I want to be an ambulance driver.

25 is certainly not too old to be an EMT. I am 25 and just barely an EMT-B. Personally it has been something that has bothered me, but I think this is just a personal issue. If you have the right mindset it should not be a problem.

The real downside is that you may be much older than most people before you achieve your goals in this field, depending on what they are, and will just generally have a shorter career in EMS.

For example, I want to be a Critical care paramedic, but may not be able to do this before I am in my 40s, hopefully I will avoid back problems etc, but you never know.

Overall though, if you want to do it, go for it. You will still have many years on the job, and every day is a chance to give excellent care to a patient who needs you. I try to focus on this and improving as much as possible to keep my mind off the age issue.

Best of luck!
 
subliminal1284 said:
Still think studying that stuff for a year first is a huge waste of time. If anything study that stuff on your own by reading books but dedicating a whole year of college for that? I sure as hell wouldnt.
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So, are you saying you would rather be trained than educated? The reason the same classes are mentioned over and over again when any sort of discussion remotely related to education comes up is because those classes are needed.

Would you want a doctor that has no understanding of A&P treating you? What about the nurse taking care of you family member while in the hospital? Maybe they shouldn't take those classes either. I mean after all, all they do is wipe butts and pass pills, right? (No disrespect meant to the nurses out there. I think they do a great job, and respect what they do. Just trying to make a point here.)

Maybe if we all took the steps needed to bring EMS from the ranks of the trained to the ranks of the educated we would begin to see other changes in the profession. Things including being respected by other healthcare professionals, and changes in some of the treatment modalities that we have. People will complain about how basics can't do this or that, or should be allowed to give this drug or that one when in reality they have no clue why the patient would truly benefit from it, how it works, or why it should or shouldn't be done. Heck, there are plenty of medics out there who's training is so inadequate the same could be said of them.

I can only hope that education requirements change and evolve into something more stringent for all levels of providers.
 
VentMedic said:
The title Ambulance Driver would be appropriate in your situation provided you have a driver's license.
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OH SNAP.

medichopeful said:
So the more questions they ask, the better. As that would help them be less confused, right? Which, in turn, is a good thing. Correct? The only way to get over being a "newbie" is to gain experience and ask questions. Am I wrong?
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Some people need to learn how to google. There is so much information out there about all this stuff. Presumably, various departments have web pages about things like how to get your ambulance drivers license. And people could do with lurking a little before they ask a question like, do u have to be an FF to be an EMT. Google knows everything.


OP: Alot of the complaints about new paramedics (we don't have emts) here is that they are too young to deal with the job - too little streets smarts and life experience. There's some truth to that. Being 25 with a bit of experience would be terrific before becoming a EMT/Medic.
 
subliminal1284 said:
All that for 10.00 an hour if youre lucky? Think not, Take the EMT course and be done with it. Thats all you really need.
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You are kidding, right?? Surely you can't actually believe what you just said.

Sure, it's all you really need if you want to never be accepted as a medical professional.
 
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Bootless said:
work my way into an ED as a tech or into a nursing position in a hospital.
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Since everyone covered all the other stuff, I decided to focus on this...

You may apply for an ED Tech position as an EMT, but you do not "work your way into it"...and you most certainly do NOT "work your way into a nursing position" without a college education and graduation from an accredited nursing program.
 
akflightmedic said:
Since everyone covered all the other stuff, I decided to focus on this...

You may apply for an ED Tech position as an EMT, but you do not "work your way into it"...and you most certainly do NOT "work your way into a nursing position" without a college education and graduation from an accredited nursing program.
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Oh come on, nurses don't need none of that school mumbo jumbo! Or is that just EMS?
 
VCEMT said:
Take biology, Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese, chemistry(for one year), anatomy, physiology, microbiology, and physics. Before, even stepping into an EMT class.
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welll that seems like... a lot. and i agree that for patient care, this would be best but EMT B school is a really great starting point for the entire medical field. I know in my class, we started with 30 and right now were at 19 because it just wasnt the right thing for some of those guys, or it was too hard, or it wasnt what they thought it was going to be etc. these werent dumb or lazy people, by any means, but EMT B(at least where i go, maybe its because its accelerated) isnt the cakewalk many people said it would be. Its not really HARD because all you really have to do is read your textbook, listen to lectures and do your workbook(if you have one) but I know many people in my class thought it was going to be pretty effortless and thats not the case.

