I'm interested in being an EMT-B, but not sure if it's right for me...

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Right now I'm an undergraduate student who is interested in pursuing medical school as a final goal. I'm sorry if this offends any of you, but I just want to stress that if I became an EMT, it would be a part time and I would be one for a bit less than two years. Well, if I don't get into medical school I could also go farther into a career as an EMT or branch into related careers.

I'm not interested in being an EMT because it will look good on med school applications, though. I just really want an interesting experience in the medical field. I have a friend who is a CNA, but I'm not interested in wiping people's asses all day. I get that it can be messy as an EMT, but I feel like it would be far more exciting.

But then I'm also concerned that I would not enjoy it for whatever reason.

So my primary concerns/factors are...

1. Fitting into my undergrad schedule

2. Cost for classes/certification and ability to actually find a job to offset the costs

2. Possibility of not enjoying it

Thoughts?

Thanks very much!
 
Welcome (potentially) to the topsy/turvy world of EMS! Having been in similar shoes myself not that many years ago I hope I can offer some help... My first bit of advice to all people who want to get into this is find a local volunteer fire dept. that does EMS, a volunteer ambulance or your college may even have its own Medical Response Team or Ambulance. These people will be your best line of advice to how to do things in your area and can also help pay for training. EMT-Basic (the intro level to most EMS systems) is really a very simple class, especially for somebody used to college level work; most community colleges and quite a lot of 4 year schools offer it as a night class, health elective type thing. As I said before, often times the EMT-B level is a low cost or free class, especially when done in connection with an agency, other options are a career EMS services "academy", however those often require a commitment to them post certification and there is no faster way to get chewed up and spit out than getting thrown out of the pan and into the fire. As for the possibility of not enjoying it, it is patient contact (which you must do as a doctor too) at the most simple level. While not trying to be a jerk, if you REALLY find you hate doing it, maybe person to person medicine isn't for you, your card will expire and it will be a learning experience. Now that we've covered worst case scenario, better cases are you find a nice, moderate call volume volunteer agency that you can put in some time with all through medical school and build up great experience and relationships.

Now that I think I hit all your points, feel free to ask anymore questions or argue any points you wish and I will try and be as helpful as possible, good luck! :)
 
1. In my area, EMT training can be completed with 14 days. I think most people get it done within 3-4 months, but it can take as long as 8 months I think depending which school you go to.

Once you are certified as an EMT, your work schedule is going to largely depend on which company you are working for. Some companies will only hire people part time/per diem initially. Some companies treat part time status like a treat and require that you put in time as a full timer. Companies are usually not very lenient or forgiving with schedules (even for school).

2. Cost is going to depend on where you live and which (type) school you go to. Community colleges can be very cheap ($500-$600). Private/technical schools can be very expensive (>$1,000).

In many areas, it can be very difficult to get a job probably because it is very easy to get the cert and a lot of people want to do it. They will also accept low pay ($9-$12/hour).

3. Unfortunately, I think most people do not enjoy it. There is a very high attrition rate. Low pay, unforgiving hours, little to no room to advance, and back injuries are probably big reasons why people quit so quickly. Also the job is not as exciting as most people usually believe it is.
 
Find out the employment requirements where you live. You might find that EMS is more of a commitment than you are willing to take. Some employers require full time before allowing part time or per diem. Some require extensive orientation. Same for volunteer. You also likely need a drivers license and CPR.

If it really is something you are interested in I see no reason not to.

1. Does your college offer EMT as course for credit? Local CCs often offer it as a night course. Of you are pre-med it really should not be a huge addition to your workload. EMT is 1 part showing up to class + 1 part memorization.

2. EMT course s should not exceed a few hundred dollars in my opinion. If it does, I better be paying for something extra (guaranteed NREMT pass, a job).

3. If you don't enjoy it then move on. There is more to medicine than EMS, and more to the industry than being a provider. But you never know until you try it. Better to find out now than when you're 40 with kids and you quit your sweet job as a financial planner to try a new career in EMS.

