Need some guidance plz! Recently been arrested, but yet convicted. EMT an option anymore???

[Akulahawk]

Depends on the background check actually. When I worked in law enforcement as a dispatcher and a jailer, the background checks would show what you were arrested for and then below it would show the disposition of the charge including if convicted or plead guilty to a different charge.

This is why I wrote what I did. If all "they" look at is actual convictions, a plea on a lesser charge might end up being non-disqualifying. However, if "they" look at both arrest and conviction records, they'll see what the arrest was for and they'll see the disposition of a reduced charge conviction. As stated above, insurance companies and licensing boards aren't entirely stupid. If they're allowed to, they'll look at both arrest and conviction records and they can easily figure out what happened.

Also, sometimes you can be put in a "rehab" program and complete that program only to be put into a "rehab" program if you move to a different state because the new state won't "see" that you've already completed a rehab problem.

 

[DrParasite]

I'm going to take the opposite position... with a recent DUI, getting an EMS job will be tough, if not impossible.

You want to go to PA school, and were using EMT as patient contact experience? sorry bub, but I think you are SOL, and likely SOL for any job that requires driving a company vehicle. And quite honestly, if you were an employer, would you hire a newbie with a recent DUI, over a newbie without one?

thankfully, there are other jobs that count as PCE: Athletic trainer, certified nursing assistant, community health worker/health educator, dental hygienist, patient care assistant, phlebotomist, nurse’s aide, medical assistant, radiologic technologist, EKG tech, licensed practical nurse, licensed vocational nurse, clinical laboratorian or pharmacy technician. Schools might have different requirements for what they consider to be PCE, so definitely check with their admissions department.

Go find another job that will get you the PCE; EMS is likely not an option for you anymore

 

[brittbritt]

I'm going to take the opposite position... with a recent DUI, getting an EMS job will be tough, if not impossible.

You want to go to PA school, and were using EMT as patient contact experience? sorry bub, but I think you are SOL, and likely SOL for any job that requires driving a company vehicle. And quite honestly, if you were an employer, would you hire a newbie with a recent DUI, over a newbie without one?

thankfully, there are other jobs that count as PCE: Athletic trainer, certified nursing assistant, community health worker/health educator, dental hygienist, patient care assistant, phlebotomist, nurse’s aide, medical assistant, radiologic technologist, EKG tech, licensed practical nurse, licensed vocational nurse, clinical laboratorian or pharmacy technician. Schools might have different requirements for what they consider to be PCE, so definitely check with their admissions department.

Go find another job that will get you the PCE; EMS is likely not an option for you anymore

Thank you for your advice, it seems to be going that route, which I completely understand. I just want some $0.02 from people that work in the field.

 

[Akulahawk]

there are other jobs that count as PCE: Athletic trainer, certified nursing assistant, community health worker/health educator, dental hygienist, patient care assistant, phlebotomist, nurse’s aide, medical assistant, radiologic technologist, EKG tech, licensed practical nurse, licensed vocational nurse, clinical laboratorian or pharmacy technician. Schools might have different requirements for what they consider to be PCE, so definitely check with their admissions department.

brittbritt, These are all potential options. Some do require significant additional education from what you already likely possess. In particular, Athletic Trainers require either a Bachelors or Masters degree with a specific preparation to be qualified to take the certification exam, it's not personal training. Some of the other jobs may require as little as a few weeks/months of training and some may require a year or more. You really do need to become very acutely aware of what various programs will require. After you learn this, you will have a better idea what paths you might potentially take. The educational and experiential path required to reach the amount of time a school might require of its applicants will, by necessity, take you some period of time away from your likely conviction and this may provide some mitigation in terms of being allowed entry to a given school or even potentially toward being certified/licensed.

None of us are saying that your path is impossible, just that by getting arrested for DUI you made your path much more difficult. If you keep yourself out of further trouble and you end up reaching your goal, these difficulties may make you a more resilient person because you will have faced some adversity, significant stress, and overcame it. Of course the opposite could also become a reality. The stress of all the difficulties could lead you away from sobriety and back to committing another DUI or worse.

 

[brittbritt]

Akulahawk, thank you for your advice. I know my path ahead is not going to be an easy one for sure. I have continued to look at other ways to get PCE, I just need to decide which would be the best choice. I’m trying to find alternatives to relieve stress, better ways to hangout with friends and be social. Just to be a healthier individual all around. Now, when it comes to drinking. I can honestly take it or leave it. I’ve been bartending now almost 8 yrs. and constantly around it. The temptation pops up sometimes, but I just end up talking myself down (“look what you got yourself into”) kinda thing or simply ignoring it.

