Am I insane?

jmgst71

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Hello all,

I'm sure the majority of you are tired of seeing posts like this, but my question is eating away at me, so I'm going to fire away.

I'm 30. I have a mortgage and a soon-to-be wife. No kids to support, but my dog and cats are big eaters. The question is- am I crazy for wanting to give up my mind-numbing but stable and relatively high paying 9-5 for the life of an EMT?

I want to make a difference. I want to help people. I want to not attend brand awareness meetings and not sit in one of a hundred identical gray cubicles. But I need to know realistically if I will be able to-

1. Support my family and pay my bills.

From what I'm reading, you don't make a whole lot with just an EMT-B cert. Which leads me to-

2. Become an EMT-P in a fairly short amount of time.

I know rushing my education is not the smart play. But like I said, I have to be realistic. I can't live on $10 an hour for more than a year or so.

For what it's worth, I live in PA. In Philly to be exact. I am taking the EMT-B course this summer regardless- I just want to gain that knowledge as a life skill. But how about turning that into a career? What say you, wise denizens of this message board? Thank you.
 

TransportJockey

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You will make very little money as an EMT or even a medic. If you want to work in medicine, go with nursing.
 

Shishkabob

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Not crazy at all.


My suggestion is stay at your job while in EMT-B class. After you pass and get certified, start a medic school and stay in for as long as feasible until the job interferes with class in your view.
 

emtfarva

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I will be the first to say it...

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!






But who knows.....
I do it....
But then again...
Everyone is some how F'ed up in EMS, some how.
If you want to feel normal go into Nursing or better yet go to Med School
 
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JonTullos

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I'm about to do the same thing. In fact I'm trying to find a job for while I'm in EMT class (I can't work my current job and go to class at the same time - the schedule won't allow it). It's hard out there. Truthfully, I'm kindda scared but I know it'll be worth it in the end. Hang tough. And hopefully you have an understand wife (or soon to be in your case) like I do. :)
 

Mountain Res-Q

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You have to be more than a little crazy to subject yoursef to this... but if it is what you love, you don't have much choice. In your case, get your feet wet first but don't quit your day job, and hopefully, if you like it and want to, you can make a career out of medicine (probably not as an EMT). Unfortunately with a family, morgage, and those types of resposibilities, what you want and love often takes a back seat to being resposible, especially in this economy.
 

RDUNNE

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I didn't know anything about EMS what-so-ever before taking my MFR class. I was one of the people that called them "Ambulance Drivers". All I ever wanted long as i can remember was to be a soldier, but a fractured tib killed that. Now that I'm learning and doing clinicals, I honestly can't see how I ever thought id be happier as a soldier. Yes I would have got better pay, yes they had better benefits, and yes.....i would have got to travel lol. but a wise man once said if you find a job you love youll never have to work a day in your life.
 

EmsPrincess*

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I've been working with the same person as private duty nurse's aide for about 5 years. I basically do the same thing everyday at work which includes shopping, dinner, and social pleasantries. BORING! I guess I could make a living at it but I would go crazy just repeating the same monotony every weekend.

That being said glad my husband is the real "money maker" ha ha! It would be so easy to stay in my old boring rut but who in their right mind would want to?

I'm so excited that after years of homeschooling my own children I'm going back to school to do something that I've always wanted to do. Now when we're in the car and we see an ambulance the kids are all like "Mommy, that's gonna be you soon!" They're already proud and singing praises. Who knows maybe there's a firefighter mommy in their future? My Daniel says, " Yeah, I can definitely see that."
 

mycrofft

Still crazy but elsewhere
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EMSPrincess, you are a true hero

Skidding to a stop code three and splinting a fracure looks cool, but sticking to a patient that long, providing quality care and enabling another human being to have a life, is the greatest good!!

JMGST, no matter what you do, you will run up against bean counters and even repeated codes can get boring and tedious. EMS is good stuff, but try to find opportunities in your situation first while keeping your eye's open for other avenues for income.
 

