How long did it take to get employed after certification?

[MsThomas94]

How long did it take to find employement for EMT b. I take nremt next month. Should I start off volunteering first? I really want to work for the fire department and go to school for paramedicie

 

[NysEms2117]

How long did it take to find employement for EMT b. I take nremt next month. Should I start off volunteering first? I really want to work for the fire department and go to school for paramedicie

I got my job in aboutttt 36 hrs. HOWEVER, I am not the common case, you could probably find an IFT company in less time, than a 911 company. However my "advice" is market yourself. It's not about what you know, but who you know. Who you know gets you the job, what you know keeps you there.

 

[hometownmedic5]

In my area, if you have a drivers license, an emt card, a cpr card and can speak passable English; you could be working about a day after you get your ticket. It will be non emergent medical transport work, not 911; but yeah, at most you'd have a job offer in a day or two and might have to wait till the next new hire orientation.

It is my understanding that in some places even IFT work is hard to come by. I for sure don't live in one of those places, so I can only imagine what a properly credentialed EMT unable to find a job is like.

 

[akflightmedic]

I had a job waiting for me before EMT school was finished.

Who knew the college instructors were actually full time county employees who had great say in who did or did not get hired and all the guest instructors on skills and practicals day were also hiring authorities??I didn't...but what an excellent and sneaky way to screen and recruit top talent right out of class.

 

[NysEms2117]

I had a job waiting for me before EMT school was finished.

Who knew the college instructors were actually full time county employees who had great say in who did or did not get hired and all the guest instructors on skills and practicals day were also hiring authorities??I didn't...but what an excellent and sneaky way to screen and recruit top talent right out of class.

Wait what's nepotism again ?

 

[akflightmedic]

Not that....just very smart on their part to ensure they got the best and brightest from the get go.

 

[Qulevrius]

How long did it take to find employement for EMT b. I take nremt next month. Should I start off volunteering first? I really want to work for the fire department and go to school for paramedicie

3 days. Finding a job as a basic is the same as finding a job at a burger stand, the turnover rate is insane.

 

[DrParasite]

Honestly? it's very easy to get a job as an EMT. It's much more difficult to get a GOOD job as an EMT. By good, I mean decent pay, decent experience, decent management, decent equipment, decent career path, etc.

I know EMTs (and a few paramedics) that are still looking for their first EMS job, 6 to 8 months after they received their certifications. Most of those people have their eyes set on a particular agency, and aren't willing to relocate or work in a different type of system then they are looking for. Or they have another reason why they are unhireable.

Most larger agencies only interview at certain points during the year; so you will need to wait until you can apply to those. Some might be collecting applications year round, but they only do their hiring process when they need people.

But if you have a pulse, an EMT card, and a CPR card, I can think of plenty of IFT companies that would hire you. Speaking English is a bonus, not a requirements, provided you are able to fill out all the documentation required for billing correctly.

 

[NomadicMedic]

Depends on where you are. In Savannah, there are more jobs than EMTs and paramedics. You can have your pick. In Seattle, it's very difficult to get hired.

 

[Old Tracker]

Wait what's nepotism again ?

Are you sure you weren't looking for the word "incestuous?"

 

[NysEms2117]

Are you sure you weren't looking for the word "incestuous?"

pretty sure , nepotism to me is an all-encompassing word, because i see it used in so many different ways . LE does that

 

[TransportJockey]

3 months. but I was also 20 when I got hired, so finding someone to hire me under 21 was a challenge.

 

[hometownmedic5]

The age thing must be regional or agency specific. I was hired at 18 in Ma and have known more <21 year old Emts than I could ever count.

It's a true story to say if you're going to be picky and unreasonable, you're going to struggle to find work early on. A 20 year medic gets to sit in the room dead eyeing the hiring person and state without equivocation they're either getting a 911 shift or they walk. I personally think it's a **** move, but I get the mentality.

A day one basic(or medic for that matter) takes the job hey get offered and is happy to have it. You want a good job, you have to prove you can do it. You do that starting at the low end and working up.

The same argument applies to nurses. So so many new rn grads say they won't work in a nursing home; many for months and months while their pride overwhelms their brain. Everybody starts somehwere, usually the bottom. Suck it up, do the dialysis calls and in no time you'll have enough experience to get a 911 shift.

 

[NysEms2117]

The age thing must be regional or agency specific. I was hired at 18 in Ma and have known more <21 year old Emts than I could ever count.

the age is mainly for insurance purposes , if im not mistaken.

 

[hometownmedic5]

I understand that, but we have insurance here too and the 18-20 crowd has no trouble getting work. So perhaps there's a regional component as well.

 

[akflightmedic]

<---- Hired at 18

 

[AtlasFlyer]

I got my certificate in May 2013. I took most of the summer off, and started applying to various places in August. I had a job offer at my #1 pick by the end of Sept.