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I think people who have proven competence in other fields are likely to do well in EMS. I worked as an automotive technician and dynamometer tech for years and I have yet to come across anything in EMS that requires even close to the thought or skill needed on a daily basis to make a living in...

I'm curious where you are attempting these IV starts, as 1 out of 8 is pretty bad(not trying to be mean, just being honest). Are these IV starts done on an ambulance? Is someone watching you and giving you pointers or are they just cutting you loose on poor unsuspecting patients unsupervised...

By just letting RNs test out as Paramedics or giving them some crash course with no clinicals and no field internship, you are making an assumption they have an aptitude for something they may not have. Nursing is a large enough and varied field that RNs can find their niche, which may not...

I don't understand this 2 week RN to Paramedic program. What is the criteria for who can attend it, simply being an RN? Do they at least require students to be licensed EMTs? What if you have an RN who has zero pre hospital EMS experience and may not even have Emergency room experience, are...

We started with 22 in Basic. Of that number I guess around 15 took the final written and practical exams. Don't know for sure who passed or failed that, who passed or failed the NREMT, and who still works in EMS, as its not like we all hung out together and kept in touch. I know at least 2...

Don't get me started on HIPAA. Like so much of what congress does, it was done because of politics and showmanship rather than a practical need. Not that I think there shouldn't be some privacy protections like in other countries, but HIPAA takes it to the extreme. I'm pretty sure HIPAA has...

What foundations specifically are you referring to, have you taken A&P, chemistry, biology, pharmacology? I think being a good EMT should be a pre requisite for Paramedic school, but the reality is that by itself its not a particularly good indicator of how well someone is going to do in Medic...

Taking college A&P before Intro to Bio seems like putting the cart before the horse, so I'd go with chemistry at this point.

My Paramedic class has an annoying clique in it with a few students who know each other from high school apparently. The are continually laughing at inside jokes and snickering when someone makes a mistake or asks a question. It got old pretty quickly. Sadly the ones in the clique are at least...

If getting BLS certified is what stops someone taking EMT school, I doubt they were very motivated to be an EMT to begin with. Nursing students may have to take a couple years of pre regs before they can begin the clinical portion of their training. I don't think its too much to ask someone to...

I guess it all depends on whether you want to work for a Fire Department, and the area you are going to work in. In some areas its Fire that largely handles 911 and other areas its not. From what I've seen though the largest barrier to getting a Fire job is getting your Paramedic. Once you...

I don't understand the thing about being the guy who almost died? People almost die all the time, in all professions, I don't see why it would be an issue. In EMS we work around people who almost die all the time, now you've gotten to a chance to see what the patients are going through, and...

The only students I don't care for are know it alls. I'll take one who is afraid to touch a patient and just wants to watch all shift over one who is kind of a loose cannon on calls and tries to do everything. I had one student basically tell us he was a trauma expert because he had gotten...

Passing the class probably wouldn't be a problem as far as age goes, so long as you understand most of your fellow students will be half your age and younger, and it is a hands on class. If its an issue it will be after the class, assuming you want to work the road as an EMT. How much of an...

From my experience it seems like many Paramedics look down on AEMT's/Intermediates, and think that level of license should be disposed of. One student in my Paramedic class suggested he might want to test out as a AEMT at some point if possible, and my instructors instantly said NO, and then...

EMT school is not easy. A lot of people fail it believe it or not, and not all of them are idiots. I've seen RNs fail EMT school. It doesn't help that EMT instructors are often not particularly good at teaching, and many people start the course thinking it'll all be one big fun time and there...

I think this is somewhat normal for new EMTs. EMT school does a poor job of preparing people for the routine stuff they will be doing as EMTs like handling a cot, driving an ambulance and filling out EPCRs and paperwork. As a result new EMTs tend to look foolish and lost. You definitely...

The risk of you having contracted HIV from this guy, even if your "cut" did come into contact with his blood, is pretty remote. You want to worry about something, worry about hepatitis or C diff. As an EMT, HIV is close to the bottom of the list of infectious diseases I worry about.

This is something I've never been able to understand, and its never been adequately explained to me why in some areas EMTs cant check BGL. It's totally idiotic. Does it make much difference when they cant check it? Probably not, but its sort of the principle of the thing, it shows absolutely...

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...