# EMT-B license for nothing...



## thowle (May 27, 2008)

Here goes my general non-sense ranting again lol.

So, I'm sure some of you might remember little ole me getting my EMT-B license last year (around $800+ total in the end); primarly because I was on the fire department and only had one or two EMTs and we were in a rural community, plus I was thinking about getting a job as an EMT at another fairly local EMS provider in a larger town near by... as the EMT course ended the fire department started to fall down hill (no one showed up, no one helped, long story) so I decided to just give up on the FD and stop showing up as much (I was addicted [crazy - yeah], I was at the station every day all day always doing something.

So, long story short I got my EMT-B license and here I am today -- haven't had my first "real" patient contact as an EMT, I'm pretty sure I have forgotten a LOT of the things I knew, and need to know to be an EMT... and now I'm always thinking in my head "gosh I hope that car in front of me doesn't have a wreck..." because [a] I'm still licensed as an EMT, but I no longer feel confident in my ability to perform what's expected of me, and * I just dont want anyone to get hurt, period.

Not really sure why I posted this, not really expecting a reply (because there isn't really anything I'm expecting to hear, or anything that can be replied to :S)... but anyway, that's my ranting for the day (if you even call that ranting).*


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## piranah (May 27, 2008)

seems to me...and plz dont take offense to this... but it seems to me that the only person you can blame for losing your skills is yourself....it is up to you to keep your skills up to date...period...


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## el Murpharino (May 27, 2008)

What happened to "getting a job as an EMT at another fairly local EMS provider in a larger town near by"?  If you have to, do a ride-along at a busier ambulance service, take a refresher class....do what you have to do to keep your skills sharp.  Also, if you decide that this is something that you don't want to do - don't be afraid to let your card expire and chalk the class up to experience.  It's a disservice to your patients and to yourself if you provide lackluster patient care and fail to take CME hours.  It does suck, though, to pay the amount of money you did and not be able to use your skills.


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## Ridryder911 (May 27, 2008)

Not to be rude, but this is one of hundreds of posts I read of the same thing. One did not really investigate a profession before entering, something I would suggest anyone should do. 

R/r 911


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## mikeylikesit (May 27, 2008)

it's ok it is still probably/hopefully engrained in your instinct. re-read the EMT books and keep going to school for I,P, nursing whatever if your truly serious.


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## karaya (May 28, 2008)

Looks like you could use the web site you own to help keep up as well.  Nice site!


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## thowle (May 28, 2008)

piranah said:


> seems to me...and plz dont take offense to this... but it seems to me that the only person you can blame for losing your skills is yourself....it is up to you to keep your skills up to date...period...



I know, I don't blame anyone else.  I just got busy with work (software development).





el Murpharino said:


> What happened to "getting a job as an EMT at another fairly local EMS provider in a larger town near by"?  If you have to, do a ride-along at a busier ambulance service, take a refresher class....do what you have to do to keep your skills sharp.  Also, if you decide that this is something that you don't want to do - don't be afraid to let your card expire and chalk the class up to experience.  It's a disservice to your patients and to yourself if you provide lackluster patient care and fail to take CME hours.  It does suck, though, to pay the amount of money you did and not be able to use your skills.



Yeah, I was going to get a job but at the time all of this was happening I ended up getting another job as a software developer (which I do enjoy more).  The whole fire department thing was really just a "phase".  I enjoyed it when I did it, but it consumed way to much time (probably because I let it), and then I just got away from it.





Ridryder911 said:


> Not to be rude, but this is one of hundreds of posts I read of the same thing. One did not really investigate a profession before entering, something I would suggest anyone should do.
> 
> R/r 911



Well, I wasn't really wanting to enter this as a main career; I was just doing it to TRY any better the community in-which I was on the fire department; but as I said that pretty much fell apart towards the end of the EMT class.






mikeylikesit said:


> it's ok it is still probably/hopefully engrained in your instinct. re-read the EMT books and keep going to school for I,P, nursing whatever if your truly serious.



I beleive I will do that; read the EMT book again in spare time and try to keep up to date, and then take the required CE classes to keep the certification.  I never was "fully confident" mostly because I never was with my first real patient, but oh well... maybe a little confidence will come back.






karaya said:


> Looks like you could use the web site you own to help keep up as well.  Nice site!



haha, well yeah I suppose so.  Thanks by the way.


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## KEVD18 (May 28, 2008)

thowle said:


> Well, I wasn't really wanting to enter this as a main career; I was just doing it to TRY any better the community in-which I was on the fire department; but as I said that pretty much fell apart towards the end of the EMT class.




well i cant really get behind anybody who treats public safety as a hobby and not as a profession. its disappointing that you have decided its not for you but in the long run, probably better for your community. let your ticket go and take all the time you would have spent on ff/emt stuff and put it into software development, since thats what you really want to do.


