Medic school

[FutureEMT93]

Hello, I am a EMT student. I would like to become a Paramedic. Would it better to wait and get experience before I start? Should I go ahead and start once I get my EMT-B? Thanks

 

[RESQGUY]

Use the search function. Here is the answer though, get experience first. It does not matter if it's ride alongs or EMT time. Do it.

 

[Handsome Robb]

If you want to be a paramedic, go to paramedic school.

Will experience make it easier to adjust to being the man/woman in charge? Yes.

Is it doable without experience? Absolutely.

You don't HAVE to have experience as an EMT to be a good medic.

Like RESQ said, there's lots of threads on this topic.

 

[DesertMedic66]

Everyone has different opinions on this subject. Some say yes and some say no.

Honestly it is up to you are the area you are in (some medic programs will only let you apply if you have experience).

I have been told by all of my mentors to get 2-5 years on an ALS 911 ambulance before taking the medic class. The medic school I'm going to be attending (hopefully) requires 6 months of EMT experience. To date I have about a year and a half on a BLS/IFT ambulance and 6 months on an ALS 911 ambulance. I'm hoping to get in the medic program in January so by then I will have roughly 14 months on an ALS unit.

This is what works for me. I have my finances set up accordingly. Everyone that I know (medic wise) says that I am ready for medic school now. My goal is to make medic school as easy as possible so I made sure I dropped down to part time at work so I have free time to still enjoy life.

I have friends who went through medic school (4 days a week) and worked full time (3-4 days a week) and they hated life for the 10 months. I said no to doing that.

 

[mct601]

Asking this question is as bad as going into a truck forum and asking

" FORD, CHEVY, OR DODGE? "

it really rustles some jimmies and gets people fired up.

I went into paramedic school with one year of experience as a basic. What does it hurt to wait 6months-1yr? Even 2? You learn more about yourself as an EMS personnel, you get patient exposure, and you can get some of the nerves out the way (you'll get them back to some degree as a new medic haha). You learn how to operate on a truck and interact with people. How to interact with nurses. How to behave on calls. Stuff that school doesn't teach.

 

[Handsome Robb]

Asking this question is as bad as going into a truck forum and asking

" FORD, CHEVY, OR DODGE?"

Sorry, off topic but that's a great analogy :lol:

 

[Carlos Danger]

I have been told by all of my mentors to get 2-5 years on an ALS 911 ambulance before taking the medic class.

I think your mentors are giving you some absolutely horrible advice.

Why on earth would anyone waste 5 years working for peanuts as an EMT before going to paramedic school? Does anyone really think it takes 5 years to master the role of an EMT-B?

It is a good idea to get some exposure to EMS, definitely. I think when you start paramedic school, you need to be comfortable interviewing and assessing patients. You need to have been on a bunch of calls from start to finish. Things like talking on the radio, dealing with cops and fire, giving report at the hospital, filling out run sheets, you don't want to be trying to learn that stuff at the same time that you are trying to learn all the paramedic stuff.

But 5 years is insane. Even 2 years is probably far more time than most people need.

 

[STXmedic]

If you know you want to be a paramedic, do it now and go straight through. Work part time during class if you want some extra experience. That said, some areas (like Cali) require 6 months to a year experience prior to being accepted. Look into the medic school you want to go to and find out what their requirements are.

2-5 years is ridiculous. Especially 5 years.

 

[DrParasite]

Why on earth would anyone waste 5 years working for peanuts as an EMT before going to paramedic school? Does anyone really think it takes 5 years to master the role of an EMT-B?

so you can work for peanuts as a paramedic?

and I agree, 5 years is quite a long time, however it all boils down to how busy you are. For example, Jersey City EMS uses this flyer as a recruitment tool http://www.libertyhealth.org/pdf/JCMCEMS/JCMC_EMS_Poster1.pdf with the tag line "get 10 years of experience in only 12 months." The logic being, if you are only seeing 10 patients a week, how many sick people are you actually seeing? How much experience do you really have?

I would say look at 3 years in a busy system before you looked at paramedic school. Get comfortable with assessing people, get comfortable communicating with people, and get comfortable working on an ambulance.

Trust your mentors, odds are they have half a clue of what they are talking about.

 

[STXmedic]

Trust your mentors, odds are they have half a clue of what they are talking about.

:rofl: That is VERY hit or miss! I no longer assume competence; it has to be proven. Extensively.

 

[DrParasite]

:rofl: That is VERY hit or miss! I no longer assume competence; it has to be proven. Extensively.

oddly enough, I say the same thing about most paramedics

 

[STXmedic]

oddly enough, I say the same thing about most paramedics

Not just paramedics. Any provider.

 

[Carlos Danger]

so you can work for peanuts as a paramedic?

and I agree, 5 years is quite a long time, however it all boils down to how busy you are. For example, Jersey City EMS uses this flyer as a recruitment tool http://www.libertyhealth.org/pdf/JCMCEMS/JCMC_EMS_Poster1.pdf with the tag line "get 10 years of experience in only 12 months." The logic being, if you are only seeing 10 patients a week, how many sick people are you actually seeing? How much experience do you really have?

