Just finished mid-term practical and ride time and have a few questions...

[chief]

Hello to everyone. I'm an EMT student in Chicago studying at the Evergreen fire house and have two months of class to go before I am working in EMS. I just finished a 14 hour ride along with an ALS ambo in Chicago and have millions of questions and appreciate any feedback. I couldn't ask too many questions in the ambulance as we were getting calls non-stop so I figured I ask a few here.

My book has a chapter on asking pt's for implied/expressed consent but in the field there was no asking...AT ALL...just work until the patient refuses. Is this common? It does seem cumbersome to spell out everything to the patient.

I believe I can get right to studying at a college or somewhere for my paramedic license right after graduating and was wondering is medic school hard? And is it easy to find a job in California/Chicago as a medic with only a year of experience as an EMT?

I'm stay around the south side of Chicago and I am sure some of you know how crazy the area is so ambulances are always busy. Are San Diego CA meds just as busy?

Is it hard to transfer anywhere in the nation as a paramedic having taken the national test?

My partner said paramedics get paid only $15 to $18 per hour working on a private ambo. I honestly thought meds get paid much higher! How much are meds paid in San Diego. I google'd this but don't really trust the info.

New to the forum so I don't know if this post is too long so I will stop. Thanks for any feedback

chief

 

[Handsome Robb]

Hello to everyone. I'm an EMT student in Chicago studying at the Evergreen fire house and have two months of class to go before I am working in EMS. I just finished a 14 hour ride along with an ALS ambo in Chicago and have millions of questions and appreciate any feedback. I couldn't ask too many questions in the ambulance as we were getting calls non-stop so I figured I ask a few here.

My book has a chapter on asking pt's for implied/expressed consent but in the field there was no asking...AT ALL...just work until the patient refuses. Is this common? It does seem cumbersome to spell out everything to the patient.

I believe I can get right to studying at a college or somewhere for my paramedic license right after graduating and was wondering is medic school hard? And is it easy to find a job in California/Chicago as a medic with only a year of experience as an EMT?

I'm stay around the south side of Chicago and I am sure some of you know how crazy the area is so ambulances are always busy. Are San Diego CA meds just as busy?

Is it hard to transfer anywhere in the nation as a paramedic having taken the national test?

My partner said paramedics get paid only $15 to $18 per hour working on a private ambo. I honestly thought meds get paid much higher! How much are meds paid in San Diego. I google'd this but don't really trust the info.

New to the forum so I don't know if this post is too long so I will stop. Thanks for any feedback

chief

If someone called for your help its generally implied that they're consenting to you evaluating them. You still need to explain treatments though. "I'm going to start an IV to give you some fluids and so the hospital can draw your blood" is a good example. If they give you their arm they're consenting, if they say no they're refusing. I never do something or give something to a patient without telling them what I'm doing first. I haven't met a provider that does it any differently. It's the patient's right to know and agree with or refuse any intervention or assessment you want to do so you need to tell them. It doesn't have to be long and super complex but something quick like the example I gave you above or something like "I'm going to put some stickers on your arms and legs the. On your chest and around your left breast to take a picture of your heart" is plenty. If they're hesitant then you can start explaining why you want to do it and what it is going to do to aid you in their care.

This is very subjective: no, medic school is not difficult, however, it is time consuming. You get out what you put in. If you study your *** off and make the extra effort to clarify things you don't understand it's going to be easier, come test time, than if you do the bare minimum and skate by.

A year of EMT experience will help wherever you go. More experience generally makes things easier but a year is a solid foundation. There are jobs to be had in Cali however many are IFT companies doing hospital to hospital transfers. There are 911 gigs too obviously but you have to be willing to be flexible wether it be in how long your commute is or where you live. I don't know about Chicago other than the 911 system is primarily fire based.

As far as busy it depends where you're posted, who you work for and how many contracts that company has (assuming private EMS). I don't know from experience but I'd assume boxes in the Sandy Eggo are busy just like Chi-Town boxes are. I work in a much smaller city than either of them and we run our asses off. 10-12 in a 12 isn't unheard of and has been about average lately. Hell, you can work for a small rural service and be busy for the simple fact that you're always road tripping to a call, to the hospital or home from one of the above.

Having your NREMT will help you move about the nation as far as certifications go. Many states have reciprocity deals if you have a NREMT card. Some states require NREMT for initial certification then you can let it lapse, others require you to maintain it as long as you are certified in their state.

15-18/he is about the national average. I've heard numbers as low as 12/hr for SoCal.