But i would hate for those people to have taken classes to learn multiple languages, AnP, chem, bio etc. to just find out that the medical field isnt what they want to do. Its still valuable information to have, and taking college classes is never a waste of time but, lets be honest, there arent very many of us that know definitively what we want to do with our lives when were thinking about going to college. many of us have a good idea but until you experience it, its hard to say that you KNOW thats the career path thats right for you.

I know from my own experience, my plan was to take EMT B, take Medic right after that, work on an ambulance for as little time as possible and then join the FD. EMT B has completely transformed my way of thinking. believe it or not, i now actually care about pre-hospital care(for those of you that remember me, im not sure youll believe that statement). After working with medic students in sim labs, iv decided its best for me to be a basic in the field for a few years before going to medic school just so i can get a greater understanding of what it is they really do before diving in. maybe someday ill be a ff but im not really worried about it anymore.

pre-hospital care is a great thing and should be taken seriously, but until you see for yourself how important the work is, and how great of an effect you REALLY CAN have on peoples lives, it can be hard to take it seriously. after all, at least 50% of the population thinks were still just ambulance drivers :rolleyes:
 
akflightmedic said:
Since everyone covered all the other stuff, I decided to focus on this...

You may apply for an ED Tech position as an EMT, but you do not "work your way into it"
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Not necessarily. I know a lot of CNAs that first worked on the floors before transferring to the ER. Of course to go that route you need to go get your CNA, not your EMT certification.
 
Ambrose said:
But i would hate for those people to have taken classes to learn multiple languages, AnP, chem, bio etc. to just find out that the medical field isnt what they want to do. Its still valuable information to have, and taking college classes is never a waste of time but, lets be honest, there arent very many of us that know definitively what we want to do with our lives when were thinking about going to college. many of us have a good idea but until you experience it, its hard to say that you KNOW thats the career path thats right for you.
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You can't really compare those courses to the EMT-B courses like that. There are very few uses for EMT-B training outside of EMS. On the other hand, plenty of fields are looking for people educated in foreign languages and the sciences. It's much easier to apply, say, anatomy or physiology courses to other fields and other degrees than it is to apply an EMT-B course.
 
JPINFV said:
Not necessarily. I know a lot of CNAs that first worked on the floors before transferring to the ER. Of course to go that route you need to go get your CNA, not your EMT certification.
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Since he is in CA, don't forget the phlebotomy certification. A little EKG training course at the local community college would also help.
 
Originally Posted by Ambrose

But i would hate for those people to have taken classes to learn multiple languages, AnP, chem, bio etc. to just find out that the medical field isnt what they want to do. Its still valuable information to have, and taking college classes is never a waste of time but, lets be honest, there arent very many of us that know definitively what we want to do with our lives when were thinking about going to college. many of us have a good idea but until you experience it, its hard to say that you KNOW thats the career path thats right for you.
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JPINFV said:
You can't really compare those courses to the EMT-B courses like that. There are very few uses for EMT-B training outside of EMS. On the other hand, plenty of fields are looking for people educated in foreign languages and the sciences. It's much easier to apply, say, anatomy or physiology courses to other fields and other degrees than it is to apply an EMT-B course.
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If you went to a 4 year college, these classes would be during the first two year which is why some are called prerequisites. By the time you get to you 3rd year, you may have changed your major at least 3 times. There is nothing wrong with that since few know exactly what they want to be at 18 and college give them a chance to explore as well as mature. Then after another 2 years of college once they have settled on a major, they are more sure of themselves as well as a little older and wiser from accepting the responsibility of finishing a 4 year degree. Even if they decide after a year that they don't like that profession, they have the educational foundation to do many things including going back for a higher degree to accept new opportunities and responsibilites toward a career.

However, at 18 and a 120 hours EMT course will get you an entry level job which you are not fully prepared for and find that there are not many career opportunities for a first-aider. However, if you found you didn't want to go on to be a Paramedic and you already had some college courses, you could easily apply those to a career in Industrial or Plant Safety. Of course you could also go into another health care program. Engineering, biomed, Marine science or whatever would be closer to your reach.

