# What made you get into EMS?



## hfenrick (May 21, 2012)

Hey,

I'm new. To the forum and EMS in general. I was just wondering what some people's stories were about why they got into EMS, and some of the things you guys do to stay motivated.

I've heard that many emts and paramedics last somewhere between 5-7 years in the field. And I'd rather make a career of this, than just something I do to pay the bills for a season.

Any input is appreciated


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## EMT John (May 22, 2012)

The 5-7 year comment I think applies to EMT's advancing their traing to RN, PA, Ect. Or an injury has displaced them. IME I haven't had many problems with people not enjoying their job. The problem ones for me are the 15-20+ year guys that are burned out. I think theyre burned out because if you work for a private ambulance there really isn't room for advancement and they arnt happy about it. or wanted to become something or go somewhere and didn't.

Some people become EMT's to become Firefighters and just don't care about the EMT side. Personally I think of you want to make it you need to care about both. I became an EMT because I love the outdoors and hate being stuck in an office. I like the fact that not one day will be the same. I love the shifts. 48/96, 24's, 12,s. it's all nice for me. And finally I just like helping people that are legitimately in need of help.


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## smokeater (May 22, 2012)

hfenrick said:


> Hey,
> 
> I'm new. To the forum and EMS in general. I was just wondering what some people's stories were about why they got into EMS, and some of the things you guys do to stay motivated.
> 
> ...



Im one of those guys EMTJohn was talking about...just kidding, but I did get my EMTB while in fire school. It wasnt that I didnt care about it or wasnt interested, I just knew nothng about it In the beginnig. I have actually found patient care to be quite rewarding and very interesting. Thats why I have choosen to persue my paramedic licensing. Not sure about private service, but alot in fire field get burnt out after a few years. Maybe thats what your hearing. EMTJohn is right on though...never a same day and great hours...24 on 48 off here. I think those who burn out prob have other issues or just dont love the job. However, thats not to say they could just be mentaly taxed. Some run areas have different dynamics in play that define the type and number of calls, which I can see how after time could be tough without a good long vaca.


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## Aprz (May 22, 2012)

Little brother and dad have epilepsy. The second time my dad a seizure and we called 911, I started thinking about just learning some stuff. At the time, my family was mad I wasn't going to school, software engineering/computer science wasn't working out for me (I still love it though), and my grandparents were trying to get me to be an ECG tech. When they showed me a brochure for ECG, I saw EMT, read the description, it had the prereq of First Reaponder, and I just decided to take First Responder (I didn't want to be an ECG tech at the time, which is funny now cause ECGs/12 leads is my favorite paramedic skill). I hated the class and thought it was lamest thing until I read a ECG for nursing book (I think Saunders? I gave the book away) and tried memorizing some basic anatomy (more than a First Responder) and some basic medical terminology online (there was a website that would teach and quiz you on it, I need to look it up again). I decided to go onto EMT and I kinda liked it as much as First Responder (not that much, lol), but I started posting here then and everybody got me pumped up.


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## Tigger (May 22, 2012)

I was always the best at First Aid when I was in Boy Scouts so I guess it likely started there. I also at one point wanted to volunteer for my town's ambulance which got me to EMT and the rest is history, though I have never once set foot on the local ambulance since they don't like people that aren't around all year.


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## Veneficus (May 22, 2012)

Was forced to by a FD I was with at the time.

Seemed to have a special talent for medicine and since then it has been all consuming as I move forward a step at a time.


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## danburyfirerescue (May 22, 2012)

Growing up most of the females in my family were in the medical field ( most being CNA and RN's) and they all wanted me to follow in their foot steeps.  Needless to say that never happened... Right out of High School I got my start as a deputy in the state of FL  and after a few years of that I moved to NC to help with my family that lives here and tried to get on as a cop in NC but found out that NC dont take out of state certs ( that pissed me off ..lol).  So for the longest time i work what ever jobs I could find till I got my start in as Volunteer Fire Fighter ( i fell in-love with firefighting).  I've been a firefighter now for 4 years and that whole time medical wise I only had my Medical First Responder cert.  Well due to where I am wanting to go with this I thought I needed to step it up a notch so now I am awaiting to take my state exam so that I can be a EMT-basic... however i have no idea if i'll take it further than basic at this tme.


