Building my experience?

[snowtobay]

I got my cert at the end of last year (NREMT in December, CA cert in January 2014). Due to some exceptionally smart laws in California, I'm currently fighting to get my ADL. In the meantime, I joined my campus EMS squad to get some experience. I graduate from college in May, so I can't work on the squad after that..so I need to find a job!

Does anybody have any experience working with standby EMS? I've been looking at jobs that don't require an ADL at this point (which are few and far between in Northern California), and I'd like to know an experienced person's opinion of standby EMS agencies. So far, I've applied to a few big standby places around me, and a few smaller volunteer ones.

Also, does my role on my campus EMS help at all? I go to a small college, so the call volume isn't huge...but we do deal with some calls, and our squad has shortened the average response time on campus because we're closer. Should I highlight this experience on my resume/ in interviews somehow? I know I won't be on the squad for long, but I don't want to ignore the experience completely.

I know that I'm at a real disadvantage here due to my current lack of an ADL, but if anybody has any advice on how to expand on what I currently have and land a position that I am capable of doing, I would appreciate it greatly!

 

[terrible one]

What are you going to college for? What's your ultimate goal?

 

[Handsome Robb]

Isn't RockMed out of the Bay? Wait they might be volunteer...I'm not sure.

Amusement Parks often have EMTs on staff. Casinos that's usually dual roll with security though. Without an ADL you're not going to be able to work on an ambulance anywhere in California unless you're hired as an attendant only, which isn't unheard of but it isn't super common either.

Good luck man.

Yes, list your experience at the campus EMS squad. One huge thing about EMS that many people don't realize on their way into the industry is our job is primarily customer service. If you have customer service experience use that to your advantage as well.

 

[Aprz]

Yes, Rockmed is volunteer.

Med Pro pays and does standby.

There was another one in the Bay Area, but I forget.

Casinos sound like a good idea, but you have to take an 8 hour guard card class too.

Large businesses like Google also hire EMTs and Paramedics (to do response within their campus), and they pay pretty well I hear.

 

[Akulahawk]

Yes, Rockmed is volunteer.

Med Pro pays and does standby.

There was another one in the Bay Area, but I forget.

Casinos sound like a good idea, but you have to take an 8 hour guard card class too.

Large businesses like Google also hire EMTs and Paramedics (to do response within their campus), and they pay pretty well I hear.

The Casinos require an 8 hour guard card class and they'll probably have you sit through another 32 hours of guard training within the first 6 months of hire. That'll be a joy... Why do they require the guard card? Because their EMT staff are also their security staff.

Anyway, the point is that ambulance work isn't the only place that EMTs can find work as an EMT.

 

[snowtobay]

What are you going to college for? What's your ultimate goal?

I'm finishing up a biology major and have been looking into PA school, but that's kind of in the distant future at this point. I need to get a good amount of healthcare experience hours (at least 2000 to have a chance, but that "average" is going up every year). I actually randomly ended up going to a meeting and getting into an EMT class that my school sponsored. I was kind of lukewarm at first, but it turns out that I really enjoyed the class. My hope is to work in EMS for awhile and then revisit PA school.

There was another one in the Bay Area, but I forget.

Casinos sound like a good idea, but you have to take an 8 hour guard card class too.

Thanks for this! I hadn't even considered those bigger companies or security guard classes. I actually just emailed MedPro, and RockMed is being really slow with emails for some reason. I've heard they're usually pretty quick, but I haven't gotten anything back from them at this point...so I guess patience is a virtue right?

I know that the ADL is a huge problem for me. I actually have a federal exemption in the works (I'm a type 1 diabetic, so that's my holdup), but it's moving slowly. If I get the exemption then I'm technically qualified for the ADL, but then it's up to the DMV to decide my fate on that one (shudders). I'm trying to look for positions that I can work temporarily while I wait the exemption out, so I figured I could work as something slightly below EMT level (such as a lift tech, or I found some lab positions that need EMT's), but I want to have some sort of non-driving job that I can work/volunteer at to keep involved and keep my skills up. Sorry if I'm being confusing! Thanks for all of your help so far, it's greatly appreciated.