Also, if you are seriously planning med school, I might think twice about taking two years off to work as an EMT ;). EMS can be a stepping stone for some, and a rut for others.
 
Yikes, I would not even consider an EMT program that boasted a 14 day course length.

1. I did my EMT over the summer between my senior year of high school and freshman year of undergrad, so it worked out well. I suggest you do it over a summer if it is reasonable. Especially with pre-med requisites and whatever your current degree is, I don't recommend doing EMT during the school year unless it is pretty spread out and/or on/close to campus.

2. Its not all that crazy an investment compared to undergrad, I assure you. Costs from course to licensure depend on your area. Job opportunity depends on the area.

3. Consider doing some ride-outs with a local 911 service if you are that hesitant. The way I see it, you know pretty quickly after that or right after finishing clinicals at the end of the course.

About jobs, my current situation (AT undergrad with 20+ clinical hours a week plus pre-med requisites) prevented me from getting on any of the city services within an hour radius of school, and the only big IFTs in the area were strict schedulers (until the end of their hiring process when they didn't have what they wanted, I found out). I was stuck with an IFT company an hour away that allowed me to do a 24 every weekend. I used that line of experience on my resume to get me a job in an ED full time over the summer, busted my tail, and got them to keep my on PRN through school to allow me to come back FT the next summer. Moral of the story is your best bet will be hospitals and IFT companies. Volunteer is great, don't get me wrong, but if you are in a time and money crunch, unfortunately a job is necessary.
 
Volunteering is also a great way to network with potential future employers. Depending on where you are you may not actually get much EMS experience with a volunteer Unit. In my area, we are only allowed to do EMR level stuff regardless of what our qualifications are. It's a liability thing for the department. But you will at least be able to see what it's like to be on calls and work with Fire/EMS/PD personnel.

As far as wiping people asses......sometimes it happens. Protecting a patients dignity is part of our responsibility. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.
But I understand your point. I had to do 36 hours in the ER as part of my AEMT school. It was cool to see that side of the house but it definitely made me realize that Nursing is probably not where I want to be. Your mileage may vary.
 
In Oklahoma we hire EMR'S to drive the ambulance and they assist the EMT'S. Very quick way to get into find out if it is your cup of tea. Each state and agency has their own rules and regulations.
 
As to the Job; I know a number of people who used EMS as a stepping stone to MD, of course those are some of my favorite ER Docs, as to the hours, well it all depends on the company, as people above said some do require full time before you can be part time, and very few allow a "Part Time" schedule type situation, a few here and there as a scheduled extra truck, but generally its Full Time or PRN, as in; when it suits there needs. As to the job availability this is one that I can not stress enough ask someone in your area. In our area it has changed drastically over the time that I have been in it. Ten years ago, you had a job before your license came in, I mean within a week of passing registry. Now, EMT's are not even a dime a dozen, I kid you not they have actually lowered starting pay twice in the past two years here. I think it all depends on the amount of schools in your area. To give you an example when I went through EMT school there were 10 people in my class there was one other school that taught it in the area they had roughly the same, Now one of those schools is doing 40 from a day class, 40 from a night class, and the other school has stopped teaching it, the catch is that another one has picked it up and they are doing the same, plus a few small academy classes, and one of those ITT tech deals just stared one up as well. So our two county little area is pumping out something like 300 EMT's a year. I assure you there are not 300 EMT's jobs coming open between these two counties. So not to discourage you, it can be a great job, I am still doing it all these years later, but if your live in are replete with programs be sure that the work will not be for naught.
 
Obviously, I don't know where you live, so I can only offer some advice based on where I am from (which includes rural voluntary, rural staffed, metro staffed, and city staffed).

