying has to be done in the time between work and school and clinicals.


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## TransportJockey (Sep 21, 2013)

I did, both times lol. First time I was a night floor tech at a hospital working 3 12 hour shifts a week... it was harder than hell... My second try through I was working 1 36 hour shift a week, which was obviously easier, but when I picked up OT it made it rather hard. 
You can do it, but it will suck... But there are a lot of us out there that have done it in the past.


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## Medic Tim (Sep 21, 2013)

hogwiley said:


> Has anyone worked full time while going through Paramedic school, or nearly full time? How did that work out for you?
> 
> I work 32 hours a week and I'm wondering if its realistic to keep that up for the entire time. So far its sucked horribly but its been manageable. I work in a hospital and I cant really do any studying at work(Im lucky if I have time to take any sort of lunch most shifts), so studying has to be done in the time between work and school and clinicals.



I did my first year of medic school part time and the second full time all while working full time 2 days 2 nights 4 off. It was VERY stressful. I averaged 1-2 days off a month. I saved up vacation time and had a lot of OT banked that I used as time off. I also had a few coworkers that really helped me out and traded a few shifts with me. The year I went FT I had class and clinical 3-5 days a week for 8-16 hours a day. I was able to study and do a lot of work on my night shifts as it was much slower.

Time management is your friend. Your family and friends will wonder what happened to you. I really enjoyed it. I am glad I did it, but it was rough. If I hadn't had 3 years of university and all my pre reqs /co reqs done I don't think I would have done as well.


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## MissK (Sep 21, 2013)

I did. I worked 72+ hours a week, had class 3 days a week, and did clinicals as well. It's very possible, but you can say goodbye to your social life. The last few months of school I had maybe 1 or 2 days to myself. I wouldn't change a thing, though. Time management, motivation, and dedication will get you through it.


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## Jambi (Sep 21, 2013)

I worked full-time, taught part-time, and took a full-time load of university courses in addition to medic school. Granted my program was a traditional sit-down class that ran so many days a week, but things got a little busy from time to time. I put my university on hold during field-time though.

TL;DR: I am not normal


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## DrankTheKoolaid (Sep 21, 2013)

Yup worked a ft 72 hr/wk job while in school


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## Carlos Danger (Sep 21, 2013)

I worked FT as a basic EMT for a 911 ambulance service while in medic school.

At one point there were weeks on end where because the way my work, class, and clinical schedule fell, I would wake up Sunday morning and not go to bed again until Thursday night. Naps here and there at the station and in the ambulance were all the sleep I got, and I studied in the ambulance between calls. 

It sucked, but I was young and did just fine.


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## Epi-do (Sep 21, 2013)

I worked full time while going to medic school.  I was an EMT at a fire department and worked 24/48's, so I was able to study while at work.


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## Handsome Robb (Sep 21, 2013)

Between school and work I was pulling 84+ hour work weeks usually all seven days but sometimes 6 days with one off. I wasn't sure I wanted to work in EMS anymore by the time I was done but your situation is different. I was on an ambulance 7 days a week for a long time.


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## unleashedfury (Sep 22, 2013)

100% possible, its hard. And time management is the key. Get a daily planner for the year and keep track of everything so you can appropriately dictate time for work and school. 

I was going full time and working full-time and doing all my clinical rotations as needed. it was 100 hour weeks for me so your social life is non exsistant. When I didn't take the last semester it felt like a break but all I did was avoid the ineveitable. I'm sure I'll be sick of looking at a ambulance by the time I'm done. But if its what you want you find a way to make it work. Studying in free time, sleeping some time 

You just learn to "embrace the suck"


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## Akulahawk (Sep 22, 2013)

When I went to P-School, I mostly worked full-time. I also had some time for a social life. It all boiled down to ensuring that I had good time management for scheduling work, school, and family life. I typically went to school Mon-Wed and worked Thu-Sun. I worked between 36 and 48 hours every week. I did that for the better part of a year. Once my field time came up, I had to take time off to complete that because of one small problem: my preceptor worked a Kelly Schedule and my employer didn't use that system and couldn't adapt to the schedule on very short notice.


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## Christopher (Sep 23, 2013)

hogwiley said:


> Has anyone worked full time while going through Paramedic school, or nearly full time? How did that work out for you?
> 
> I work 32 hours a week and I'm wondering if its realistic to keep that up for the entire time. So far its sucked horribly but its been manageable. I work in a hospital and I cant really do any studying at work(Im lucky if I have time to take any sort of lunch most shifts), so studying has to be done in the time between work and school and clinicals.



I work ~40-60hrs a week at my day job and did paramedic school. Only a handful in my class were not in the same or similar boat (+/- kids too).

But, keep in mind I had no family and burned out a relationship doing it. So, take that with a grain of salt.


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## wanderingmedic (Sep 23, 2013)

I'm finishing my BSN and minor in medical anthropology full time, and am in medic school simultaneously. I also tutor special needs children on the side. 

Yes, you can do it. It might be hard. But....with good time management and a solid understanding of your limits you can do almost anything.


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## FiremanMike (Sep 23, 2013)

hogwiley said:


> Has anyone worked full time while going through Paramedic school, or nearly full time? How did that work out for you?
> 
> I work 32 hours a week and I'm wondering if its realistic to keep that up for the entire time. So far its sucked horribly but its been manageable. I work in a hospital and I cant really do any studying at work(Im lucky if I have time to take any sort of lunch most shifts), so studying has to be done in the time between work and school and clinicals.



I did it, but I was 19 and had no wife or kids.  I was working 7-3 in an ER and part time at two fire departments while going.. Again, I was 19 and full of energy with no distractions.


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