New member in CT

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live2help

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Hi. I'm brand spanking new to all this. As in I decided a few days ago that I definitely am going to become an EMT. So I'm curious why did other people pick it? I decided because right now I'm a graphic designer that just finds my job to be completely hollow (I know it doesn't have to be depending on the clients-NPO's etc) and I really want to help people in that one on one sort of way that I couldn't with design. I don't know, its been in the back of my head for a while now, and I just said hey why not?
 
Welcome to the forum. I am also from CT. I, too, made a career change a few years ago. It's a great job but definitely not like what you see on TV. If it's something you really want to do then go for it!! Good Luck!!
 
hey thanks Phoensix. If I can ask, what were the things that were most different from tv, or really, more importantly your expectations?
 
Ct represent! Grew up in niantic. Though live on the west coast now. Yay, nutmeggers! Eat some pepis pizza for me :)

OP- i'd flesh out the job market a bit before you jump in with both feet. Depending on where you are it can be a lot harder to get an als job than you'd think. If u end up bls, be prepared for unglamorous transports while u cut your teeth. they never show dialysis calls on tv!
 
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live2help said:
hey thanks Phoensix. If I can ask, what were the things that were most different from tv, or really, more importantly your expectations?
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Calls are rarely life threatening, people do not yield to the lights and siren, airplanes and busses don't crash constantly. You don't go running in blind, IVs and EKGs blazin'...lol

Anywho welcome to the boards! Lots and lots of smart people around to learn from.
 
woo! oh now I really want to go down and have pepis.

Yeah, I'm starting to see I may need impulse control. I think I'll volunteer first and go from there.
mmmm..pepi's so hungry now.
 
live2help said:
woo! oh now I really want to go down and have pepis.

Yeah, I'm starting to see I may need impulse control. I think I'll volunteer first and go from there.
mmmm..pepi's so hungry now.
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it's all about the bacon clam, baby! I miss ct food so much. Also love abbots up in mystic.

Volunteering is a great way to get started and also meet and talk to people in the industry. Gl w.it! Have u picked out an emt school yet? I advise being leery of predatory For Profit churn em out bootcamp style programs.
 
I was pretty close to going with exactly that- a 2 week boot camp in VA, even signed up to have them call me. When he did, the sales pitch totally sent me the other direction. It was all focused on how fast it is. I was just thinking, if people's lives are on the line do I really want my training to just be 2 weeks?

So I'm either going with Connecticut Medical Training Academy or train through/ with the station that I volunteer with. Apparently they do that? Someone told me that if you volunteer they sometimes train you for free?? I'm skeptical, but definitely going to go ask around. I live further up state than you did, so I'll look at Simsbury, Granby, Bloomfield, West Hartford, etc.
 
Amen! I miss CT food, too. Clam fritter, anyone?
(I grew up in Norwich, and live on the west coast now, also.)

My volunteer fire department paid for my original EMT class. Of course, back then it was 160 bucks.
 
Yea, a lot of departments here in CT will reimburse or pay up front depending on budgetary restrictions. Most will require you to sign some type of contract though, so you don't get trained and bail on them. Not sure if departments are actually doing the training themselves, as most might "host" a class at their facility... either way its a great option for taking a course. Just beware of overly large class sizes.

I know the New Britain EMS academy has a pretty intense summer course coming up too
 
cbsaw said:
Yea, a lot of departments here in CT will reimburse or pay up front depending on budgetary restrictions. Most will require you to sign some type of contract though, so you don't get trained and bail on them. Not sure if departments are actually doing the training themselves, as most might "host" a class at their facility... either way its a great option for taking a course. Just beware of overly large class sizes.

I know the New Britain EMS academy has a pretty intense summer course coming up too
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Thanks! I'm not working tomorrow so I think I'll spend the day contacting or going out to some EMS departments and seeing what the deal is. I'll check out New Britain. Any other suggestions?

How long are you usually tied to those contracts? I'm just trying to figure a ballpark time of when I would be doing this as a job instead of just volunteer. Oo- could I volunteer at one place and work at another if I were to find employment?
 
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