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## thowle (May 28, 2008)

Want really doing it as a hobby; was doing it and enjoying the FF/soon EMT on a volunteer department.  But as I said, that was the only reason I was doing the EMT classes was to better the community where I volunteered on the fire department.


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## KEVD18 (May 28, 2008)

if you never intended to make it a career, then you were doing it as a hobby, or as part time when you had nothing else to do.

id really like to not see this turn into a volly v. career debate.


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## mikeylikesit (May 28, 2008)

KEVD18 said:


> if you never intended to make it a career, then you were doing it as a hobby, or as part time when you had nothing else to do.
> 
> id really like to not see this turn into a volly v. career debate.


yeah...(cough)career(cough)


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## MedCoast Ambulance (May 28, 2008)

KEVD18 said:


> well i cant really get behind anybody who treats public safety as a hobby and not as a profession. its disappointing that you have decided its not for you but in the long run, probably better for your community. let your ticket go and take all the time you would have spent on ff/emt stuff and put it into software development, since thats what you really want to do.



My standard is would I want to explain to a son why I failed to know what I was doing to give his mother the best chance to overcome illness or injury.


EVERYTHING I DO IS WRAPPED IN PATIENT CARE!!!!!!

fail at that you really are not the type of person I would want on my department.  For any reason....go work on software...heck maybe develop software to keep up emt skills so those that follow behind you do not make the same mistakes.......that is the kind of person that I want on my department.

RESULTS NOT REASONS......nothing matters to the person trusting their life in your hands and mind.  Sorry I was busy making money.......does not cut it.

Sorry to be so harsh but the truth is the truth....learn and grow but do NOT get in the way or take the spot of some one who will.

good luck in your future choices.....make better ones


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## Tincanfireman (May 29, 2008)

I had a former partner on a private service who was investigating a career change and decided that being an EMT looked like a challenging choice. Needless to say, she quickly learned the truth that "it ain't all that" for everyone and she better stay right where she was.  Many volunteer firefighters (like me, back in the day) took the time and initiative to become EMT's to broaden their skill set and provide a higher level of care to the community, regardless of what their day jobs were. Kudos to you for taking the time, but it looks from here that circumstances outside of your control ended up torpedoing your ambitions before they reached fruition.  I can't tell you what to do regarding your ticket; keeping it up or charging it off as a learning experience is a call that you'll have to make.  Good on ya for trying to make your town a better place to live, though...


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## emtashleyb (May 30, 2008)

you just have to keep up on your skills flip through your texybook and protocals often. Help and participate in training of other memebers going through their emt. It cant hurt you jhust help ya


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## ffemt8978 (May 31, 2008)

Tincanfireman said:


> I had a former partner on a private service who was investigating a career change and decided that being an EMT looked like a challenging choice. Needless to say, she quickly learned the truth that "it ain't all that" for everyone and she better stay right where she was.  Many volunteer firefighters (like me, back in the day) took the time and initiative to become EMT's to broaden their skill set and provide a higher level of care to the community, regardless of what their day jobs were. Kudos to you for taking the time, but it looks from here *that circumstances outside of your control ended up torpedoing your ambitions before they reached fruition*.  I can't tell you what to do regarding your ticket; keeping it up or charging it off as a learning experience is a call that you'll have to make.  Good on ya for trying to make your town a better place to live, though...



I agree with everything in this statement except for the highlighted portion.  It was not circumstances, but choices that placed the OP in this position.  He made a choice as to what was more important to him, and this is the result of that choice.  I'm not saying it was right or wrong, but a consequence of the choices he made in his life.


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## Tincanfireman (May 31, 2008)

I was referring to his one-time goal of being an EMT with the FD; but you're absolutely correct to call me on it due to the way I worded my reply. I agree, he could have most likely found a position elsewhere, but made the decision not to. Thanks for catching my goof.


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## LE-EMT (Jun 6, 2008)

Many of the people here can be a little harsh........(My self included) What you have to realize is that most of the people here make this their career, their life.... So they reply as noted.  People can get rather upset when you don't take something so serious to them as seriously as they do.   

You wanted to better your self and community.  I commend you for that.  But by choosing web development/programing (a very good career as well) you  basically made the decision with or with out realizing it to give up on EMS.   If there is one thing that I have learned in my time on this site is that EMS is an ever learning career.  It is not something that you can just decide to take up and hope it will stick with you.  It is an ever evolving field and needs people who want to take the time to study and learn every day.

So now it is up to you to decide.  Do you restudy everything again become "competent"  Or do you continue with your current career and become the best you can in that field.  
Good luck


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## mikeylikesit (Jun 6, 2008)

yeah but follow your dreams and volunteer.^_^


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