# should I become an EMT? do I have what it takes?



## thenoob (Jun 15, 2007)

Am I cut out for this kind of work? Yesterday I witnessed an accident and rushed out to help the person who crashed. I never felt such a rush in helping somebody who was too shocked and stunned to deal with it themselves.

I've always loved work driving whether it's delivering pizza or working as a road side assistant. I have a university degree in English, but last night's experience made me feel like I should look into being a paramedic or EMT due to its exciting and fulfilling nature.

The only problem is I'm I'm unsure if I even have what it takes. I'm very very cool and unaffected under pressure... I'm a fast thinker and good at improvisation. I've never much liked biology or science (though this might be different in the context of training and focusing for something specific like this), and I am really unsure how I would react to real life horror sights -- bloody situations, etc... someone screaming and dying.

How do I know if I'm the right kind of person to do this? I'd much prefer this work to doing something boring with my english degree, as I'm a little bit of a thrill junkie and also want to lead a more fulfilling life. 

thanks!!


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## firetender (Jun 15, 2007)

thenoob said:


> How do I know if I'm the right kind of person to do this?


 
After everybody on this site tells you you don't have what it takes, and it's a pursuit that drains you of your soul all for the rush of a rare save and you do it anyway, then you'll know.


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## SwissEMT (Jun 15, 2007)

Well, you've got pimple faced 17 year olds doing it. Why can't you? 
As long as you don't mind probably injuring your back, low pay and workplace frustration then you're set. 
Average burnout for a Paramedic is 5 years, this job is tough, but it's not the gore that makes them quit, it's the BS.


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## drg (Jun 15, 2007)

This subject has been coming up a lot on here recently.  I originally posted the same concern under Training, entitled "Dealing with the stuff you see" and then a few days later, someone else who had similar concerns and posted them under EMS Talk, entitled "Doubting following through" or something similar to that.

I was never really into biology, anatomy and physiology, etc. when I was in school.  But now that I'm learning it with the expectation that I will actually apply it, I find it fascinating.  I just finished my 3rd week of an 8-week EMT Basic class (It's summer semester, so the class meets from 6 to 10 p.m., Monday through Thursday), and I AM SO GLAD that I decided to follow through and take the class.

You'll find people on here who will try to talk you out of it but this is an important decision that only you can make.  As I told someone else in the other post I referred to above, the worst case scenario is that you take the class, decide it's not for you and you STILL walk away with knowledge that could potentially save someone's life one day.  I think it is far better to go for it and decide to do something else later rather than to never try and always wonder about it.  I HIGHLY encourage you to read the other two posts I referred to above.  They both have a lot of good info that helped me.  And remember, if you're looking for someone else to give you a reason not to better yourself or to take a risk and do something different, you'll always find it.  But there are A LOT of people on here who are extremely supportive and will be there to encourage you.  Had it not been for this board, I'm not sure whether or not I would've gone through with the class.  I'm in class now, and I know that it was the right decision.

Good Luck! Please let us know what you wind up doing!!!


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## bstone (Jun 15, 2007)

I *LOVE* being an EMT. It has been among the greatest experiences of my life. It allows you to have real access to the field of health care and you can make a significant improvement in someone's life in a very fundamental way.

If you weren't freak out by the accident, blood or pain then I say go for it. Being an EMT isn't all glory. There is a real nasty side to it. As long as you can process it properly then you can do it.

If you have a college degree then you can surely do EMT school. Study an hour every day and you'll be fine. Good luck!


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## Alexakat (Jun 15, 2007)

thenoob said:


> How do I know if I'm the right kind of person to do this? I'd much prefer this work to doing something boring with my english degree, as I'm a little bit of a thrill junkie and also want to lead a more fulfilling life.
> thanks!!



Noob,

You won't know until you try...seriously.  I can only speak from my own personal experience...I was in the same boat as you about 2 years ago so I took the EMT course to see if I'd like it--and I really did!  The EMT course is short & relatively easy, but fun & for someone like me who hadn't been exposed to that environment before, I found it really fascinating & fun.

As many people will tell you here, most people are not going to get rich in EMS, but it can be very fulfilling (as well as frustrating b/c there are a lot of B.S. situations as well).  

Why not work a job that utilizes your degree as well as become a volunteer EMT to see if you like the environment?  That's what I do...I run 3-4 12-hour shifts a month & it gives me just enough exposure that I'm not getting burned out (as many people on this board will also tell you--it seems EMS burn-out if very common).