If you had a decent understanding of one other language you enjoyed, the possibilities are plentiful.
 
I'm 27 and one of the youngest people in my class! 25 seems perfect... go for it. If age is really that big of an issue with your family, you could tell them that I saw a guy in (at least) his early to mid fifties bring in a patient and move her to the ER stretcher the other day. :P
 
CA Certification

I'm tired of people going online and asking..."How do I get certification in California?" ......I live in California, and getting certification is simple.......

1. Take the NREMT exam.....if you pass, they will send you the NREMT card....

2. Get live scan fingerprints done.....wait 1 to 3 days for results (RESULTS DO NOT GET SENT TO YOU, THEY'RE SENT TO YOU LOCAL EMS AGENCY).....

3. Go to EMS Agency (YOUR local EMS)....pay the fee, and get your card...

It's that simple people.....

If you want Ambulance Driver's License....go to the DMV pay the fee for the booklet....READ IT, go back to DMV and take the test......very simple....

GOOD LUCK!!!!
 
EMTguy69 said:
2. Get live scan fingerprints done.....wait 1 to 3 days for results (RESULTS DO NOT GET SENT TO YOU, THEY'RE SENT TO YOU LOCAL EMS AGENCY).....

3. Go to EMS Agency (YOUR local EMS)....pay the fee, and get your card...

It's that simple people.....

If you want Ambulance Driver's License....go to the DMV pay the fee for the booklet....READ IT, go back to DMV and take the test......very simple....

GOOD LUCK!!!!
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This is the part which is different from EMS in other states or even the other health care professions in CA.

Most just have to deal with ONE state office for all their paperwork and then they are good to go anywhere in that state.

Also, one medical director might allow felons to work in his/her county and another county might not.
 
Bootless said:
Hello. I'm a 25 year old guy from Gilroy, CA. I've been giving some serious thought into pursuing a career as an EMT and a Paramedic.
<snipped>
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I was the second oldest student in my EMT class.
Trust me.... age means nothing as long as you can meet the physical requirements.
Infact, I take that back. Mental age (as in maturity) will definitely be an advantage to you.

Good luck with your choices.
 
If you pursue paramedic education, you will not "work your way up" to a job as an ED tech. A paramedic has many times the education that a simple CNA or EMT has. To be honest, that is rather insulting to paramedics to suggest that the end point of their education and career ladder is a tech. We are working hard to remove the word "technician" from our title entirely.

As an employed EMT in California and a paramedic student, I can tell you that the average age of the ambulance EMT out here is 22-28 years old (many more people take the EMT class and hold the card, however only a handful of them ever find a job as an EMT). Private EMTs can clear 28,000 with overtime. Private agency paramedics average in age from about 25-35 years old and make around 35-45,000/year. Career paramedics are mainly found in the fire departments, where you can clear 80,000/year and higher with overtime. Opportunities for RNs to work in EMS include MICNs in the ER (they give radio orders to paramedics) and Critical Care Transport (RN and Paramedic or RN and two EMTs transport critically ill and injured patients to receive life saving care at another hospital). Critical care transport is a lot more interesting for me versus 911 calls. RNs may also work in HEMS (medevac helicopters) and do limited scene response with a medic partner or may preform helicopter IFTs. RNs at my company make 90,000 with overtime.

I consider paramedicine a career, however I am working on finishing pre-reqs for medical education because I believe I can benefit EMS the most as a medical director.
 
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daedalus said:
RNs may also work in HEMS (medevac helicopters) and do limited scene response with a medic partner or may preform helicopter IFTs. RNs at my company make 90,000 with overtime.
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At this time the majority of the CA HEMS are RN/RN teams.

I had looked into that as a Paramedic when I first started coming out to CA. Of course, REACH does have an RN/RRT team occasionally.
 
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hey bruv,

im 25 and in an emt program in the bay area. all board blablabla drama asside:

1. find a good emt program in your area.
2. take said program.
3. get certified.
4. get a job.

that's it B)

good luck :D

as for the "california" nonsense: we are the most populous state by 12 million. why is there any surprise that there are more posts by people from here?
 
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