Major Life Change. Suggestions?

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Packman

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Hello all.

Despite the drubbing I took the last time I posted a question here, you seem to be a knowledgeable bunch, so I’m hoping you can give me some ideas.

Background
I currently (and for the last ten years) work in financial services in New York City. I have a BA in history and an MBA in finance and management from a top tier school. I am relatively unfulfilled in my chosen career.

When I was in college I volunteered with Tufts Emergency Medical Services for four years, and enjoyed the experience. Recently I moved to a new town and joined to local volunteer ambulance company, and again I find that I really enjoy it. In fact, I enjoy it much more than my “real job.” I take great satisfaction when coming back from a call that I have (hopefully) made a real difference to someone in their time of need. Additionally, each case I see provides an intellectual challenge and puzzle of the type I rarely see in my full-time job.

I am currently 36 years old and I live with my wife and two young children.

What I Want To Do
My wife has been pushing for a major change in our lives for some time, and now I realize that she is right. After some soul searching discussions, we have decided that we would like to move our family out of New York City to a smaller urban or even non-urban area. The lifestyle of a dual income professional couple in NYC simply does not allow us to spend the time with our kids and together that we want to.

We have decided that I should explore opportunities available in EMS full time. My wife is not at all excited about the idea of me doing fire suppression, so I think I have narrowed my search to municipal “third service” type opportunities. These appeal to me due to the benefits, retirement and other, of working for a municipal entity, as well as it seems to me that many are on the cutting edge of emergency medicine right now. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.

So far I have identified as contenders:

King County Medic One (Seattle, WA)
Ada County Paramedics (Boise, ID)
Austin-Travis County EMS (Austin, TX)

And I have eliminated:

NYC EMS (New York, NY)
Boston EMS (Boston, MA)

What I’m Looking For
Keeping in mind that I will need to go to Paramedic School, so this is likely a two year process, I’m looking for suggestions for other agencies I should target and learn more about. (King County does not require you to be a paramedic to start the program, but I would imagine you need more experience than I have to be competitive) I am looking for agencies and geographies where I can earn a livable wage for a family while working in EMS (my wife is willing to work as well, but probably not full time at first), that have good access to outdoors activities, and would be a good place to raise a family. The further away from the “rat race” of NYC, at least in feeling if not geography, the better.

Anything I am missing, or other suggestions for how to make this major life change come to fruition, would be greatly appreciated. Please keep in mind my age and family responsibilities. Am I crazy to try and make this transition at my current stage in life?

Thank you all in advance for any advice or suggestions you can offer.
 
If you're wanting to change careers to get more time with the family, EMS is not the choice.

Less money, less time, more stress.


Honestly, I'm sure you have some nice retirement / 401k etc lined up simply because of your MBA. If I have to suggest anything, move to the suburbs, even in a different city, and take a different job in the same area. Don't risk what you currently have.
 
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I have a friend that lives in the Seattle area and she lives it. She's always going on about how much outdoor stuff there is to do in the area and all the other cool stuff they have. I'd move there just for the coffee but that's just me. :-)

If EMS is what you really want to do and your wife understands what the sacrifices will be, I say go for it. My wife is still learning some of it through my experiences as a volly firefighter... such as when I got woken up at 2:30 AM last weekend to go to a fully involved house fire. ;-) Do what's best for you and your family. I have a job that I know pays a bit better than EMS does around here but I don't care. I'm taking the plunge and following my desire to work in EMS because it's what I've always wanted to do. Thankfully my wife understands all the junk we're going to have to go through during the transition and all. As long as your family understands that you're not going to be making six figures anymore then I say you're already doing well.

Good luck!

Jon
 
Linuss said:
If you're wanting to change careers to get more time with the family, EMS is not the choice.

Less money, less time, more stress.
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Unless he were to take on the schedule that many paramedics around here do... 24 on, 24 off, 16 on, four days off. That's five days a week he can spend with the kids. Even if he took on a part time second EMS job, like a 16 or 24 one day a week, that's still four days a week he has off.

Certainly it is less money, and certainly it is more stress. But if you play your cards right, you will get what I call the "dream schedule".
 
I can't tell you what to do, I can offer advice as a father of 3 little ones that are my world. Little background for you, I dont have an MBA, I Never have seen 6figures usless I owed it (lol j/k). My dad just lost hit 60k+ a year job, and he is in the same boat, difference is we have nothing to lose forcloser,a BK,repo. I am 21 years old, and I am doing what I can to feed my family. My times are random, I miss special events(friends Bdays, parts of Christmas,Thanksgiving,Easter). You have done some time as a vollie, and that is good. Full time EMS is hell on a family, I take time off to spend with my kids, I lose money. It is finding a balance. I make around 45-60k (depending on a fire season as well). Many things you need to look at when taking this on. You will be a full time student, you can work part time job keep in mind it is a load. Also how old are your kids? Mine are young and I know I am missing alot at the same time this is a job a started and can't see my-self doing anything else. If this is what you truly want, be prepared. regardless if you think you can or you can't you are right. I wish you luck! We always come home, no pt is worth the cost of my life.
 
EMTinNEPA said:
Certainly it is less money, and certainly it is more stress.
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I can not imagine much more stress then trying to help people who have lost 2/3s of their retirement fund as well as their homes in this volatile market and are committing suicide or on the brink of it and possibly harming their family in the process.