 

[Sublime]

My book has a chapter on asking pt's for implied/expressed consent but in the field there was no asking...AT ALL...just work until the patient refuses. Is this common? It does seem cumbersome to spell out everything to the patient.

Implied consent is just that... implied. It doesn't need to be expressed. Many times expressed consent is obtained indirectly. Common ones for example are "Sir I'm going to go ahead and start an IV on you so I can give you pain medicine". If they say "ok" and don't refuse... you can consider that consent.

is medic school hard?

It can be. It definitely requires a lot of studying and hard work. Depends on the type of person you are. Some people find it harder than others.

Is it hard to transfer anywhere in the nation as a paramedic having taken the national test?

Depends on the state, but generally with your national it shouldn't be too hard.

My partner said paramedics get paid only $15 to $18 per hour working on a private ambo. I

That's about right for where I live, not sure about Cali.

 

[VFlutter]

My partner said paramedics get paid only $15 to $18 per hour working on a private ambo. I honestly thought meds get paid much higher! How much are meds paid in San Diego. I google'd this but don't really trust the info.

That is about the average here in St. Louis, MO. I would assume it is fairly comparable to Chicago.

What did you think they made? Just curious.

 

[chief]

Thanks for the replies. What's the difference between having your medic card and having an NREMT card?

@ Chase

I thought they made $25 to $30 an hour. The med-firemen I talked to made upwards of $70,000 to $100,000 a year. I just figured since a med-fire guy makes that much a plain old med guy shouldn't be too far behind. Come to think about it their salary probably included some ot too

 

[Sublime]

Thanks for the replies. What's an What's the difference between having your medic card and having an NREMT card?

@ Chase

I thought they made $25 to $30 an hour. The med-firemen I talked to made upwards of $70,000 to $100,000 a year. I just figured since a med-fire guy makes that much a plain old med guy shouldn't be too far behind. Come to think about it their salary probably included some ot too

Key word there is "fire". Big difference between FD and private service ems.

 

[VFlutter]

Thanks for the replies. What's the difference between having your medic card and having an NREMT card?

@ Chase

I thought they made $25 to $30 an hour. The med-firemen I talked to made upwards of $70,000 to $100,000 a year. I just figured since a med-fire guy makes that much a plain old med guy shouldn't be too far behind. Come to think about it their salary probably included some ot too

Totally different jobs and pay. County FF/Medics here start at $60-70k and can make $100K+ a few years.

 

[chief]

@ Sublime

I see. I guess $15 to $18 is plenty for driving around all day saving lives. The little time I had on my ride along wasn't bad at all. Pretty cool actually

 

[NomadicMedic]

Thanks for the replies. What's the difference between having your medic card and having an NREMT card?

Many states have their own state certification. That's commonly referred to as your state medic card. The National Registry is a testing and certifying agency that shows you meet the minimum standards for certification. Many states except the National Registry card as proof that you've met the requirements to become a paramedic.

There are differences though. In Washington state, initial licensure is through the national Registry. That means you have to get your NREMT-P card to get your Washington state medic card. However, you don't need to maintain national registry certification to stay a Washington paramedic.

Conversely, Delaware requires national registry as the initial certification and you must recert with national registry every recert cycle and keep your card current. That current national registry card will automatically get you the Delaware State certification, provided you're affiliated with a county ALS agency and have been signed off by a medical director.

It's worth checking up on to find out how your state does it. If you're planning on moving anywhere, anytime… Get and keep your national registry certification.

 

[Handsome Robb]

@ Sublime

I see. I guess $15 to $18 is plenty for driving around all day saving lives. The little time I had on my ride along wasn't bad at all. Pretty cool actually

There aren't many jobs that let you and a partner check out 200,000$ of equipment in the morning then set you free into the world to basically so your own thing as long as you answer the radio.

All I will say is my IT bands hate me from sitting in a E450 all day,

I love my job, I said it somewhere else here tonight, I couldn't see myself doing anything else. With that said, personally, for the amount of work we do and the risks we take we should be paid more. That's the price we pay for being in a field that's over-saturated with qualified applicants that are willing to work for next to nothing to get experience to get those firemedic jobs you talked about that pay so well.

 

[kurtemt]

I live on the southside of Chicago and currently work for a private ambulance company around there. The pay isn't great and depending on the company you work for you may just be doing ift and dialysis calls all day. Some others you may get a few good calls. Buds is the only private I know that does 911 calls out here. The rest are all fire depts.

As for medic school if you are looking to go to a program in the city there is a lot of competition and very few spots. It's less competitive in the south burbs but can still be hard to get in.

If you have any questions pm me

 

[chief]

Thanks for all the replies. Time to do some research....

chief