Typically, EMS clinicals require X number of hours in different fields before you are even allowed to take finals. For us it's 4 hours nursing home, 20+ hours ED, and 20+ hours ride time (with A and P needing X hours of contact time with peds). Even this can be good because you will have exposure to a variety of fields in medicine (geriatrics, peds, and so on). Huge cities will also give you the (dangerous) opportunity to explore gunshot/stabbing wounds. Plus, depending on the city, you work there, you can get a job anywhere. (*cough*Detroit*cough*)

The station I am with only allows EMTs to get 20 hours a week. Obviously, you need more income than that to live. If you can find a station like that and can get a consistent schedule, it's along the lines of a part-time job (with the understanding that it could be extended for hours if you get a major page five minutes before your shift ends). If that's a concern, overnight shifts might be good, depending on your area.

Our cost per student is $1050 (textbook included) but it was paid for by one of the agencies. In our area, yeah, you can get in if you have the money, but it's a good idea to have a sponsor, especially since an agency sponsor will automatically cover you for liability whereas unaffiliated students have to find their own insurance. You'll want to look into insurance policies in your area. This way, not only is the money coming out of someone else's pocket, but you might be reimbursed for gas. On top of that, if an agency is investing $1000 in you, they're going to want it back, so there is the potential to get a job with them afterwards, even for a short time. However, as it has been mentioned, competition can be vicious. In my station, we can't find anyone to hire. No one. At all. So I'm pretty set. But in the city, where we are, with jobs like they are, you really need good experience, which being in medical school could give you a leg up. Depending on who you go with, they may or may not like that you just want two years.

Our area does shifts by twelve-hours, 12, 24, 48, and 72-hour shifts. A lot of this will be rig checks, equipment checks, and waiting for tones. Sometimes, you will be stuck at the station with a partner you really don't like.

As for enjoying or not enjoying, don't be a jolly volly. Don't look for the movies or the explosions or the dramatic music. Yes, you will be paged out to nursing homes for lift assists; it will be two minutes worth of call and ten minutes worth of paperwork. You'll be paged out priority 1 shortness of breath, chest pain, and it's a skinned knee (because shortness of breath and chest pain get a faster response). You will get old people who just want a social call and young people who just want a ride downtown (this was an epidemic in our area a year or two ago).

Personally, I worked in a nursing home for four months. It wasn't glamorous and it was often very stinky and about as thankless as you'll ever get. The work wasn't particularly bad because some of the residents were just the sweetest people, but the politics was overwhelming. And you will get that with whatever agency you work with, whatever job for that matter. Sometimes it is personality and other times it's just internal strife as everyone wants funding and whatever is going on. If you can step back and say "Not my circus; not my monkeys" and just go on the calls and do the job, you really will be all right.

Basically, there are a few questions to consider:

1. Can you handle blood, guts, vomit, feces, and other bodily fluids?
2. Can you handle two-am pages for a twenty-minute bogus call (or a four-hour life-and-death call)?
3. Can you shell out the money for only two years of a job?
3.5 If you can find a sponsor to pay for the class, are you willing to potentially work for them on their terms afterwards?
4. Can you handle days where you will in fact be wiping people's butts?
5. Can you handle spending twelve hours or more with someone who you may not like?
5.5 Can you put aside your differences for the sake of the patient?

And, ultimately, talk to an EMT in your area. Talk to a basic, an advanced, a medic. Ask them what it's like, why they're there, what makes them stay (or what made them leave if you can find a former EMT).
 
You have to complete the actual course (mine was 3hrs/day, 3x a week, 5 months) and do clinical hours. Additionally shifts can range in 8-24hrs so timing all this may be challenging. If you can pull off a good schedule, that's half your battle. Whether you stay in EMS long or not is your call but it is certainly a great learning experience.
 
Ive never had a better job than this in my life so i'm in it for life then i'm going to hopefully become an instructor for new emts after I retire. Even the slow days are fun simply because the environment is awsome, although im sure some may not agree.
 
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