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## mycrofft (May 22, 2012)

Originally, I was dock hand/first aider as vacation lake at 19 y/o. Six years later I found myself unemployed during a "stagflation" (stagnant economy with inflation) and asked myself what my best job had been, and how to get back to it. Went USAF as firefighter, got own EMT-A (nowadays,. EMT-B).

SO, in short, I needed a job.


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## Sasha (May 22, 2012)

Temporary insanity.


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## abckidsmom (May 22, 2012)

It's a nature/nurture debate for me.  We really aren't sure.


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## Milla3P (May 22, 2012)

A friend of mine who worked for a FD said it was like "hitting the jackpot". 

I enjoy getting paid to sleep and have a good appreciation for humor in everyday situations. Fixing acute emergent situations is pretty rewarding, too, no matter how rare they are.


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## mycrofft (May 22, 2012)

*Milla*

(haha, when I got into EMS with my FD, it meant a lot LESSS sleep. Plus I worked a civilian ambulance job on my every-other-day off).


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## hfenrick (May 22, 2012)

guess I shoulda thrown mine up, but here it is.

joined the VFD in my little rural town, and the first two calls were, in order: 25 y/o f c/o "baby's a comin'!!!" and the next was a MVA. One of the victims happened to be the son of a neighbor two doors down. At the time I didn't have anything but first aid and the feeling of being useless til the medics showed up really sucked. Our town is about a half hour away from any EMS besides the EMRs on our hall. Then I did the EMR course and had a blast, so I figured "heck if I can get paid for this.....BONUS!"


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## medichopeful (May 22, 2012)

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imI8baMrfGo[/YOUTUBE]

Not quite EMS related but this thread reminded me of this!


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## FourLoko (May 22, 2012)

Desperation. 

I took the EMT course because I needed something to do while unemployed. Then I found a "real job." Real job laid me off and I got an EMT job the next week.


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## 46Young (May 22, 2012)

Medicine always interested me, but I didn't want to work indoors. I slao wasn't interested in going to school for 4-6 years or more, either. Two of my cousins were ex-FDNY medics who left to work as 911 medics for a local hospital. I applied for and got hired by that hospital. The job paid EMT's $22/hr after a year, and $30/hr for medics, so medics made almost as much as nurses for much less time spent in school. I really liked working in the NYC 911 system, but the pay and benefits were less than I would be satisfied with for the long term, especially given the cost of living in NY.

Ten years in the field, the motivation is money, benefits, working conditions, and the retirement. It's all about the best retirement. I had to go to the fire side to achieve this, though. I looked around, but non fire EMS departments weren't offering anything even remotely close to the deal that we have here.


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## CritterNurse (May 22, 2012)

When I was unemployed, and looking for volunteer work to keep myself busy, I spoke to my local fire-chief and told him I'd like to join because I am a veterinary technician, and that I realize that pets are affected by house fires too. He said they don't get much call for animals, but he did say that they did have a need for more women on the rescue side. So I joined up, volunteered with them even after I had gotten a full-time job. Two years later I go to school for EMT.

I didn't set out to become an EMT, but I wasn't going to say no to an opportunity. With my background as a vet tech, I found the EMT course to be fairly easy. And certainly wouldn't hurt my eventual career goal of being an emergency vet. tech.


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## DrParasite (May 23, 2012)

girls looooove to sleep with guys in uniform.  usually it's a police, fire or military uniform, but after they are all taken, they go home with the EMT......:rofl:

Actually, I never ever wanted to work in EMS.  I was very content to be a volunteer, working a corporate job in IT 9am to 5pm.  Graduated college, was working for a medical school's IT department, but found myself very bored.  answered an ad on career builder doing EMS for $12 an hour every friday night in a :censored::censored::censored::censored:ty city, on a lark.  found I actually enjoyed the experience.

One thing led to another, the economy tanked even further, IT positions were eliminated left and right, IT contracted were treated like crap and viewed as expendable by management, and I took a semi-lateral transfer from hospital IT dept to hospital EMS.  Accepted a FT job in EMS, 4 years later, accepted a full time job in EMS (communications division) at my original university that I was working IT in.  been there ever since (and now planning my exit form EMS back into a corporate job)


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## NREMTroe (May 24, 2012)

I got into it because I didn't have anything else to do. I didn't know anything about the job, and I thought it would just be something to get by at the time. I fell in love with it during EMT school, and now I'm about to be a paramedic, and have loved all of it.


