Dream to become an EMT/EMS can my NON felony record stop me?

Corey617

Corey617

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Hey ladies and gents. My name is corey i am 28 years old and im from new hampshire.
I have wanted to become an EMT for awhile now but i have things going on like getting my fiance to america and working 50-60 hours a week.
Also, still need to acquire my GED.
Anyways i had no EMT'S to talk with other than one gentlemen on facebook about this.

Can my arreat record stop me from becoming an EMT?
MOST OF IT. Is driving stuff, i have some resisting arrest charges 2 thefts and 1 simple assualt and maybe some other small things..
Can this stop me from my dream?
 
Corey617 said:
Hey ladies and gents. My name is corey i am 28 years old and im from new hampshire.
I have wanted to become an EMT for awhile now but i have things going on like getting my fiance to america and working 50-60 hours a week.
Also, still need to acquire my GED.
Anyways i had no EMT'S to talk with other than one gentlemen on facebook about this.

Can my arreat record stop me from becoming an EMT?
MOST OF IT. Is driving stuff, i have some resisting arrest charges 2 thefts and 1 simple assualt and maybe some other small things..
Can this stop me from my dream?
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Best bet is to contact your state's EMS board and ask them directly we can only speculate on an answer. But just because you can be licensed doesn't mean you will be successful with getting a job as an EMT. Good luck though anything is possible but it would definitely be in your best interest to see if you can be licensed before taking the class though.
 
Hmmmm.... Ok thank you.
 
The theft charges, to me, make a significant derogatory impression. We are entrusted with people in their vulnerable moments...can I, as a leader, trust you not to steal from them?
 
RocketMedic said:
The theft charges, to me, make a significant derogatory impression. We are entrusted with people in their vulnerable moments...can I, as a leader, trust you not to steal from them?
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Those theft charges happen in a very bad time in my life. These last 2 years i have totally changed my life. Traveled the world, got my license back, secured a good job and got engaged to my filipina fiance. But i could be trusted completely. But im sure no one would give me the chance to prove that because a stupid mistake.
 
Corey617 said:
Those theft charges happen in a very bad time in my life. These last 2 years i have totally changed my life. Traveled the world, got my license back, secured a good job and got engaged to my filipina fiance. But i could be trusted completely. But im sure no one would give me the chance to prove that because a stupid mistake.
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I'm not that guy, but why do you want to do this?
 
RocketMedic said:
I'm not that guy, but why do you want to do this?
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Because i know what its like to have my life saved my ems and know what its like to have them there when i was in serious medical need. It has inspired me. I want to be there to help people when they need it . my whole life ive been a giver and ive always helped people and after i overdosed and woke up in the ER never got to meet the ems who found me... That moment i realized thats exactly what i want to do with my life. Wether its a serious accident or most calls here i would say 70% of overdoses i want to be there because i know im completely capable of doing the job 110%.


Now im finding out i probably cant even do it. Its really a mental hit.
 
You also couldn’t be a police officer. Or a fire fighter. Or any job where you needed to be bonded, like a bank teller.

Not to say you’ve not become a trustworthy guy, but when there are 10 other applicants WITHOUT a criminal background, who do you think will get the job?

Sorry man. Look for a different career.
 
Corey617 said:
i have some resisting arrest charges 2 thefts and 1 simple assualt
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This is pretty much the nail in the coffin in my opinion. Potential employers see resisting arrest and its a no-go let along theft and assault.
 
Yeah, @Corey617 , employment would be a really, really tough sell for you. Maybe volunteer fire- they have low standards and might take you. But you're honestly not competitive in the current EMS employment environment.
 
As other have said, it will be tough. There are plenty of people in EMS who have been arrested or have had addictions, etc. It sounds like you were in a rough spot for a long time. Resisting arrest, theft, and simple assault could maybe be explained away if it was just one time, but with multiple arrests, it will be tough to find employment.

I encourage you to get the EMT training. You may make an impression on someone that will be willing to "take a chance" on you and hire you or be a reference for you. It is possible that have the EMT certification could make you more marketable for other jobs, if you are not able to get a job as an EMT.

It sounds like you are making good choices now. Keep it up!

Also, I definitely encourage you to get your GED. It would probably be best to get the GED first, honestly.

Best of luck to you!
 
Your arrest record may stop you from becoming an EMT. New Hampshire requires a criminal history record and fingerprinting checks for all applicants.

It looks like New Hampshire uses the NREMT, and their policy is here.

I'd reach out to both the state and the NREMT to see what they have to say.

I can't imagine any reputable EMS provider will employ you with resisting arrest, assault, and theft charges, and no high school diploma/GED.

Good luck!
 
Few places will even look at the application/resume of someone who does not have a GED and a clean record, so like @medicsb says, get that first.

