Continuos Education?

L

Lucy212

Forum Crew Member
Messages
48
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Hello EMTlife family,

First, I truly want to say thanks to everyone for all the feedback and advice I've been getting while I was in class and for the study advice to help with my State Exam. I want to share that I passed my test, and have now been certified officially for one week. :rolleyes:

My question for this thread is as follows: I've been volunteering this past week at an EMS Station here in the city, being able to complete a few 8 hour shifts to learn more and to get experience before I apply for a paid job at the local Fire Department and/or local hospitals, BUT how long should I volunteer for before applying anywhere? Of course I feel comfortable now, but I realize some places hire experienced EMTs - is 6 months to a year enough?

Thanks,

~ Lucy :unsure:
 
Don't wait, apply now. Early and often

Job market is tight, some place (most places) require a preemployment test. Get used to taking those.

If you apply and they want more experience they tell you "no."

If you have something nontangible they like, for example a personality or philosophy that meshes with the organization; they may take you over a more "experienced" applicant who will likely be frustrated and leave sooner, or despite being highly qualified is just a pain to work with.
 
Veneficus,

Thanks for the reply! I never put that much thought into it, or even realized that I might be hired over a more "experienced" candidate simply because I might have a work style that they need or want. I've been vollying for almost a month, so I'm still a little wet behind the ears - but once I get hired somewhere I will keep vollying. I just love being an EMT.

Thanks again,

~ Lucy
 
I would never bother wasting time volunteering, apply as soon as you can to a paying job
 
Lucy212 said:
Hello EMTlife family,

First, I truly want to say thanks to everyone for all the feedback and advice I've been getting while I was in class and for the study advice to help with my State Exam. I want to share that I passed my test, and have now been certified officially for one week. :rolleyes:

My question for this thread is as follows: I've been volunteering this past week at an EMS Station here in the city, being able to complete a few 8 hour shifts to learn more and to get experience before I apply for a paid job at the local Fire Department and/or local hospitals, BUT how long should I volunteer for before applying anywhere? Of course I feel comfortable now, but I realize some places hire experienced EMTs - is 6 months to a year enough?

Thanks,

~ Lucy :unsure:
Click to expand...

The thing about the NYC voluntary hospitals is that when they ask for experience, they mean professional NYC 911 experience. Interfacility txp doesn't count. Volunteering doesn't count. Why not volunteering? Because the city vollies are only allowed to buff street jobs such as MVA's, and do jobs that are called in to them instead of 911. They're not seeing the full variety of calls, the number of hours they're actually on the road when compared to a full time provider will, in most cases, be significantly less, their hiring criteria is uncertain, and is assumed to be less than that of a paid provider. It may not be true, but that's how they see it. Maybe member 94H, a NYC 911 volunteer can elaborate further.

It's like one of those old vocational school commercials from the 80's and 90's - "How do I get a job without experience, and how do I get experience without a job?" NS-LIJ will start you off in their IFT division, and I know that NY Presby and JHMC have IFT divisions as well to start you off. Otherwise, you need to make contacts and hopefully get an "in" somewhere. IFT experience can count, but not when compared to another with comparable time in 911. Keep applying and call them back periodically to check on the status of your application.

That reminds me, when I worked at NS-LIJ, they wanted six months paid 911, or five years volunteer to qualify for 911 ops right after hire. Some of the supervisors were volunteers in Long Island, so they knew exactly how to value volunteer experience vs paid 911. That's a 1:10 ratio of paid to volunteer experience credit for employment to put it another way. And this is intended to stand for Long Island volunteer 911 experience, where they're the only game in town, except for the NCPD EAB, and a couple of paid fly car medics.
 
JPINFV said:
Oh, let me go make some popcorn. Anyone else want some?
Click to expand...

I'll take some. I'm not taking his bait, but I wanna watch and see who does :)
 
So you people really are against volunteering?
 
Cohn said:
So you people really are against volunteering?
Click to expand...

I'm against volunteering when it means providers can pick or choose which calls they go on.

I'm against volunteering when it means fighting against increased education requirements 'for the sake of the volunteers.'

I'm against volunteering when it means that bad care is dismissed because, 'Hey, it's volunteers.'

I'm against volunteering when volunteers put themselves on a soap box screaming about how good they are because they volunteer.

I'm against volunteering when volunteers claim it's too expensive to go to paramedic school, but they can scrounge up the cash for a several thousand dollar moving disco show.

I'm not for or against volunteers or career. I'm for professionalism. While professionalism is lacking in large parts on both sides of the line, the behavior I normally see of volunteers (which, in all fairness, is limited to mostly what is seen online) makes most career providers look like saints.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
JPINFV said:
I'm against volunteering when it means providers can pick or choose which calls they go on.

I go on every call when I vollie, the only time people pick and choose is when we already have 2 responders on the call.

I'm against volunteering when it means fighting against increased education requirements 'for the sake of the volunteers.'

Not true at all, we encourage continuing education.

I'm against volunteering when it means that bad care is dismissed because, 'Hey, it's volunteers.'

Again, not true at all, our medical directer treats us all the same.

I'm against volunteering when volunteers put themselves on a soap box screaming about how good they are because they volunteer.

While it does take a certain kind of person to vollie (you really got to want to help people...) I haven't witnessed or said that about my self once.

