Hello all, I am a new member seeking some professional advice about becoming an EMT and some of my employment options. I am 27 years old and looking to make a career change. I am currently a union electrician in Seattle, Wa and although the pay is excellent, I absolutely my job. I realize that working as an EMT would be a major pay cut but I've also come to realize that being passionate about your job is much more important than money(provided I still make enough to pay the bills). I plan on getting my EMT-B cert this fall at NSCC and hopefully after that I can get a job with a local ambulance service(AMR, rural/metro, etc..) to get some experience in the field. I ultimately want to become a paramedic or work at a fire dept as a firefighter(yes, I know how difficult this can be). Is there anyone out there who has had a similar experience/career change? Any advice or pointers on what career path I should take would be greatly appreciated. I should also add that I am a recently separated veteran. Not sure if that would increase my chances for employment or not.
Future EMT/Paramedic needing advice. Seattle, WA
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troymclure
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when i went to emt school there were tons of places wanting emt's.
now that im looking for an emt job, there's no work for inexperienced emt's.
and ive never gotten any benefit from being a vet.
now that im looking for an emt job, there's no work for inexperienced emt's.
and ive never gotten any benefit from being a vet.
NomadicMedic
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I decided to change careers shortly before turning 40. I worked in a totally different field for the last 20 years. I originally became certified as an EMT in 1988, but let my certs lapse in the late 90s. I decided to go back to school to become a paramedic, with no idea how difficult it would be to work as a medic in the Seattle area. Where I was from, if you wanted to become a paramedic you simply signed up for the class at the community college and went. End of story. It's not quite that easy in Western Washington.
When I retook the EMT class in 2008 to recertify, the instructors chuckled when I said I was planning on going to paramedic school. One of the paramedics who helped teach the class at North Seattle told me he had tested for several years before he was accepted into the paramedic program at Tacoma, then tried a few years after that to become a medic one paramedic. I heard several similar stories from other paramedics that help teach that program. Undaunted, I finished the EMT program, went to work as a BLS provider in the Seattle area and then was accepted to the paramedic program at Tacoma the next year.
I ended up leaving the Seattle area simply because I did not want to be a medic one paramedic nor did I have any interest in firefighting. And in the Seattle area, that is the only way paramedics make a decent wage. However, if that's what you wish to do, those goals are obtainable if you have tenacity.
To say that You will suffer a pay cut is an understatement. You'll go from a comfortable living as a union electrician to just above poverty. There are no EMTs that are getting rich working in the Seattle area. But again, I'm sure there's no telling you any different… The whole "passion" thing and all that.
Please, before you jump into this, do your research. Read some of the past posts on this site about EMTs and paramedics in the Seattle area. Some people think it's a great place to work, others not so much. One thing is certain… It is difficult to get a job there.
I certainly don't want to step on your ambition, but please go into this with your eyes open.
When I retook the EMT class in 2008 to recertify, the instructors chuckled when I said I was planning on going to paramedic school. One of the paramedics who helped teach the class at North Seattle told me he had tested for several years before he was accepted into the paramedic program at Tacoma, then tried a few years after that to become a medic one paramedic. I heard several similar stories from other paramedics that help teach that program. Undaunted, I finished the EMT program, went to work as a BLS provider in the Seattle area and then was accepted to the paramedic program at Tacoma the next year.
I ended up leaving the Seattle area simply because I did not want to be a medic one paramedic nor did I have any interest in firefighting. And in the Seattle area, that is the only way paramedics make a decent wage. However, if that's what you wish to do, those goals are obtainable if you have tenacity.
To say that You will suffer a pay cut is an understatement. You'll go from a comfortable living as a union electrician to just above poverty. There are no EMTs that are getting rich working in the Seattle area. But again, I'm sure there's no telling you any different… The whole "passion" thing and all that.
Please, before you jump into this, do your research. Read some of the past posts on this site about EMTs and paramedics in the Seattle area. Some people think it's a great place to work, others not so much. One thing is certain… It is difficult to get a job there.
I certainly don't want to step on your ambition, but please go into this with your eyes open.
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Superlite37
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Good questions, I'm from the Seattle area myself. As stated before, its going to be a big pay cut to stay in Seattle and work as an EMT. As for the difficulty of getting into a Paramedic program in the Seattle area, I cant attest to that, but I'm sure Demedic is spot on on that. When It comes to Medic Jobs, there out there, especially if you don't mind a commute up the coast or down the coast a bit.
It may not be possible for you, but staying with your current job, and working PRN after getting your EMT may help, and let you gain an insite into the ems world while still having a back up. As far as the Veteran status, I'm guessing you didn't have a healthcare based MOS? As you may know, Law Enforcement, Fire, EMS, tends to draw a lot of Vets, so In my experience being a Vet is almost needed just to compete. I think close to 80% of employees at my service are Vets. Again, just my experience.
What I ended up doing was to move to a rural area, that offered quite a few ems jobs, and go to Paramedic school there. I worked for a County based Ambulance and as a ER tech during school, which gave me a couple years of 911 experience for my resume after school, and the cost of living was much less so that I didn't notice the pay difference as much. Good luck with your plans, and PM me if you have any more questions.
It may not be possible for you, but staying with your current job, and working PRN after getting your EMT may help, and let you gain an insite into the ems world while still having a back up. As far as the Veteran status, I'm guessing you didn't have a healthcare based MOS? As you may know, Law Enforcement, Fire, EMS, tends to draw a lot of Vets, so In my experience being a Vet is almost needed just to compete. I think close to 80% of employees at my service are Vets. Again, just my experience.
What I ended up doing was to move to a rural area, that offered quite a few ems jobs, and go to Paramedic school there. I worked for a County based Ambulance and as a ER tech during school, which gave me a couple years of 911 experience for my resume after school, and the cost of living was much less so that I didn't notice the pay difference as much. Good luck with your plans, and PM me if you have any more questions.
I have a very similar story to DE, I worked S. King County for a number of years prior to letting my cert lapse, went on to work with Local 86 Ironworkers then did helo powerline work for a a couple years before remembering how much I enjoyed medice, came back, got my cert back and got into CWU's medic program, moved to central WA and have been working as a medic until I got into UW. And I second his advice, I would NOT walk away from your job at the moment. Take EMT classes at night if you can, get a feel for it working per diem/PT, and see what you think. I'd personally get your cert, keep your job, and then go volly at a local FD to get your experience for medic school/paid department job. Best of all the worlds...but do some research, realize what you're getting into.