Is EMS your only job/What did you do before EMS?

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Fish

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Most people I know in EMS or Fire work a side job as well, also most that I know did something else before this. Do you work a side job, or do you do your shifts go home and thats it? Also, is this what you have been doing since you graduated high school or did you have a career before this?

I will go first, I have been in EMS since I was 18. Prior to this I didn't have a "career" I had jobs at resturants and other types of Customer Service.

I have always worked a side job, I have been an instructor, a Tech, and work for a part time standbye EMS to suppliment my income. We work 24h shifts, so we have plenty of time off to do other things.
 
Started EMS at 19 (23 now), after highschool I worked a couple retail jobs, and worked as a farm hand for a bit. Currently finding an EMT-P job is my full time job. I work about 30hrs/week at a BLS/security jobs
 
I started when I was 14 as a junior on the rescue squad, went to EMT class at 16, became a cardiac technician (like EMT-I) at 18, paramedic at 19, RN at 20.

I worked part time for various ambulance services during school, worked for a little more than a year as a nurse, then bailed and worked as a medic for a few years until I started the mom gig. I was semi-retired from 2004-2010 while I was pregnant.

Now, I've started back working again in my spare time around homeschooling the kids. It's so nice to have a career that waits for me to be ready to go to work again. It was not that hard to get going again, but I did pay attention to what what happening while I was out, and I was teaching from time to time too.
 
I worked in construction, a hot rot shop, security, fluffer, did my time, English tutor for foreign students, roadied Ozzfest once, a Ford dealership mechanic, and bouncer.
 
I started in EMS at 15 and my only job before that was castrating pigs. That I can easily remove the testicles from a squealing animal is just something to keep in mind if one finds themselves in a debate with me.
 
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I worked for Arbys for three years as a shift manager, then worked for a travel website doing customer service.
 
Started with the fire department at 14. Did medical stand-by at my godparents ranch when I was in EMT school. Got hired on with an ambulance company at 19 (my only real job). Along with the full time ambulance job I have a second job as medical stand-by for events and a third job as a paid EMT skills instructor at the college I got my EMT cert thru.
 
usafmedic45 said:
I started in EMS at 15 and my only job before that was castrating pigs. That I can easily remove the testicles from a squealing animal is just something to keep in mind if one finds themselves in a debate with me.
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My co-workers just looked at me weird for laughing out loud to this
 
HotelCo said:
A 6 year pregnancy!? Wow, that had to be a huge kid. :lol:

I worked various jobs before this. Pizza shop, Walgreens, lawn care.
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haha, I was thinking the same Joke
 
usafmedic45 said:
I started in EMS at 15 and my only job before that was castrating pigs. That I can easily remove the testicles from a squealing animal is just something to keep in mind if one finds themselves in a debate with me.
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I just choked on my lunch.

I won't go into career details since I'm an EMS second-class citizen (i.e., volunteer). Suffice it to say that I have a career, although it's not nearly as fun or rewarding (except in the wallet) as EMS.
 
dixie_flatline said:
I just choked on my lunch.

I won't go into career details since I'm an EMS second-class citizen (i.e., volunteer). Suffice it to say that I have a career, although it's not nearly as fun or rewarding (except in the wallet) as EMS.
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EMS doesn't consider volunteers second class citizens, that FD stuff:P
 
I started out at Wendys in high school and early college, then at a very small non-profit agency for a few years, and security work at the college at the same time. THEN I did domestic violence work and started my social work stuff, which I did for 6 years until I was laid off Jan 2010. After that I did the Census for a few weeks, Dunkin Donuts, Stop & Shop grocery, then the resort reservation office I am at now. I'm hoping for a emt-b job with a local private company.
 
Fish said:
EMS doesn't consider volunteers second class citizens, that FD stuff:P
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I'm in an FD :P Even though I'm cross-trained in rescue/fire, I choose to spend most of my time riding 'the bandaid box', so I get looked at like I have 2 heads and 12 eyes.
 
HotelCo said:
A 6 year pregnancy!? Wow, that had to be a huge kid. :lol:
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Nope, just a bunch of kids. I was pregnant or nursing for part of every single year from 2002-2010. I am now DONE with bio kids.
 
I've done a lot prior to EMS. 4 years in the Marine Corps as a field radio operator, worked construction, heavy equipment mechanic, auto mechanic.

Currently I also work as a PCT in a hospital, and plow snow in the winter.
I wish I would have gotten right into EMS out of highschool instead of wasting so many years busting my back and knuckles doing jobs I hated. It does give me perspective and helps me relate to patients better though. A lot of the EMTs and medics that never did anything else seem like whiney creampuffs to me.
 
I should add that those that went into EMS right out of school were the smart ones, and learned the job when it was easier to absorb and remember things. My brain nowadays is more like a sieve than a sponge. So I didnt mean to put down people whove only worked in EMS.
 
EMS is my only "career" Been employed full time since I was 14 however, in other various Jobs
 
abckidsmom said:
Nope, just a bunch of kids. I was pregnant or nursing for part of every single year from 2002-2010. I am now DONE with bio kids.
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I'm still waiting for the evidence regarding the effects of said children per our earlier conversation. :P:rofl:
 
usafmedic45 said:
I'm still waiting for the evidence regarding the effects of said children per our earlier conversation. :P:rofl:
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Yeah, so I ran that by abckidsdad, and he said he'd get right on it. Keep holding your breath, K? :) :rofl:
 
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