I am a college student in graphic design, wasnt for me. So i went and took a career test. It showed that an EMT was my number 1 for something i would love to do. So im researching it. I have a couple questions that would help me decide if its something i really want to do. Im not sure if this is the right place to post this but if i can help get some answers/opinions i would really appreciate it. Such questions i was curious about are
1)What is the difference between an EMT/EMS/Paramedic?
2)What are things you like about your job (advantages)?
3)what are things you dont like? (disadvantages)?
4)What are personal qualities, aptitudes, or strengths are needed for success in this career?
5)What is a typical day like?
6)And if there is anything else i didnt ask that would be helpful to know
Thanks guys!
1) Others have answered this already...
2) Getting patient contact is the main reason I like my job. Even on non-emergency calls, I like talking and assessing a patients condition. I like reading through their charts and doctor's assessments to get an idea of what is going on with them medically. Emergency runs: Adrenaline.
3) Disadvantages: You occasionally have to deal with a pompous nurse or doctor in the ER that either expects you to do/have done things outside of your SOP or disregards what you tell them anyways. If you're working in a private service, you have the tendency to be run into the ground. They try to stack patient transfers on you constantly, giving you no down-time in between. Don't get me wrong, I'm okay with actually working the better part of the day. I don't think it's right that they try to stack calls on us to the point where we aren't even able to grab lunch or dinner throughout the day. The pay issue is another disadvantage. My friend working at Rent-A-Center moving inanimate objects into people's homes makes more per hour than I do <_<. Another thing: It's stressful on the back and joints. There's proper lifting techniques, but you aren't always able to use them in certain situations or spaces. Even lifting properly, it's stressful on your muscles, especially when the patient is 300+lbs.
4) Maturity and determination.
5) Everyone says there is no typical day, but I disagree... then again, I work for a private service. I'll run through my day for you.
Show up to work 15 minutes before shift.
Go punch in and find out what truck I'm assigned to on that particular day
Go grab the keys, radio, pager, and check list.
Head out to the truck and quickly inventory the truck.
Grab the radio and clear ourselves from the station and await instruction.
At this point, they either send us to sit in a parking lot or send us on a run.
More often than not, on my shift, they have a transport waiting for us right off the bat so we head over to the appropriate facility. Whoever is going to be riding in the back on that particular call goes and finds the nurse assigned to that patient and gets the paperwork associated with them. From this, we usually get a copy of the patient's face sheet (billing information, demographic, emergency contacts, and sometimes a limited history and allergies list) and a medical necessity for transport form. My partner would usually go and grab vitals while I'm looking over the patient's chart and copying down history, medications, and allergies. I head down to the patients room at that point and we transfer the patient from bed into our stretcher and load them into the ambulance. During the ride over, I monitor the patient and talk to them if they are alert and oriented enough to converse with. During this time, I'll also begin writing about that scenario on the run-sheet: what we showed up to find, what is going on with the patient, what happens during transport, what we do with the patient when we get to the destination, etc. When we arrive, we find out what room the patient is to be placed into and move them there. Then I'll go find the nurse and hand over the paperwork the other place sent over with the patient and give a report. I get the appropriate signatures (one from the receiving staff and one from the patient. If the patient is unfit/unable to sign, we get the signature of someone authorized to sign on the patient's behalf on a special form). While I'm getting that, my partner is setting up the cot for the next call.
Typical emergency call: One person is looking up the address on the maps (my service doesn't have GPS
) and the other is driving. We show up, grab the jump bag and head in. Do the whole assessment and treatment thing and head to the ED (yes, I'm being vague for a reason). During transport, we get on the radio and contact the hospital, give them a quick report, an ETA, and check to see if they have any more orders. Show up to the ED, find where the patient should go, deliver a verbal report to the nurse, grab the signatures needed, then go finish the run report (most places around here have an EMS office set up for that purpose). When finished with that, I'll go hand off the appropriate papers and we head out.
The attending technician and the driver usually alternate every other call, unless one of them has lost driving status or aren't cleared to operate at a certain priority or whatever.
The emergency format I posted is vague because it varies every time based on what is going on and the condition of the patient. Sometimes we have time to play around on scene, and other times we have to "load and go."
