Hospital Jobs

[hogwiley]

If you have your Medic you can operate separate from an RN. The ER I was doing clinicals in is staffed by several Medics that practiced their full scope. Only time you work under anyone is if you only have your Basic.

One of the hospitals near me has a few Paramedic ER Techs, and apparently there is some friction between the RNs and the medics because the RNs feel the hospital doesnt have adequate nurse staffing as a result. Instead of having an extra Nurse they will have a Paramedic working, but every patient still has an RN assigned to them so the RNs gripe about their patient ratio being increased.

The Paramedics also make a lot less money than the RNs, so the Nurses see it as the hospital trying to do things on the cheap. At that hospital anyway, the RNs are still sort of in charge though, as they are the ones held legally responsible for each patient.

 

[Madball]

I am both a patient transporter and an ER Tech at a hospital in Norcal. Don't know about the rest of the country, but I wouldn't even bother applying anywhere until I AT LEAST had my EMT cert. I'm actually a medic, and thats the only reason I got the job. They love people with EMS experience. I highly doubt you'd even get looked at around here with no experience and no certs.

 

[eprex]

Other options that are outside the box thinking (and that psych one is a real bonus. You can't pay for good psych experience, and it translates into everything you will ever do because people are all crazy!)

Adult residential care (special needs adult group homes- passing meds, caring for people and customer service)

Adult day care

Foster care "big brother" type person (check with your local social services)

While you are checking with social services, check and see if there are any elderly people you can volunteer with.

All these will get you great skills with people and will look great on paper.

Especially if you like them enough to have a couple of great stories to tell interview panels.

Thanks for the great advice

 

[eprex]

I am both a patient transporter and an ER Tech at a hospital in Norcal. Don't know about the rest of the country, but I wouldn't even bother applying anywhere until I AT LEAST had my EMT cert. I'm actually a medic, and thats the only reason I got the job. They love people with EMS experience. I highly doubt you'd even get looked at around here with no experience and no certs.

Oh yeah, I'm not looking for an ER tech position. That's something I'd like to work up to while in school. The problem is finding a relatively relevant, entry level position.

 

[hogwiley]

I would be wary of working as a "patient transporter". The thing I hate more than anything as a tech is transferring really heavy patients from a cot to a bed, or from one bed to another, especially when they have all kinds of tubes and lines and have orthopedic or spinal injuries, and I would think this is something a transporter does all shift long. Seems like a good way to wreck your back in a short time.

To make matters worse EMT school training on lifting and moving patients is totally inadequate in my opinion. When I was in CNA school I laughed at how they beat the subject to death going over every scenario with every type of patient using every type of technique and equipment available and then having a PT nitpicking our body mechanics and every movement to death. But after doing this job for a few years I realize it was probably the most important training I ever got. Watching EMT and medics struggle to move people on calls, I think EMS would benefit from the same thing.

 

[Medic Tim]

I would be wary of working as a "patient transporter". The thing I hate more than anything as a tech is transferring really heavy patients from a cot to a bed, or from one bed to another, especially when they have all kinds of tubes and lines and have orthopedic or spinal injuries, and I would think this is something a transporter does all shift long. Seems like a good way to wreck your back in a short time.

To make matters worse EMT school training on lifting and moving patients is totally inadequate in my opinion. When I was in CNA school I laughed at how they beat the subject to death going over every scenario with every type of patient using every type of technique and equipment available and then having a PT nitpicking our body mechanics and every movement to death. But after doing this job for a few years I realize it was probably the most important training I ever got. Watching EMT and medics struggle to move people on calls, I think EMS would benefit from the same thing.

Ems crews don't transfer pts to the stretcher then to the hospital bed in your area? In the hospital setting there are more hands available to help and the pt is usually already supine or sitting.in the field you never know what you are going to get and backup could be a long ways away
. Lifting and transferring pts is part of most all emt jobs. In the hospital it is usually a more controled enviroment.

More proper lifting techniques should be a part of emt training. How many people have gotten out of ems to back injuries. You can give us all the shiny toys you want unless you know good proper lifting techniques you will get hurt.

 

[VFlutter]

I would be wary of working as a "patient transporter". The thing I hate more than anything as a tech is transferring really heavy patients from a cot to a bed, or from one bed to another, especially when they have all kinds of tubes and lines and have orthopedic or spinal injuries, and I would think this is something a transporter does all shift long. Seems like a good way to wreck your back in a short time.
.

Usually there is no shortage of hands to help transfer a patient, at least all the places I have worked. When leaving the floor for tests most patients who are ambulatory will be taken by wheel chair. If not ambulatory, the whole bed is taken down and then the patient transferd to the table. But you will have the CT staff, cath lab staff, etc there to help. When coming back the nurse has to sign the patient in so they will be there to help get the patient back in bed. Also if the patient has multiple tubes or lines then the nurse will most likely be going with you on the transport.

Although not direct patient care it's not a bad job. Decent pay and you will get exposure with all the various departments in the hospital.