Packman,

Since you already appear to be the studious type, start taking college courses now in the evening in the sciences such as A&P. You can then find a Paramedic program in NYC that will allow you take evening classes and do your clinicals on the weekends or evenings. This may even give you a totally different view and could again alter your plans. It would also give you and your wife time to decide where you really want to live and check out the school systems for your children. Cost of living will be a factor since places like Seattle are not cheap and you should still want to give your family a good lifestyle.

Hopefully you are already in great physical shape since you are over 35. While that should definitely not be a hindrance to your goals, it is still something to consider. You may also be working for supervisors half your age. You may want to feel like you did when you were in college but now you are the "old person" and it may not be the same.
 
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Thank you very much to those of you who have responded.

I can not imagine much more stress then trying to help people who have lost 2/3s of their retirement fund as well as their homes in this volatile market and are committing suicide or on the brink of it and possibly harming their family in the process.
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This is exactly what I have been dealing with for the last 18-months: People needing to change their life goals because of the state of the economy, and not knowing how to do it. Often blaming me for their situation. Not much fun, and certainly not stress free.

Full time EMS is hell on a family. . . Unless he were to take on the schedule that many paramedics around here do... 24 on, 24 off, 16 on, four days off. That's five days a week he can spend with the kids.
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This is something I want to explore. Many people say that a full-time job in EMS is very stressful. I don't deny that being with sick or injured people all day can be a source of stress while doing it, but once you go home, don't you forget about it? I mean, it's not like there are tight deadlines that need to be met over the course of weeks or months for long-term projects (that's been the source of great stress for me in the past). I think I need to look for some per diem work with a private ambulance to see what that is like before making the transition.

How common is the "dream schedule" outlined above. It does look like a dream to me - a full time job that still allows me to spend significant time with my kids.

Hopefully you are already in great physical shape since you are over 35.
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I know that one bad lift or fall can end your ability to work in EMS, and I've given it some real thought. I'm not a couch potato, but I'm not in the prime shape of my life either. what would you consider minimum physical conditioning for EMS? (I've seen some pretty "fat" folks riding around in ambulances. . .)

Any other suggestions for regions or services I should be researching?
 
It was funny to read this post. I'm in almost your same position. Make that huge life change.

I'm 39, had been working in Broadcasting for close to 2 decades. I started in EMS in 1989 and let my certs lapse in the mid 90s. I'm well educated but recently returned to school to complete prereqs for a paramedic program and a return to EMS. I've since completed more schooling than the program I'm applying to requires, I've returned to daily gym workouts with a trainer to whip myself back into shape and I quit a very lucrative job to work on a BLS truck to continue to accumulate as many patient contacts as possible.

It's not easy. Not by a long shot. But, if it's what you want, you'll do whatever it takes to get there.

You'll be competing against a bunch of 20 somethings who want to get a better job in fire, so they're working toward paramedic. To make the cut, at least here, you need to be an excellent student, in excellent physical condition and you need to be fully committed to giving up much of your life to the paramedic education process.

As far as considering King County, I suggest looking elsewhere. There's a very high cost of living, all medic positions are fire (with the exception of South King) and the medic schools are very competitive programs to get into. For example, I recently tested for a medic program. Over 85 hopefulls took the written test. 50 will move on to oral interviews and 22 are accepted into the class. (I'm still waiting to hear how I did.)

Wherever you wind up, good luck. Keep us updated on your progress.
 
Saint Vinvents has night classes for medic school and they are in manhattan at 12th street and 7th ave.
 
firecoins said:
Saint Vinvents has night classes for medic school and they are in manhattan at 12th street and 7th ave.
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I've known a number of medics come out of that program, they certainly have a very high opinion of the program. The head instructor works per diem for a company I used to work for, and is very good from what I understand.
 
Packman said:
Thank you very much to those of you who have responded.



This is exactly what I have been dealing with for the last 18-months: People needing to change their life goals because of the state of the economy, and not knowing how to do it. Often blaming me for their situation. Not much fun, and certainly not stress free.



This is something I want to explore. Many people say that a full-time job in EMS is very stressful. I don't deny that being with sick or injured people all day can be a source of stress while doing it, but once you go home, don't you forget about it? I mean, it's not like there are tight deadlines that need to be met over the course of weeks or months for long-term projects (that's been the source of great stress for me in the past). I think I need to look for some per diem work with a private ambulance to see what that is like before making the transition.

How common is the "dream schedule" outlined above. It does look like a dream to me - a full time job that still allows me to spend significant time with my kids.



I know that one bad lift or fall can end your ability to work in EMS, and I've given it some real thought. I'm not a couch potato, but I'm not in the prime shape of my life either. what would you consider minimum physical conditioning for EMS? (I've seen some pretty "fat" folks riding around in ambulances. . .)

Any other suggestions for regions or services I should be researching?
Click to expand...

There are plenty of overweight people in EMS, however that does not make it right or in the least bit optimal. You want to be in good physical condition to protect your back and for your own long term health.
 
VentMedic said:
But paying the insurance sucks.
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That's why you live in a middle floor apartment. You won't flood, your roof probably wont cave in when a tree falls, and you don't have to pay home owner's insurance.
 
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