Any advice on entering the work force without experience?

Wookybear2008

Forum Ride Along
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I graduated with my EMT license on April 2nd. I’m unable to apply for ambulance companies for another year due to flags on my state drivers license. I’ve applied for Emergency Room Techs, Patient Care Reps, Medical Assistants, and CNA,s, just to get my booty in the door and gain some experience. I don’t want to lose what I’ve learned. I’m curious, in this day and age where everything is online and impersonal, do any of you have any advice on how I may get that one person to take a chance on me. I have no experience in this field. If I’m posting to the wrong thread, I apologize.
 

mgr22

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Are you able to volunteer? It's a pretty common way to build experience in some parts of the country.
 

Kevinf

Forum Captain
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At least you'll have your cert in hand when applying. I've already dealt with a bunch of applications this month where the conversation went... "I'm not seeing an EMT cert in your resume"... "Oh, I'll be finished with EMT school in a month!"

I_give_up-Sheldon.gif
 

DragonClaw

Emergency Medical Texan
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At least you'll have your cert in hand when applying. I've already dealt with a bunch of applications this month where the conversation went... "I'm not seeing an EMT cert in your resume"... "Oh, I'll be finished with EMT school in a month!"

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You know, this post made me rethink doing that. So, thanks.
 

NomadicMedic

I know a guy who knows a guy.
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At least you'll have your cert in hand when applying. I've already dealt with a bunch of applications this month where the conversation went... "I'm not seeing an EMT cert in your resume"... "Oh, I'll be finished with EMT school in a month!"

View attachment 4504
That's why we have gatekeepers. Applicants can't get past the starting phase in our online application unless they upload a copy of their current certification.
 

Aprz

The New Beach Medic
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EMT is an entry level job. Most of these places will not expect you to have experience.
 

DrParasite

The fire extinguisher is not just for show
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EMT is an entry level job. Most of these places will not expect you to have experience.
Maybe by you, but that's def not the expectation at the better agencies and better paying agencies. One of my early EMS job had an unofficial requirement that they wouldn't even look at your application until you had been an EMT for at least 3 years. They also paid the best in the county, so they could afford to be selective. They have since expanded and I've been told their hiring standards have fallen quite a bit.

Now, if you are in a place in the south, like central Louisiana, that situation might be a little bit different. Arcadian is the big name out there, so if you want to apply, just go to their job portal website: https://acadianambulance.candidatecare.jobs/job_positions/browse

If you are looking at non-ambulance companies, just apply to whatever you think you can do, but keep in mind it might not be anything like your EMT course. To be a CNA, you will need to have a CNA certification too, which is different than EMT.

Their are two hard parts in today's job market: getting the interview, and getting the job. To get the interview, you need a decent resume, with no spelling errors, following all the directions and filling out the application both completely and correctly, maybe even a cover letter, and you need to do whatever you can to stand out from all the other applicants. Having a hook on the inside (something who already works there and is vouching for you) can definitely help with this. Getting the job is harder, because many employers have 5-10 interviews for every one position, so you need to connect with the hiring manager enough for them to take a chance on you. Sometimes you do everything wrong and still get the job, other times you do everything write and it goes to someone else.

The first job in a particular field is typically one of the hardest to get, but we all started out that way, so it is definitely doable.
 

Aprz

The New Beach Medic
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DrParasite

The fire extinguisher is not just for show
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EMT is an entry level job. If you want to do dialysis runs and work for minimum wage these places will not expect you to have experience. If you want to work in a busy 911 system, or make a livable wage, these places will require both experience and competency.
there you go, fixed it for you
 

DesertMedic66

Forum Troll
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there you go, fixed it for you
Once again no. There are many places that will hire medics/EMTs with no experience that pay decently and run 911 calls. The world isn’t isolated to your area.
 

DrParasite

The fire extinguisher is not just for show
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Once again no. There are many places that will hire medics/EMTs with no experience that pay decently and run 911 calls. The world isn’t isolated to your area.
Please list some then. No need to keep those hidden treasures all to yourself

With the of EMS providers who are complaining about stand up 24s, working for low wages (or minimum wage), and being stuck of dialysis or convalescence runs and never getting to use their brain, i'm sure plenty of people would like to know where they should be applying.

And the world isn't isolated to the 3 states (two in the north east and one in the south east) that I have worked in; but when you hear similar complaints from friends and colleagues all over the US, you stop thinking that those EMS issues are limited to a small isolated area.
 
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