 

[Peak]

...I’m trying to find alternatives to relieve stress, better ways to hangout with friends and be social. Just to be a healthier individual all around. Now, when it comes to drinking. I can honestly take it or leave it. I’ve been bartending now almost 8 yrs. and constantly around it. The temptation pops up sometimes, but I just end up talking myself down (“look what you got yourself into”) kinda thing or simply ignoring it.

Alcohol is not the problem with a DUI, it is the decision to willfully place others at risk of death or serious injury.

It wasn’t a few beers that gorked or killed so many of the kids I’ve cared for, it was the person who decided to get behind the wheel.

 

[brittbritt]

Peak, I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately.

 

[mgr22]

Akulahawk, thank you for your advice. I know my path ahead is not going to be an easy one for sure. I have continued to look at other ways to get PCE, I just need to decide which would be the best choice. I’m trying to find alternatives to relieve stress, better ways to hangout with friends and be social. Just to be a healthier individual all around. Now, when it comes to drinking. I can honestly take it or leave it. I’ve been bartending now almost 8 yrs. and constantly around it. The temptation pops up sometimes, but I just end up talking myself down (“look what you got yourself into”) kinda thing or simply ignoring it.

Wouldn't bartending be just about the worst job you could pick?

 

[brittbritt]

This is my current job, that I’m trying to get out of. I have semester left and seeing what my options are currently in EMS or see if I should consider an alternative in healthcare.

 

[NomadicMedic]

While all of these responses are conjecture and opinion, I have some concrete advice for you.

step 1. call your local regional council or state bureau of EMS, speak with a licensure specialist and ask them if you could attain certification, based on your current situation.

If the answer is no, now you know. If they say yes, proceed to step 2.

step 2. Call the local EMS agencies and ask if you would be considered for employment based on your current situation.

I work in the certification area now and I’m often seeing certification approval for people that, on first glanice, would not be eligible. The state can see records and notes that are not available to everyone, and they make the final decisions on certification.

Finally, reading some of the replies above, I’ll say that taking unsubstantiated legal and career advice from a group of anonymous people on an Internet forum is beyond foolish.

 

[brittbritt]

I am taking these opinions with a grain of salt and know that there is no way to know the credentialing level or experience of the members in this group. I am here seeking counsel, but of course it is ultimately my decision on how to proceed. I actually plan on reaching out to HR departments to speak with them on the situation tomorrow. I will add the state bureau of EMS to the list, thank you!

 

[NomadicMedic]

I am taking these opinions with a grain of salt and know that there is no way to know the credentialing level or experience of the members in this group. I am here seeking counsel, but of course it is ultimately my decision on how to proceed. I actually plan on reaching out to HR departments to speak with them on the situation tomorrow. I will add the state bureau of EMS to the list, thank you!

Start with the BEMS. That will probably save you some calls.

 

[Peak]

Finally, reading some of the replies above, I’ll say that taking unsubstantiated legal and career advice from a group of anonymous people on an Internet forum is beyond foolish.

I am taking these opinions with a grain of salt and know that there is no way to know the credentialing level or experience of the members in this group. I am here seeking counsel, but of course it is ultimately my decision on how to proceed. I actually plan on reaching out to HR departments to speak with them on the situation tomorrow. I will add the state bureau of EMS to the list, thank you!

I think the advice about not drinking and driving is pretty solid.

 

[NomadicMedic]

I think the advice about not drinking and driving is pretty solid.

The best advice in the whole thread.

 

[CCCSD]

You do realize that until your case is adjudicated, they can’t really give you a firm answer, no matter WHO you talk to.

And THATS factual.

 

[brittbritt]

You do realize that until your case is adjudicated, they can’t really give you a firm answer, no matter WHO you talk to.

And THATS factual.

everything is so backed up in the court system due to covid, I don’t know when that could be. Two classmates in dui school said it took them 8mths to see the judge. Honestly, I don’t want to sit here doing nothing.

 

[brittbritt]

.....everything is so backed up in the court system due to covid, I don’t know when that could be. Two classmates in dui school said it took them 8mths to see the judge. Honestly, I don’t want to sit here doing nothing.

.....sorry txt was weird

 

[CCCSD]

That’s not our fault.

 

[brittbritt]

I’m not saying it is, I’m just looking to be proactive during this time.

 

[CCCSD]

And there are things you can’t rely on so another path might be the best. Or, notify the DA you want to plead guilty and it’s done.