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## Medic Tim (May 24, 2012)

My dad was a flight medic and an owner/manager of the local ambulance service when I was growing up. I went to school for nursing but after 2 and a half years I switched to EMS. I did well in nursing but felt out of place if that makes any sense. I have been a Paramedic for 5 years and Love It.


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## Flightorbust (May 24, 2012)

I took my EMT class because I figured it would look good on an application to radiology school. I ended up enjoying EMS and decided that it was a better fit for me.


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## NJN (May 24, 2012)

I lost a bet.


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## heatherabel3 (May 26, 2012)

I'm also new here and will be starting EMT school next month. I have known this is what I wanted to do since right after high school. I was the unrestrained passenger in a car wreck, we rolled a GEO Tracker and I went out the back passenger window. When it was all over I sat up, blood coming out of my head, couldn't feel my hands, scared out of my mind, and started totally FREAKING out. Then the medics showed up. He made me lay down and then he put his hand on my head and told me it was all going to be ok and I believed him. I knew right away that I wanted to be that for someone else.


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## bigbaldguy (May 26, 2012)

heatherabel3 said:


> I'm also new here and will be starting EMT school next month. I have known this is what I wanted to do since right after high school. I was the unrestrained passenger in a car wreck, we rolled a GEO Tracker and I went out the back passenger window. When it was all over I sat up, blood coming out of my head, couldn't feel my hands, scared out of my mind, and started totally FREAKING out. Then the medics showed up. He made me lay down and then he put his hand on my head and told me it was all going to be ok and I believed him. I knew right away that I wanted to be that for someone else.



Very cool story. Welcome to the forum.


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## firecoins (May 26, 2012)

I was kidnapped and raised by pack of rabid wolves.


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## Devilz311 (May 26, 2012)

Both of my parents are medics. My mom got me into a volunteer squad when I was 16, and I started EMT school at the same time. I had initially started the prereq's for Nursing school, but ended up going to Medic school instead. I really don't regret it though.


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## epipusher (May 28, 2012)

I became a medic in the hopes a forum regarding the subject of EMS would come around and I could post about how everyone is wrong about everything.


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## DarrenA (May 28, 2012)

*what made me want to become an emt*

Well I am getting into an EMT career because in 2002 I was involved in a Friendly Fire Accident in Afghanistan where an American Air National Guardsman Dropped a 500lb Laser Guided bomb on my Company doing a live fire training exercise just off of the Kandahar Airfield base.  There was 4 who died and 8 seriously injured. I was one of the first people into the blast area, and was helping a medic with a person who did not end up making it off of the soil.  I really remember that and will always remember that.  I know it has been 10 years and it took me this long to get to where I am today. I have balanced a few jobs since I got out and this is where I want to end up.  I don't know how well I will be as a Medic, I have lots of worried and fears as I am now venturing into the second part of training without having any hands on experience with dealing with Patients (hands on in an ambulance yet) I have been reading posts on what makes a good medic, your kit and various other threads. I have talked to emts and Paras about this career and there is a bit of doubt with me because I can't control every outcome that is thrown my way. I worry about messing up on my patients (and I know that school will teach me alot and I still have 2 months until I start my emt school) but hey I am sure we were all nervous before we started and had hands on our first real pt. Now that I am rambling on, I am going to go and colour my Anatomy flash cards and do some studying. Have a great day.


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## LukaPL (May 30, 2012)

Well it might seem weird but I get here by accident.
Im an immigrant from Poland, married in US used to work some dead end job with no idea what to do. One month I got two speeding tickets and my wife went crazy on me. Tried to joke about that and said: I wish I could be (forgive my ignorance back then ) ambulance driver so I could drive fast and not getting tickets. My wife was much smarter and said that there is no ambulance drivers there are EMT's. I asked her how long is the EMT school. When she said one semester I told her to sign me in (anything would be better than my dead end job). After couple classes I forgot about fast driving and fell in love in EMS. Now Im basic for 4 years and this friday Ill attempt to pass my Paramedic national registry and looking forward for maybe not well payed but rewarding career.


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## Amberlamps916 (May 30, 2012)

The economy.....plus a little bit of a desire to help the needy.


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## EMT11KDL (May 30, 2012)

My brother is an officer so i became the firefighter. 

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