Just my .02


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## BossyCow (Jun 15, 2007)

drg said:


> You'll find people on here who will try to talk you out of it but this is an important decision that only you can make.



Absolutely!  Because the one who won't be talked out of it will overcome that adrenaline junkie, in it for the glory, idealism and may become a good EMS provider.  But they do because they find something else in themselves that motivated them.  I've trained a lot of EMT's and most of the one's I've seen who start out indecisive, end up second guessing themselves on calls and need a lot more handholding and mentoring in their careers, if they get that far.


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## firetender (Jun 15, 2007)

...and your world will be turned upside-down, you'll discover parts of yourself you never even suspected of being in a human being, you will experience joy in proportion to the misery that you help alleviate, EVERYTHING that you learn you'll be able to use, you will grow to understand the human condition way beyond most of your non-medic peers, you'll come to embrace the next breath as something more important than a fifty in your pocket, laughter will become second-nature, and, bottom line, no matter how long your exposure, you will carry it for the rest of your life as a tool that can affect people for the better.


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## Glorified (Jun 15, 2007)

Just take the course.  You'll find out if you like it during your clinicals.


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## thenoob (Jun 15, 2007)

I have had impulses before to do outlandish things but this EXCITES me thinking about it, unlike my dead end current path. I imagine what it would be like to ride around and be prepared for anything that comes along my way and to do it second nature like any other job.

But it is a big step, one I am not sure if I'm even prepared to do.


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## thenoob (Jun 15, 2007)

how long does it take from being a total noob to being employed as an EMT?


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## Glorified (Jun 15, 2007)

There will be at least one other person in the class who is unsure of their career choice.  I had a 60 something in my class looking for a career change in my class, not really sure of what he wanted.  EMT-B class will give you a exposure to what a career in EMS can offer.  It is often offered during the day or night, and often works around work schedules.  

I remember viewing this as a huge decision too, and it really wasn't.  I'm glad I took the class, because I ended up loving it.  But it wasn't really life changing.  I still have options, and so do you.


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## Glorified (Jun 15, 2007)

thenoob said:


> how long does it take from being a total noob to being employed as an EMT?



After the class is over, you have to get state licensure.  Some states use the National Registry as their model, some don't. I am currently looking for a job, and applied at two ambulance services, both of which are hiring, but I still don't know if they will hire me because of my age (19) and driving record (two violations.) It's been 6 months since I started class and currently I have my state license.  If I can't find work, I will hopefully be accpeted by the volunteer squad in my local suburb and work where I am now.  Getting hired depends on the amount of people with EMT-B training in your area looking for work.  There is a much higher demand for paramedics, than for EMT-B's, basically because there are less paramedics than basics.  

Volunteering is always an option.  It's hard to live off of 8 bucks an hour, anyways. You can always try to find work with your college degree while gaining experience volunteering part-time as an EMT.  This way, if you want to go to paramedic school you have enough experience to make the paramedic classes a little bit easier.

Good luck!


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## thenoob (Jun 16, 2007)

So I should find a class called EMT basic and enroll? And after completing the courses and clinical I will be able to ride around as an EMT-basic?
Will that course require any prerequisite courses?

And I assume the more serious commitment is, one has to go to paramedic school in order to become EMT-I or EMT-paramedics?


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## Glorified (Jun 17, 2007)

thenoob said:


> So I should find a class called EMT basic and enroll? And after completing the courses and clinical I will be able to ride around as an EMT-basic?
> Will that course require any prerequisite courses?
> 
> And I assume the more serious commitment is, one has to go to paramedic school in order to become EMT-I or EMT-paramedics?



Some EMT-B classes require you to have a American Heart Association Healthcare Provider CPR course completed prior to enrollment.  My CPR cert was completed during the first month of my class.  So, some have CPR as a pre-req, some don't. You have to go to paramedic school to become a paramedic.  Intermediate courses are separate.  

Clinicals are a requirement for course completion.  You will do patient assessments and record them on your state sheets without personal patient information on them, and then hand them into your teacher.  Clinical requirement differ from place to place. Don't get too ahead of yourself.  I do the same thing.  Just try to do well in the basic course.  Find where a course is offered and find out if there are any prerequisites.


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## Amack (Jun 19, 2007)

Do you have what it takes?


My instructor always reiterates: "If within the first week on the job you get pissed, spat, vomited, and :censored::censored::censored::censored: on, and you still come back to work, EMS is for you!"


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