Advice needed. Would you...

FoleyArtist

FoleyArtist

More murse than medic now...
Messages
268
Reaction score
29
Points
28
Please keep in mind I'm an EMT-B in the Orange County, CA system which to say the least is far different than anywhere else in the US.

I currently work for a strictly IFT company in south OC. The only company ive ever been employed with as an EMT. I've been doing CCT for 1 year 4 months. I've learned plenty from the calls Ive run and the things the nurses teach me along the way. I'm planning to attend medic school in the fall. I have my pre reqs done. But I have no 911 Prehospital experience at all.

Would you put off paramedic school to work for a 911/ALS company first to gain prehospital experience? I think I have ample theoretical knowledge from the cct calls but I have no on scene exposure.
 
I wouldn't put off medic school to work as a basic at all if at all possible. Get your medic ASAP and get out of CA and somewhere with a progressive and decent EMS systems
 
From what I've seen of life in general I would suggest doing it now. Putting things off tends to be a bad idea especially when it comes to education.
 
You'll do fine going straight to medic. You'll get 911 experience in medic school.
 
I_DriveCode3 said:
Please keep in mind I'm an EMT-B in the Orange County, CA system which to say the least is far different than anywhere else in the US.

I currently work for a strictly IFT company in south OC. The only company ive ever been employed with as an EMT. I've been doing CCT for 1 year 4 months. I've learned plenty from the calls Ive run and the things the nurses teach me along the way. I'm planning to attend medic school in the fall. I have my pre reqs done. But I have no 911 Prehospital experience at all.

Would you put off paramedic school to work for a 911/ALS company first to gain prehospital experience? I think I have ample theoretical knowledge from the cct calls but I have no on scene exposure.
Click to expand...
No. I wouldn't put off the schooling. If you want to get some more experience doing patient assessments, ask the nurses you're with to help you learn how to do it. Hopefully they'll help you learn how to assess patients in a systematic manner, and just as important later on, how to give report in a systematic manner. As the educational and assessment pieces start fitting together, you'll find that your reporting will get better and better.
 
I_DriveCode3 said:
Would you put off paramedic school to work for a 911/ALS company first to gain prehospital experience? I think I have ample theoretical knowledge from the cct calls but I have no on scene exposure.
Click to expand...

From my experience working at Lynch and volunteering in the ED at Hoag in the 2005-2007 time frame:

1. If your company regularly runs emergency calls from SNFs, you pretty much have 911 experience in terms of medical calls due to OC not having paramedics at private companies.

2. ALS in OC is generally a joke due to the protocols and mother-may-I system. I don't think much has changed in that regard with the new medical director (Dr. Stratton). He's made (at least on paper) a lot of advances, but it systematically looks to be about the same.
 
Have you experienced:

assessing the scene of an emergency yet?
determining on scene who can help and who can hurt?
deciding where the best exit is and when to use it?
choosing to go against your partner's request?
actually managing the scene of an emergency from A to Z?
setting your paramedic partner up to begin an I.V. and administer drugs?
patients dying in your hands?
enlisting FD personnel as your allies in rendering care?
responding to one emergency and having another crop up right on top of it?
driving Code Three in the rain, sleet, snow, ice, mud?
requesting a more seasoned partner to assist YOU?
being asked to handle ALL the basics while your partner does the advanced?

No problem, they'll teach all this and 50,000 other things I haven't mentioned to you in school.

Filed under the Category: Do you really know how to be an EMT yet?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
firetender said:
assessing the scene of an emergency yet?
determining on scene who can help and who can hurt?
deciding where the best exit is and when to use it?
choosing to go against your partner's request?
actually managing the scene of an emergency from A to Z?
setting your paramedic partner up to begin an I.V. and administer drugs?
patients dying in your hands?
enlisting FD personnel as your allies in rendering care?
responding to one emergency and having another crop up right on top of it?
driving Code Three in the rain, sleet, snow, ice, mud?
requesting a more seasoned partner to assist YOU?
being asked to handle ALL the basics while your partner does the advanced?

No problem, they'll teach all this and 50,000 other things I haven't mentioned to you in school.

Filed under the Category: Do you really know how to be an EMT yet?
Click to expand...

...because all of those are daily occurrences in all 911 systems?

...because IFT crews never experience any of those?
 
Personally, I would do what I thought was the best path for me. If that involved working on a 911 service as a basic, then so be it. My path may not be your path. Your path may not be mine. But don't let your dreams and goals slip away. If you choose to go to work for a 911 service for the experience, don't say "I'll start my medic next year" and then when that time rolls around say "I'll start my medic next year." Take it from one who knows from experience: it is harder to start back into school after being away for several years. To that end, I will from now on be a perpetual student in something. Why? Because knowledge is power and is something that no one can take away...

Just a thought...
 
JPINFV said:
...because all of those are daily occurrences in all 911 systems?

...because IFT crews never experience any of those?
Click to expand...
From personal experience, I have experienced all of those with an IFT service....I have also experienced driving in adverse conditions in which I shut the lights and siren down for safety...Sometimes you have to be the judge of when running lights and siren in the snow and ice could cause a worse problem and not get you to the hospital any faster....
 
thanks everyone. i'll take everyones advice into account and "what happens, will happen."

but you guys are right. 911 service or not i will still apply for medic school in the fall.
 
That gives you all summer to do Anatomy and Physiology and hopefully a real pharmacology class.
 
8jimi8 said:
That gives you all summer to do Anatomy and Physiology and hopefully a real pharmacology class.
Click to expand...

actually i'm in a combined A&P right now spring semester. and just completed a basic dysrythmia class.

damn do i need pharm prior to medic school's pharm section??
 
Doing Pharm before hand will never hurt you and the extra school will always help you
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top