I'm against volunteering when volunteers claim it's too expensive to go to paramedic school, but they can scrounge up the cash for a several thousand dollar moving disco show.

Absolutely not true! Our department is made up of 24 vollies and 3 of which are in paramedical school. My department also use grants to get us higher education, like me I am going to the Fire academy on there tab.

I'm not for or against volunteers or career. I'm for professionalism. While professionalism is lacking in large parts on both sides of the line, the behavior I normally see of volunteers (which, in all fairness, is limited to mostly what is seen online) makes most career providers look like saints.

My chief is very professional, one of the most professional people I met since I started my EMS career, she makes sure the people that she lets respond are professional and when we do screw up she lets us know and we discuss it.
Click to expand...

I do not think its fair to put us all in one category, just because you had bad experience with one vollie. I know a paid individual who often convinces his pt.s to not get transported... Now I don't judge all people who are paid because of him.

Oh and I vollie because I am not yet 21 :P
 
Last edited by a moderator:
JPINFV said:
I'm against volunteering when it means providers can pick or choose which calls they go on.
I've seen it firsthand.

I'm against volunteering when it means fighting against increased education requirements 'for the sake of the volunteers.'
Rationalized by saying that volunteers are all thsy have there, and that they don't have the time or funds to attain a higher level of education.

I'm against volunteering when it means that bad care is dismissed because, 'Hey, it's volunteers.'
Depends on the region, but this can hold true as well. Even where I work, the volunteers aren't held accountable, since the volunteers own quite a few of our firehouses, purchase apparatus, etc. If vollies are running with a paid crew and commit an error, say in pt care or lifting, the onus is on the paid crew chief for "failure to manage their crew," even if it was beyond their control.

I'm against volunteering when volunteers put themselves on a soap box screaming about how good they are because they volunteer.

Some do, some don't. Depends on the region, but it does happen.

I'm against volunteering when volunteers claim it's too expensive to go to paramedic school, but they can scrounge up the cash for a several thousand dollar moving disco show.
I'll address this at the end.

I'm not for or against volunteers or career. I'm for professionalism. While professionalism is lacking in large parts on both sides of the line, the behavior I normally see of volunteers (which, in all fairness, is limited to mostly what is seen online) makes most career providers look like saints.

I'm for professionalism as well.
Click to expand...

My main issue is with the majority of volunteers' stance on training, education, and general QA/QI. A good career dept will mandate regular inservices for CME's and lectures, call review and such. Regular training is a must. It ought to be at least on par with the local career services, thus ensuring a minimal level of competency and proficiency. If the vol dept is full of FT career people, then this won't be much of an issue. My other issue is the politics. There will be a few key players, who are always in charge, and dominate all aspects of the call. Control freaks if you will.

There are a good number of motivated volunteer depts. I'm just pointing out some of the more common negative aspects of vollie services.
 
46Young said:
My main issue is with the majority of volunteers' stance on training, education, and general QA/QI. A good career dept will mandate regular inservices for CME's and lectures, call review and such. Regular training is a must. It ought to be at least on par with the local career services, thus ensuring a minimal level of competency and proficiency. If the vol dept is full of FT career people, then this won't be much of an issue. My other issue is the politics. There will be a few key players, who are always in charge, and dominate all aspects of the call. Control freaks if you will.

There are a good number of motivated volunteer depts. I'm just pointing out some of the more common negative aspects of vollie services.
Click to expand...


I thought we called those "medics?"





jk of course :)
 
Cohn said:
I thought we called those "medics?"





jk of course :)
Click to expand...

Not if it's a tiered system. Regardless, the medic ought to help the BLS improve by asking them what they think about what's going on, and how they would manage the pt if ALS were unavailable. (I know you were kidding, but the medics should teach and develop the basics, not just order them to complete various tasks.)
 
46Young said:
Not if it's a tiered system. Regardless, the medic ought to help the BLS improve by asking them what they think about what's going on, and how they would manage the pt if ALS were unavailable. (I know you were kidding, but the medics should teach and develop the basics, not just order them to complete various tasks.)
Click to expand...


I agree with that 110% but unfortunately we don't always get what we want.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
JPINFV said:
I'm against volunteering when it means providers can pick or choose which calls they go on.

I'm against volunteering when it means fighting against increased education requirements 'for the sake of the volunteers.'

I'm against volunteering when it means that bad care is dismissed because, 'Hey, it's volunteers.'

I'm against volunteering when volunteers put themselves on a soap box screaming about how good they are because they volunteer.

I'm against volunteering when volunteers claim it's too expensive to go to paramedic school, but they can scrounge up the cash for a several thousand dollar moving disco show.

I'm not for or against volunteers or career. I'm for professionalism. While professionalism is lacking in large parts on both sides of the line, the behavior I normally see of volunteers (which, in all fairness, is limited to mostly what is seen online) makes most career providers look like saints.
Click to expand...

I'm with a volly paid on call service and to start off we do not pick an choose the type of calls we get we go on all calls received. As well in many of my posts here I am for increased education with a 4 year bachelors degree being the minimum required for paramedic. The next two on your list well I agree with you about the vollys getting on a soap box and saying i'm great cuz I a volly, I also agree with the POV's having more emergency lights on them than the agency rig looking silly.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top