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The jobs are very different. Some people could get lost in a telephone booth, so make sure you know your service area well and are comfortable driving an ambulance, because as an EMT thats pretty much your job. That and make sure you can do the lifting. I just find the jobs have very...

My recruiter told me you don't want to be in the infantry unless you think going weeks without a shower while living in a tent that smells like *ss and experiencing the joys of borderline hypothermia and heat exhaust while serving as a human pack mule sounds like fun. This was a Marine...

At least you seem to be passionate about EMS. I'm actually wondering if I'm cut out to be a Paramedic for different reasons. I just don't care THAT much. I see posts like this, and see fellow students stressing out over an exam and talking about all the studying they've done, or going on and on...

It's not your fault if you weren't taught something. I work with ICU charge Nurses who probably couldn't change the oil on their car, does that make them idiots? I have the advantage of having thick skin(or a thick skull), but I tune out all that BS. When I first started working as a tech I...

I've done it a couple times. One seemed relatively normal aside from having a one sided conversation with her mom, who was following in a car behind us. The other one was in restraints and did a pretty good impression of the girl from the exorcist the whole way. Both had attempted suicide.

It varies greatly depending on the program you are attending and the agencies they have a clinical agreement with. Some clinical sites have 8 hour shifts and some 12, some 4. Some let you do clinicals at night and some only during the day. Your program may have multiple agency's and others just...

Combat lifesaver vs EMT/Medic? In a cage match my money is on the combat lifesaver. In a civilian EMS job I'll stick with the EMT/medic.

I've done a lot of things in my life, but I will say without hesitation EMS has the largest percentage of knowitalls bar none, at every level. It makes it hell for new EMTs. It would be more bearable if EMS had higher education requirements, so the people who think they know it all actually...

If you tried to ventilate with a BVM and were told the pt isn't tolerating it, and you went to a NRB, I doubt you failed....at least not for that reason. If anything the person testing you might have preferred you went straight to the NRB and said the pt wasn't tolerating the BVM as a way to...

I was doing an IFT for a younger patient who recently became a quadriplegic after an accident a couple months prior, and was now on a vent. The pt mentioned they had recently been outside in the hospital courtyard for the first time since the accident. I asked them if they enjoyed being out...

Beggars cant be choosers. To be honest, as an entry level EMT there isn't much you are going to learn that's going to prepare you for being a Paramedic aside from learning basic patient care, documentation, lifting and moving patients and driving an ambulance. That job will probably do almost as...

Depends on what Paramedic school you go to. Some have prerequisites in their curriculum that prepare you for Paramedic school and what comes after, many don't. I would take nursing level Anatomy and Physiology if you are serious about a career in health care.The problem is that A&P at that...

I've found the Brady Emergency Care textbook the best, if you can pick up a used copy online for cheap I'd go with that. I wouldn't worry about it not being THE latest version. Things do change but the changes are minor and should be covered in class. I wouldn't mess with AAOS unless that's...

I'll add that although LPNs/LVNs are the lowest rung on the nursing pecking order(unless you count CNAs), they still usually have more medical education than even a Paramedic, at least in most of the programs I've seen. At the Community College I go to the requirements for being admitted to...

So I'm confused, if you fail to get the required IV sticks, then you fail the entire EMT course as well and cant get an EMT license at all? If you can still get your EMT license then who the heck cares if you have some piece of paper saying you get to stick people with needles in an...

You really have to be a Paramedic to make somewhat decent money and do stuff that's exciting. If you work as an EMT, you are lucky if you make a living wage, and more than likely you will be a taxi service for people who need a stretcher. That's just the reality in most cases. There are...

There's no shortage of women in EMS. I wouldn't even call it a male dominated profession. Its not like construction or auto mechanics. Fire Departments are the only part of EMS where women are rare, and if you aren't a firefighter that's not an issue. The important thing is whether you can do...

If all else fails, then ask. ALL you had to do was say hey, want me to hold C spine? If they've never seen you on a call, they might prefer you ask before doing something. You might have a crew that tells you beforehand what they expect you to do. I've had 2 students ride along with us...

Yeah it get that it was a joke. I've said similar things myself and nearly got my head bit off(My fiancée works as an RN at an SNF). I guess I've been well trained.

That's easy enough to say, until you've personally taken care of 30 elderly dementia patients, all of whom have serious diseases and conditions, who are continually developing UTIs and pneumonia, or aspirating everytime they drink something, or need extensive wound care, or are continually...