Did you work while in paramedic training?

I Worked full time throughout paramedic School. I went to a program that was intially 2 days a week durring didactic which allowed me to shift my days off to my class days and work 5 days a week. This is not something i would suggest though as it became very difficult to balance work and school. you for sure wont have a life but thats the way of medic school
 
I worked 48+ hours a week at FT job and 24-36 hrs a week at PT fire dept while in Medic school that was 2 10 hour class days, plus24-48hrs a week of clinicals. And married.

It is tough but doable. Time management and sleep in short bursts as needed
 
I had to work, bills don't pay for themselves.
 
My medic school was 50-60 hours a week for 7 months.

Fortunately I am lucky enough to work for a service that paid me to go. I was able to earn my base EMT salary and kept my benifits throughout the program. I owe em 5 years but that's a small price to pay. Im not going anywhere.

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Hoop what happens if you can't finish the 5 years? If you get injured, move to better job etc?
My old company did that for a 2 year contract, if you left 1 day before the end of the 2 years, you had to pay back every dime. If you were disabled out of EMS you had to pay back, etc.

Just curious
 
5 years is ridiculous!!! I hope that's an incredible company you work for (which sure doesn't sound like it if they require 5yrs payback). Two seems to be quite common, and much more reasonable.
 
I work for a great company. They really take care of us.

With everything they have given and invested in me, I don't think 5 years is too much to ask.

They contract buy out is prorated annually should I decide to leave.

While im medic school, not only did they pay for the school, but also my salary and benifits, school supplies, uniforms. They coordinated all my clinicals and my testing. I got the same treatment for EMT school as well.

Im really happy where I am at. Im not going anywhere, so the 5 years is really a non issue. Tho, Others don't see it that way.
 
I can understand 5 years; most of the companies and departments around where I went to school was 2 years; but that was while you were able to work while you went to school. They just paid for school.

If they have to pay full wages, and benefits AND school; while you are not being productive for them it would be expected that you would have to give them more time back. And full time pay and benefits is alot more expensive than school.
My school was $6,500 and in 6 months I made $12,000 base pay as an EMT-B.
 
Had to work at least 36-48 emt hours a week to get by. Didactic wasnt so bad. Internship and clinicals were brutal 100+ hour weeks.

I was definitely jealous of the class mates who had nothing going on in their lives but medic school.

With that said once it's over it is over. Hopefully you only have to go through it once : p.
 
Picked a street corner and got to work, went through two pairs of boots.
 
johnrsemt said:
I can understand 5 years; most of the companies and departments around where I went to school was 2 years; but that was while you were able to work while you went to school. They just paid for school.

If they have to pay full wages, and benefits AND school; while you are not being productive for them it would be expected that you would have to give them more time back. And full time pay and benefits is alot more expensive than school.
My school was $6,500 and in 6 months I made $12,000 base pay as an EMT-B.
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I saw an exact figure once and wish I could remember what it was, but I believe with the cost of school and salary/benifits my company spent around 28-30K putting me through medic school.

The EMT school they put me through was roughly 6 weeks and came with a 1 year commitment. Not sure how much that program cost the company...but I am incredibly grateful for the investments they have made on my behalf.

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Wow, it wore me out just a little to read these latest posts...geez, are you guys all really young or something? Closing in on 50, I DO worry that the work/school/clinicals thing is only doable if you're in your twenties.

The schedules you all describe are daunting.
 
DrankTheKoolaid said:
Yes, worked fulltime 72 hour shifts during didactic, and continued doing the same during my field internship. 72 for work then switched for another 72/36 as the Paramedic intern depending on which employer my preceptor was at that day. Half my time was spent in a busy urban setting and the other was at the same rural setting i am and have since been employeed at. Sleep you say? Sack up as it isnt needed.
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What service offered 72 hour shifts? What medic school did you go to?
 
trinity county life support and the school is now called college of the redwoods. absolutely fantastic education


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Three jobs. Full-time at an IFT, part-time at a gas station, and occasional weekends in the National Guard. It was awful. Better life choices over the years leading up to that would have saved me that pleasure.
 
I was working 24/48 and a second part time job, I also went to an accelerated program, 8 hour days, etc. So once clincicals started I had to average 24-48 hours per week of clinicals to get it all completed in time.

I am married and have a daughter, but for that period I had to focus on getting this godforsaken paramedic class finished. I was essentially living out of my car, doing laundry at my fulltime job, and would only go home for 12 hours or less at a time once or maybe twice per week.

It's do able, but time management is key. And caffeine.
 
I am in paramedic school now and I work as a basic part time. Part time for my agency means I have to pick up a minimum of 3 shifts/month. When I started class in January I was working full time hours (at least 36-48hr/wk), volunteering part time (4 shifts per month) and going to school (one day a week 8-5). However now I am working less hours, I took a leave from my volunteer position and going to school. Come June we will start clinicals and I need to plan to schedule about 100 hours per month of clinical to finish on time or a little early. I am only working 4 shifts for June. Our class ends in December just for a time frame reference. The thing to remember with medic school is it is possible to work full time and go to school full time, but you have to decide how you are going to learn best. For me, I need the study time, thus I stayed part time, but in the 22 people in my class only me and one other gal are part time, the rest are full time. It's all a matter of how well your brain works on a little sleep (part timers) or no sleep (full timers).

If you really want it, you will make it work either way, don't forget that!

My suggestion is to start learning now. Ask your paramedic partner to show you what they see on the ECG (even if it's normal), ask them what drugs are for, ask patients what they are on meds for, study some medications weekly, and most of all practice your assessments, because in medic school you need a strong background in assessments.
 
Some 15 years ago I went to school full time and worked full time. My school no longer exists as it used to, possibly not at all. The program was a private school that trained students very, very well for their roles as a EMTs or Paramedics. A few years ago they sold the program/school to a private college and from what I understand, the quality of the program dropped dramatically. It used to be a very highly regarded program in California.

In any event, my program ran Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I worked two 24 hour shifts on Saturday, Sunday, or Monday and I had plenty of time to get to school. Many years later, I worked full time and went to nursing school full time and the hours/days were very tightly scheduled. I usually had very little time to myself... I worked Thurs-Monday and went to school Tuesday-Friday. About 4 weeks of the program required that I swap schedules with another co-worker so that I could attend the program clinicals. It was really tough but I made it through, graduated, and I've been working for a while now.

Why do I include this (even though it's not Paramedic)? It's because if you want something enough, you'll find a way to get it done and that may not be exactly an easy thing to do.
 
Im currently in medic school. I work Mon- Fri 0800-1700 then class from 1700-2200 Mon- Thursday and then i have to fit my clinical into my weekends as well as still being a mom and wife! Its hard but its temporary!! The end will be work it!
 
I was very lucky with my circumstances. Coming off University I'd worked three jobs in my last year and my grades weren't completely unscathed. Entering Paramedic school one of our instructors strongly suggested we think twice about a part-time job given the workload and competitiveness for hiring. Between my fiancee's income, what I received in student loans and living frugally I was able to focus entirely on school for the two years. I'm carrying more student debt than I might have, but I may not have succeeded and obtained the job I wanted right out of school.

Now entering ACP (ALS) school in the fall, my employer will pay for my schooling and pull me out of Operations for the year. So my full time job will be to go to school.

You have to do what's right for you and your circumstances, but consider the long view when doing your budgeting. Here, Paramedic jobs pay very well, and the debt I might have saved by working P/T for at or near minimum wage is quickly balanced out by the earning potential of securing a job.
 
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