Bachelor's Degree? Helpful?

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IsaaJar

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Hey all!

I'll be starting as an EMT-B soon and had a sort of strange question. I have a degree, but it is in an unrelated field (B.A. with a dual concentration in Western History/Thought and Sociolinguistics). I was wondering if having a degree, even if unrelated, would present any significant differences or possible perks in the EMT-B process.

Might it make be more difficult to get hired (might imply higher than conventional pay for a starting EMT-B ) or possibly less difficult because of the additional degree? I don't think this is a conventional career path and I am pretty lost as to what I might expect.

If anyone has any answers, thoughts, or speculations, I would love to hear them.

Jar
 
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No perks in most places for having a degree especially as an EMT.

Depending on where you are, you may be working with many others who have Masters and even Ph.D.s who are taking advantage of their time being laid off from various industries to work in EMS or something totally different than what they are used to. Most will go back to their regular careers when the opportunity presents but many could not resist getting an EMT cert in 3 weeks to drive an ambulance. If you are in an area where this might be common, you will be in good company for maturity and responsible partners. I've met several in California than Florida and find their experiences interesting from a different perspective.

However, in most places that hire EMT-Bs, you will probably have 4 more years of education than your boss. That could be used against you as well but don't let that stop you.
 
VentMedic said:
...Masters and even Ph.D.s who are taking advantage of their time being laid off from various industries to work in EMS or something totally different.../QUOTE]

;) . The corporations'll have a hard time outsourcing EMTs to India. OTOH, dispatchers might want to start saving for that rainy day.
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HuiNeng said:
VentMedic said:
...Masters and even Ph.D.s who are taking advantage of their time being laid off from various industries to work in EMS or something totally different.../QUOTE]

;) . The corporations'll have a hard time outsourcing EMTs to India. OTOH, dispatchers might want to start saving for that rainy day.
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California and Florida have both been hit hard with many layoff for teachers and those in the tech industry. It looks like those in the tech industries will be going back to their regular careers long before the elementary school teachers. At least the teachers feel comfortable with the EMT pay since that is about what some make even with advanced degrees. The difference is for most teachers is that they love what they do as educators and it is sad that education is the first to take a hit in a bad economy.
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Will it be helpful as in get you more money, probably not

Will it be helpful in your patient care, knowledge and understanding? Very much so! .... provided it's in EMS!

Interestingly from 2011 a BHSc (Paramedic) is required here to practice ILS or above
 
Isaajar: your Bachelor's Degree won't generally help you in the EMS field directly (as in more $$$) but it should have taught you to think critically. That alone should help you determine what the better course of action for patient care will/should be, given the level of EMS training you receive and your local protocols.

Some places do have educational incentives based on the degree and whatever other certificates/training you have, and sometimes what the field of study was. For example, Sac City Fire Department has (last time I checked) a 2.5% incentive if you obtained an AS in Fire Science. An EMS based AS would not get you any increase in pay. A Bachelor's in ANY field would get you 5%. An EMS Bachelor's degree WOULD get the 5% incentive. A Paramedic License got you an additional stipend... but an EMT Certificate... nada because all their Firefighters were required to be at least EMT certified.

Vent makes an excellent point: the EMT's that happen to have Degrees tend to be more mature, possibly simply because they're getting into the field at an older age, and this would be even more true for those that have had experience in their field prior to entering the EMS workforce.

Also, while it would be an excellent idea for EMS management types to have some kind of education in business admin, many have simply learned from the School of Hard Knocks. The smarter owners figure out who they need to hire to run the place well... and let them. The less smart ones hire the right people and micromanage. The really dumb ones... well, they're lucky if their business survives at all.

As to the pay... well, out where I live, a starting teacher will make about $40k. The beginning teacher won't reach tenure for about 3 yeas... so they're at an at-will employment status until then. A starting EMT (depending on wage) can expect somewhere near $20k - if they do full-time.

Just something to think about. Oh, and those teachers... well the local school district laid off a bunch of (mostly untenured) teachers and is making up the difference in higher student-teacher ratios...
 
Second Akula and Vent et al.

use your study skills to wow 'em.
 
Ditto what the others said. From what I know of paid services around here (NJ), there is no real incentive to have a degree as opposed to just a certification. I don't think that's necessarily "right" - since even someone with an unrelated bachelor's degree has a wealth of more things to call on than an EMT with a HS Diploma and a 120-160 hour class. But, hey, that's the way it is, I guess. Since NREMT is now optional here, though, I think a few places give you a $1 more an hour or so for National Registry.

Part of the problem is that education isn't necessarily considered a valuable commodity in EMS at the present. There's plenty of focus on "skills" and how many boxes you can check off in terms of starting IVs, taking alphabet soup courses, etc. General level of education, though, is assigned no value. Even EMS degree programs, I note, are almost on the "Barber College" model - there is very little emphasis on general ed requirements.
 
Unfortunately it likely won't do much good. If you're looking to go into the fire service, then there probably will be at least some sort of stipend for having a degree; however, if you're going to work for a private ambulance service at the EMT-B level it likely will do you no good whatsoever.

Private ambulance services are like cookie cutters. Everything is considered the same, regardless of whether it actually is or not. These services typically do not recognize anything you've done aside from your EMT card, and once you're employed they generally frown on bettering yourself if you plan on continuing your education. Since you already have your degree, as others have already pointed out you will likely be more educated than the person interviewing you & all your supervisors. So, believe it or not, having an education can actually cause you problems working for private ambulance services.
 
Thanks for all the answers and insights guys! This is really helpful stuff.

pilgrim: I kind of figured that would play an unfortunate factor. In my research I found there was a sort of ambiguity relating to employer attitude for educational advancement. I figured at that point if it isn't the sort of thing advertised then it must be frowned upon.

That's unfortunate because I do plan on pursuing my EMT-P degree ASAP upon completing my EMT-B. The only employers here in Central Ohio who are hiring it seems are private companies. Anyone have any advice for advancing in your EMT cert while working for a private company? Obviously this question is open to a considerable degree of subjective exp and is likely different by company, but I'm sure some generalized experience and personal anecdotes wouldn't hurt in cultivating an expectation.


Jar
 
thegreypilgrim said:
Since you already have your degree, as others have already pointed out you will likely be more educated than the person interviewing you & all your supervisors. So, believe it or not, having an education can actually cause you problems working for private ambulance services.
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Watch out for this one. I try to avoid talking about my education too much, even though it's taking up almost all of my waking hours outside work. It can really seem like you're trying to one-up your partner, or brag. Doesn't get you real far, especially as a fairly new basic in a service where very few people have completed a college degree.

On the other hand, the economy means that another of my services now includes a Ph.D in microbiology, an attorney, some teachers, and several nurses.
 
IsaaJar said:
Thanks for all the answers and insights guys! This is really helpful stuff.

pilgrim: I kind of figured that would play an unfortunate factor. In my research I found there was a sort of ambiguity relating to employer attitude for educational advancement. I figured at that point if it isn't the sort of thing advertised then it must be frowned upon.
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Keep in mind, the fire service will typically reward such accomplishments - I imagine 3rd service agencies would as well.

It's just the private sector version of EMS that's a real dead-end. EMS is one of very few areas where private industry is not leading the way for innovation/improvement, but are the ones who have the greatest stake in maintaining the status quo. They're a bunch of stick in the muds. Obviously there are exceptions though.

You shouldn't have much of a problem going to paramedic school whilst working in private EMS, however. Usually you can work in a part-time capacity on your days away from school. Unless you go to a program like I did where they actually force you to quit your EMS job...but that's another story.
 
It won't hurt and it will help your thinking.
 
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