I would say look at 3 years in a busy system before you looked at paramedic school. Get comfortable with assessing people, get comfortable communicating with people, and get comfortable working on an ambulance.

Trust your mentors, odds are they have half a clue of what they are talking about.

To each his own.

If it takes 3 years of working as a paramedic's assistant (which is exactly what an EMT-B is in most "busy ALS systems") in order to be "ready" to apply to paramedic school, then that's fine. We all go at our own pace.

But if you are considering spending that much time just because someone told you you should, just realize that in 3 year's time, many people will have taken an EMT course, gotten a few months of experience somewhere, FINISHED paramedic school, and had more than a years' experience under their belt, before you even apply to the program.

Learning the few things you need to know to be ready for paramedic school is not rocket science, and it does not take years of experience. Getting through paramedic school is also not rocket science, and does not require years of preparation.

 

[DesertMedic66]

To each his own.

If it takes 3 years of working as a paramedic's assistant (which is exactly what an EMT-B is in most "busy ALS systems") in order to be "ready" to apply to paramedic school, then that's fine. We all go at our own pace.

But if you are considering spending that much time just because someone told you you should, just realize that in 3 year's time, many people will have taken an EMT course, gotten a few months of experience somewhere, FINISHED paramedic school, and had more than a years' experience under their belt, before you even apply to the program.

Learning the few things you need to know to be ready for paramedic school is not rocket science, and it does not take years of experience. Getting through paramedic school is also not rocket science, and does not require years of preparation.

To each his own.

I could have already taken the medic class and more then likely passed but my goal is not to be just your everyday :censored::censored::censored::censored:ty paramedic (like so many in CA are). I wanted to be the best EMT that I could possibly be (many medics already say I am the best EMT they have ever worked with).

I'm choosing to go to a pretty well known medic program in SoCal to be a great medic. For me it takes a couple of years before I feel confident doing something. I know the Basic scope is narrow but there was a lot more that I was doing to help myself out. I made a lot of contacts. I got comfortable talking to patients and families. I got comfortable controlling scenes. I got comfortable working in the back of an ambulance (got over getting car sick). I learned what assessment style works for me and how to document. I learned how the company I'm going to work for as a medic operates (same one I'm working for currently).

So now all I have to learn in medic school is the knowledge aspect and the skills because I already know everything else.

My mentors time range of 2-5 years worked for me. 5 years may be a little long but some people need it. I planned on taking medic school after I paid my truck off which was roughly 2-3 years after I started as an EMT. I was able to pay my truck off a year early so that set my plans a year in advance.

I'm not saying this works for everybody. I'm saying this is what I wanted and this is what I planned out for myself but once again to each his or her own. Find out what works for you and what you want to do and the time frame.

 

[blachatch]

I went right from basic into medic. The only time I have had trouble was doing my ride time which I'm in now. I was a bit lost at first on how a call was run. I have been with a great shift and are willing to teach me the ropes so it hasn't been to bad. In my area you can't get any 911 experience as a basic unless being on a fire department, so we were encouraged to go right from basic to medic. So to answer your question I would do the same all over again I have been getting my patient contact experience in the 400 clinical hours we have to do, so I feel that counts as experience.

 

[jameson]

I got my basic back in 2005, I'm heading into my 5th month of paramedic school. I worked almost 5 years as a basic before jumping into medics school. I would have gone sooner, but medic school is costly. I couldn't afford it a few years ago. You can absolutely jump into a paramedic program right after basic. The only downfall is when you do your squad time. As a new basic who's never worked on ambulance, it can be intimidating and you may feel out of your element. Personally, I'm glad I waited. The clinicals are a lot easier and less stressful. But on the same note, if you do decide to get some experience before taking a medic course, don't wait 5 years like I did. I learned a lot, and drifted away from the textbook stuff and forgot a lot of the material that you learn in the class room. So now you could say I'm re learning the steps and "proper" policies and procedures. Its very time consuming and there's a ton of reading and studying. Other than that it's a blast.

good luck

 

[hogwiley]

From what I've both observed and heard, experienced EMTs tend to do slightly better initially, especially during clinicals, but that this advantage fades and almost completely disappears after a while, and experienced EMTs often fail at a higher rate than people who went straight to Medic school.

Then there are the loud mouth know it all EMTs with years of experience who fail Medic badly because they get used to being king of the hill at whatever company they work BLS at, then they get to Medic school and get treated like the dumb student who doesnt know anything all over again and their fragile egos cant take it. Whereas a student who goes straight to Medic from Basic school isnt going to be so touchy and defensive when he makes a mistake or screws something up and gets called out on it.

 

[mcdonl]

Hello, I am a EMT student. I would like to become a Paramedic. Would it better to wait and get experience before I start? Should I go ahead and start once I get my EMT-B? Thanks

What type of medic program? If you are looking at a 2 year degree program, then start right away. If you are going to take a 6-9 month class than you may want to wait long enough to get a little experience so that you can apply your experiences to what you are hearing in the class and vise versa....