Did you work while in paramedic training?

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If so, how was that? Or, if you're doing it right now, how is it?

I would need to keep about a 30-hr work week. Wondering how f/t paramedic school would be on top of that.

I realize people have different resources, support systems, etc and that YMMV. :)
 
I was working full time (4 on 4 off) on an ambulance while in school full time Medic (degree) and was also taking 2 university classes towards the bs I was working on as well. It all comes down to time management. You won't have a life for at least a year. Prior to Medic school I had over 2 years university sciences that really helped and made the program easier. As I already said time management is very important and having A&P with lab, chemistry, microbiology, pathophysiology,etc will make things much easier for you.
 
Yes currently working 24 on 48 off while finishing up medic school. Depending on how fast you pick up on things.. It can suck but its the nature of the beast. Its funny when you think about it, you are on the truck more than you are at home while attending school.
 
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.
 
Yes, I drove a school bus. Worked 04:30am to 4pm, then Paramedic school from 6p to 10p. My biggest advantage was that I was single... Having a family in addition is an admirable accomplishment.
 
Yep. Initially Monday-Friday 0800-1700 on an ambulance then 24/48s. On work days I left for class for about 5 hours in the evening then went back to finish the shift.

About halfway thru left the ambulance company and went into the county dispatch center. 40hrs a week and rotated shifts every month.

I only saw home to sleep and eat alot but it was worth it.
 
Yup. Class was 8-5 M-F, and I worked 12hr shifts on Saturday and Sunday through the whole program. 7 days a week for 9 months straight.
 
Class was M-F 9-5 and I was working full-time with a 24/48 schedule. Since work was paying for me to go, I was allowed to go to class on duty days and didn't have to worry about a fill-in. However, unless there was a mandatory field/clinical thing on a duty day, I had to schedule all of those off-duty.

The better you are at time management, the easier it will be for you. I didn't find the material particularly difficult. It was just managing all the demands on my time between work, class, clinicals, field internship, and family.

And, no matter how busy things seem to get, make sure you find a little bit of time for yourself as much as possible. It can be done, and it will help keep you sane once you are in the thick of things.
 
Yup, class M, W, F 8-4, and I had clinicals scattered all over the place. I worked night shift 2300-0700. I would work atleast 3-4 shifts a week.

Like others said, you won't have a life, and it all boils down to time management.
 
Its not medic, but my EMT class (roughly the same as EMT-I in the states) will be an accelerated program of 4 on, 4 off, 8am-6pm. I've been told that it is absolutely not possible to work and still pass. The information is flying too fast and furious to be able to manage even a part time job, let alone a full time one. (Keeping in mind that the minimum pass is 80%.)

Thankfully its only three months and one month of practicums (versus upwards of a year for other programs) so I'm willing to make that sacrifice. Thank God for savings and student loans. :cool:
 
shfd739 said:
Yep. Initially Monday-Friday 0800-1700 on an ambulance then 24/48s. On work days I left for class for about 5 hours in the evening then went back to finish the shift.

About halfway thru left the ambulance company and went into the county dispatch center. 40hrs a week and rotated shifts every month.

I only saw home to sleep and eat alot but it was worth it.
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Meant to add that classes were in the evenings 0600-2100 or 2200 depending on if it was summer or not. Our last 6 months had one day a week all day classes and during this time we did hospital time then ambulance rides.

Make time for yourself and take care of yourself. I slipped on this toward the end and it nearly bit me hard with fatigue.

If you need help or suggestions ask away.
 
That's what I'm doing now. Time management is the key, and you can pretty much say goodbye to having a life outside of it, but it will be worth it.

We work 48 and 72 hr shifts here, and I'm in my last semester of paramedic school. My days off are spent in school or at clinicals.

Sometimes it seems really hard because I'm missing out on fun things my friends and family are doing, but right now my priorities have to be different. Good luck!
 
Been there, did that. Worked a 24 / 48 and an additional 2 12 hour shifts at a second job. I propped up a life size cut out of myself at home so my wife would remember what I looked like. Ahhh......good times.
 
Just realized I totally botched the days I was in class. My excuse is it has been a few years now, although a lot less than some. I actually only had class M/Th, not M-F. Ooops!
 
I work 84 hours in a 2 week pay period.

It works 2 days one week. 5 days the next. 0900-2100

I also just interviewed for a second job working 12am to 7am.

I go to school 9-5 on Tuesday. Then an ER clinical from 5-12am.

It is all doable. You just gotta set your mind to it.
 
Between medic school and working as an intermediate I did 72-84 hour work weeks. 4x12 and 3x8 during didactic then 7x12s during clinicals and internship.

Anyone who says you can't go to school ft and work ft has no time management skills. I had no life for a year but it was worth it in the end.
 
I used to work a 12hr night shift get off at 7 and then start at 8 for my 8 hour clinical. It really sucked being awake for 20+ hours a day but it was manageable. I lived off monster energy drinks and probably gained 10lbs. I worked at a hospital which payed tuition assistance ($10k a year) so I really couldn't pass that up.

It really depends on what kind of student you are and how you study. I personally never really studied much through school, usually just skimmed over notes an hour or two before an exam. But if you are the kind of person that likes to sit down and make detailed study guides and study for 8 hours a day then it may be an issue.
 
ChaseZ33 said:
I used to work a 12hr night shift get off at 7 and then start at 8 for my 8 hour clinical. It really sucked being awake for 20+ hours a day but it was manageable. I lived off monster energy drinks and probably gained 10lbs. I worked at a hospital which payed tuition assistance ($10k a year) so I really couldn't pass that up.

It really depends on what kind of student you are and how you study. I personally never really studied much through school, usually just skimmed over notes an hour or two before an exam. But if you are the kind of person that likes to sit down and make detailed study guides and study for 8 hours a day then it may be an issue.
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Nope, I'm a pretty quick study, I'm grateful to be able to day. My total lack of science courses recently worries me a bit. Im brainy, but "in the Humanities," if you know what Im saying. I am a massage therapist, so A&P is no prob, but biochem? Pharmacology? No background. :huh:
 
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