Sapphyre

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They're coming to take me away!!!!!!



yes ma'am, bedtime, I understand, no ma'am, the straps aren't necessary this time, I promise
 
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john76

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im working at a factory right now same thing 10hrs. a day 4 dats a week.BORING.when i get my emt-b cert. and get on an ambulance i know i will be happier with what iam doing with my life. i know its not much money to start with but the hours are better than what i got now and i got the full support of my wife and family.
 

DV_EMT

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aren't we all just a little insane???

jk... us EMT's are just a little more insane than most... but not as insane as those who work in asylums and psych wings of hospitals
 

mycrofft

Still crazy but elsewhere
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I think EMS folks are "para-sane"

Sort of like "paranormal", but that's been taken.
 

8jimi8

CFRN
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You can always take advantage of student loans to get you through school.

Insane sounds like doing the same thing over and over again... even though you hate it.
 
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jmgst71

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Huzzah, more student loans. I just paid my original ones off last year. Not much good a liberal arts degree is going to do me now anyway.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I actually randomly ran into and spoke to a Philly paramedic last night, and if I believed in signs I'd say it was one. He said it's a tough job, but if you feel compelled, you have to do it because it's worth it. And so I will. I start EMT-B classes in June.
 

Solid_Snake

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The question is- am I crazy for wanting to give up my mind-numbing but stable and relatively high paying 9-5 for the life of an EMT?

I'm in a similar situation. I'm an electronics technician in the military who was given the opportunity to learn how to operate and maintain a pretty cool weapon. I would have had to put up with an extra year of tech school and mounds of other annoying things but I would have gotten a $60,000 re-enlistment bonus.

Some call me crazy for turning that much dough down but here's the thing. To me, it's just not worth being confined to a stuffy ship fiddling with a weapon you'll probably never use for the sake of money. Instead, I chose a place where I would be happy.

Doing what makes you happy is what's important in my book. IT work is stable, pays the bills, and is not that stressful. The downside for an action-oriented person like me working in a job like this is that it's just too boring. Hopefully the grass is greener in emt work.
 

el Murpharino

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Become an EMT-P in a fairly short amount of time.

I know rushing my education is not the smart play. But like I said, I have to be realistic. I can't live on $10 an hour for more than a year or so.

You will probably not make more than $10 as a basic. You won't make much more than that as a medic. The potential for career growth is limited, unless you work in a supervisory or management role - which not every agency has.

You will be spending the better part of the next 2 years (and that's the shorter end of it) attending classes and training for your agency. Are you able to juggle work with your classes? It can be done, but with a wife the strains on a marriage can't be ignored. You will also have to do clinical time in various hospitals, which may or may not interfere with work. Do you have the funds saved up to, perhaps, take the time off from work to attend these classes?

The benefits of EMS are very rewarding, and it can be a fulfilling career. It can also be short-lived if you become burnt out and/or realize that EMS is the red-headed stepchild of medicine.
 
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jmgst71

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Thank you, everyone, for your insight.

Where you live it may only pay $10 a hour, but in Philly, I've found jobs for EMT-B's starting at $15 an hour, which would be enough for me to live on for a while, and even the city Paramedics here make almost (close enough at least) what I make now. And again, I'm (obviously I would hope) not getting into this for the money. Money isn't my raison d'etre, and my wife makes more than I do anyway. Also, in my current career I've learned the only thing that holds people back from advancement is their own actions (or lack thereof), and that that adage holds true for almost all professions.

The more research I do the more I realize being an urban Paramedic will be a very different experience than being a rural or even suburban one. I have no plans to leave the city. And you know what's stressful for me? Boredom. Always has been. And right now I have it in heaps.

I just re-read this and it sounds snarky- sorry if it does. I'm not trying to start anything up. I'm just at work and in a bit of a mood.
 
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