Now as you'll learn in Hazmat Awareness of EMT training, what you need is time, distance, and shielding. Time is self-explanatory, if these arrests happened within the previous year, you're pretty much SOL. DUI for instance, a lot of places will automatically toss your app in the circular filing bin if it's been less than 7 years, so your only option may be to simply get your cert than keep your nose clean for years (try to avoid so much as a parking or speeding ticket...) Distance is probably least relevant in this particular situation, but in the end, if all else fails, you can try moving to a new state (and once again keeping out of trouble there for a time as above).
Shielding, in my mind in this situation, while keeping out of trouble, add in positives. For example, the GED may (or may not) hold you back in a hiring managers mind vs other candidates with HS diplomas. I would suggest getting an Associates degree. Preferably something related, but any field will help, especially if most EMT applicants in your area don't do that. Having some sort of volunteer work+time from the arrests can help show that you've indeed learned your lesson and changed for the better. And going back to Time, if it takes 3, 4 years before anyone will give you an interview, if you can show you've spent those years doing volunteer work, and not just the 3 weeks prior to the interview, will help as well.

Those convictions will haunt you for probably the rest of your life, and represent a deep pit you have to climb out of to be a competitive job seeker in this field, so yeah, you're gonna have a long road to fill the pit in and climb out, you're gonna have to tow the high road and have demonstratable achievements that show you're no longer the kind of person to commit those felonies. Good luck.
 
EMS may be hard to get into, but have you thought about trying to work in a rehab type career? I've seen multiple instances of people with prior addictions turning it around to help others in that spot. If those patients are something you are passionate about, it may be worth your time to pursue a career down that path.
 
StCEMT said:
EMS may be hard to get into, but have you thought about trying to work in a rehab type career? I've seen multiple instances of people with prior addictions turning it around to help others in that spot. If those patients are something you are passionate about, it may be worth your time to pursue a career down that path.
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I agree... especially with a good attitude. OP seems to have a good attitude.

I'd start with a GED. That is going to help you in so many ways, EMS and otherwise.

If you are willing to relocate, you might stand a better chance getting hired in EMS. If you can get your GED, do your class, get certified, and have kept your nose clean through that, develop that solid reference from your EMT program, and then you find an employer who doesn't have 100 applicants for every position (which is why you might have o move), you could get your chance to establish your reputation. But I don't know if your new wife would be stoked on moving to some desert town in Nevada...

I think Jim37s point that a degree, even an associates degree, is going to both make you stand out and offset your record. It can be in whatever you want... AAS in EMS, AS in Biology, AA in Art, whatever engages you. Remember, a degree says much about your ability to think, commit and finish something as it does about the knowledge learned. Community college is pretty inexpensive especially with financial aid. But first things first: GED.

If you make your record look like this:
2016 BAD STUFF
2018 GED
2019 EMT
2021 Associates Degree

All of a sudden you have established a track record of defined achievement that points 100% away from BAD STUFF. That is part of what you need to earn a chance at good opportunity... in EMS... or anything else. That is how you start opening the doors that you shut.

Remember one other thing: most of EMS isn't emergencies and life saving... it is caring for people and solving problems... healthcare is actually not glamorous most of the time, even EMS.

StCEMT's mention of caring for people a different way that uses your individual experience as a tool is spot on. Addiction treatment and rehab is definitely a part of healthcare you'd have an easier time working into. Plenty of ResCare Technician and even Counselor positions only require a GED. They are more understanding of a record if you've been on the right track since (ie 3 years+). If you throw in some community college Psychology, Sociology, Biology classes, that's a huge plus on a Tech resume and sets you up to go the Counselor route. Also, you won't have to move to South Dakota or the high Nevada desert for a job... plenty around cities and nice climates.

Keep us posted.
 
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I can speak for New Hampshire but I know the forest service takes just about anyone. I understand that’s not exactly the career path that you’re looking for but it’s a step in the right direction.
 
"Back in the day" when I was a much younger pup, one of the best EMTs I worked with was a guy that did some "bad stuff" in his life and turned it around. Unfortunately for him, he probably will never be able to become a Paramedic as some of the convictions against him precluded him from being allowed to handle controlled stubstances (and that also likely prevents him from becoming a nurse) but after a relatively short stint in prison (he had a couple of felony convictions), he was able to at least become an EMT. If he's still working in the field today, I'm sure he's established himself as a very dependable and reliable employee and is someone that everyone trusts to work with them.

Also at this point, he's likely put a lot of time, distance, and shielding between what he did back when and now. He may actually be able to get some of his convictions reduced in severity to that of misdemeanors or possibly even to infractions, though it won't hide the prison time... and that could very well restore some of his ability to further his career in healthcare. However, that takes time, distance, and shielding to get the courts to agree to a reduction and possible expungement. Do not think, however, that the relevant boards can't see the convictions. If they're allowed law enforcement access to your criminal history, they'll be able to see everything that has happened in your state and possibly nationwide, if those convictions were reported to NCIC.
 
It also depends a lot on the state you live in. There is a medic here in the area who has an astonishing arrest record who has continued to be hired...
 
If you truly want to do this, then do whatever it takes however long it takes.

It ain't the dawg in the fight, but the fight in the dawg.

Never say never, never say always.

Keep fighting. Good luck.
 
I may be wrong,but if its been at least 7 years it probably wont show up,but you cant omit the convictions because then you definitely wont stand a chance.good luck.
 
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