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Versaron

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Hello everyone and thanks in advance for all you guys and gals do. My name is Ron. Originally from Brooklyn NY now I'm in Scranton Pa. I am 32 years old and have been in the construction and landlord business my whole life. My bills are minimal and I'm laid off so time is on my side. My body is worn down to an average 50 year old and need a career change so I won't be crippled when I retire. As I nurse my torn wrist ligaments back to health from 3 surgeries, I seriously been reconsidering my carreer. I love challenges, people, fast paced adrenaline non office atmosphere and came up with becoming a paramedic. Only thing is that I don't have the slightest clue in becoming one.

Does it matter to what kind of school I attend? University, college, online couses? Don't want to waste money in an education that is not accepted by employers. Anybody know any accredited schools that are affordable would be great....
What are the certification levels from starting off to the top w/o getting a PHD?
I've been reading about the future potential of employment by many different agencies goverment and non goverment due to the baby boomers coming of age. Being an apprentice. Which job institution would be ideal to get into ( pay, benifits, job security with future growth potential within the company

Any suggestions and wisdom to pass to me on how you would go about reaching my goal would be GREATLY Appreciated.

THANK YOU ALL IN ADVANCE!!!!!
 
Hi! Welcome to EMTlife!! I agree with you about swinging a hammer and getting old too fast. That's a tough biz.

Try looking into local community colleges for emt courses. And consider talking to volunteer services around you, you can gain experience, contacts, and some states will pay for portions of your training.

EMS is having tremendous growth right now, BUT... Basic EMT (the starting point) has an over saturation in the market so work can be difficult to find in some areas. Having a Paramedic certification (the high point) is like having the "Golden Ticket". Pay rates vary from area to area. It's possible to make a comfortable living, but you certainly aren't going to get rich.
 
Any suggestions where to volunteer for experience? I'll def make sure to shoot for the paramedic level right away. Thanks alot
 
Unfortunately, paramedic is not a certification you can obtain right away. I cannot speak for PA, only CA, but here is the "schedule" of training you can expect to follow to become a paramedic.

-CPR for the Health Care Provider - 1 Day
-EMT-B Class and Certification - 120 hours - Classes run from 4 weeks to 4 months
-EMT-B employment for 6-7 full time months (1200 hours of ambulance experience) - this time working at the basic level is a minimum requirement to attend paramedic school.
-EMT-P Class and Certification - 1200 hours - 7 months to 2 years

So to become a paramedic form scratch you are looking at about 20 months. During this time I would recommend you start learning Anatomy and Physiology, Medical Terminology, and Basic Math if you do not have a background in these areas - and even if you do!

Good Luck,
-Andrew
 
Thanks for the detailed road map to follow. Was just looking up local college paramedic program. They require everything you stated but the employment experience isn't mandatory but me not having experience wouldn't be a bad idea to get my feet wet. The only related experience I have is was being a certified life guard 10 years ago and some college coursework taken 15 years ago and just got my OSHA certification.

Was just reading about the background check that's given. From doing construction in schools I have me child abuse clearance but 12 or so years ago I was young and dumb and got a DUI ( which I can have expunged) and a sumary offense shoplifting charge. So embarassing. Will this be an issue for me???
If so, I wonder if a lawyer could clean that up to?

Thanks yet again.
 
If your state allows you to go straight on to Paramedic do so. You will actually do more good for your patients waiting to treat them until you are actually educated. Basics usually do the back breaking work you seem to need a change from.
 
Ah well that is nice - personally I am a believer that EMT-B experience shouldn't be mandatory prior to paramedic school - but it is definitely a big leg up.

You are 32 - when did the DUI and other charge occur? Here in CA they look at your last 10 years of driving history, and while a DUI may not disqualify you - generally employers take someone without the DUI over the person with the DUI. As for the shoplifting, it really depends on how old you were.
 
Check into all the volunteer ambulance companies within whatever driving distance youre willing to live with. Also vol. fire depts. run ems in some areas. Make some calls and station visits.

As far as a past criminal record, a candid letter of explanation listing what you did, and hopefully lessons learned from it can usually help you immesurably. Send a copy with any applications you do, even if they don't ask about such matters up-front. It's easier than explaining something that comes-up in a background check, if you even get a chance to explain.
 
Just a second, Bro!

Versaron said:
My body is worn down to an average 50 year old and need a career change so I won't be crippled when I retire. As I nurse my torn wrist ligaments back to health from 3 surgeries, I seriously been reconsidering my carreer.
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First and foremost, my Brother, consider your health!

If you're a 32 year old in a fifty year old body that is recuperating from no less than THREE WRIST surgeries, even thinking about becoming a paramedic could be dangerous because you'll be wasting your time while you could better assure yourself a relatively pain-free future by doing something less demanding.

50 year olds in the field recognize that a twenty-five year old body is about right!

That doesn't mean you couldn't be involved in EMS. It means you'd be best to be in an environment where you have the option to get help moving around flesh and bones. That's a lot of the job and the part that wracks the body.

When you're in the field, sometimes it's you and only you who, by making that last little strain on yourself, can change the course of your patient's life. The question is, are you willing to give up the quality of your future to do that?
 
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Very good points. I'll get a lawyer to get the record clean.

I am aware of being a paramedic is going to be a physically demanding job. Can't see it being rougher than what I'm doing day in and out in the field but time will tell. Even if it is just as physical, the reward feeling you must get protecting life would outweigh any differences. Rather put wear and tear on these joints for the greater good. Instead of seeing a skyscraper go up that you can point out your work you did. The paramedic makes a difference if that injured person walks again. That makes it all worth it.

What's a daily average shift and week schedule like?
How many runs are made on a daily week day and weekend? In a average city of 100k residents?
 
Versaron said:
What's a daily average shift and week schedule like?
How many runs are made on a daily week day and weekend? In a average city of 100k residents?
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Way to many variables. Does the city recognize the need to be available for worst case or do they just base it on the average calls per day. Depending on how they do it will determine how many ambulances they staff. So equal size cities with exact number of calls could have way different averages per ambulance. The one prepared for worst case might average 6 per 24 hour shift while the the cheapskate city might have you doing 20+ calls per 24.

And that doesn't factor in if city is retirement city, a young city, a tourist trap, etc. So no way to really tell you. Some places work you 8,12, 24, 48 hours on. If on 24 probably off 48 or 72. If on 8 work 5 shifts a week. A 12 hour 4 shifts. As the new guy you get what ever shift is available.

Read this forum and others you will see tons of guys begging for help finding EMS work. We are saturated which makes finding a job hard and combined with those that do the job for free and the low education requirements you will find the pay if you get hired is extremely low, some fast food workers make better per hour.
 
My city is a retirement city with alot of baby boomers sticking around.
Besides helping saving people. What makes you keep going at work rather than heading over to micky d's making the same money w/ better hours and free mcnuggets????
 
Versaron said:
Even if it is just as physical, the reward feeling you must get protecting life would outweigh any differences. Rather put wear and tear on these joints for the greater good. Instead of seeing a skyscraper go up that you can point out your work you did. The paramedic makes a difference if that injured person walks again. That makes it all worth it.
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Just pointing out the Romantic in you. No judgment.
 
Versaron said:
My city is a retirement city with alot of baby boomers sticking around.
Besides helping saving people. What makes you keep going at work rather than heading over to micky d's making the same money w/ better hours and free mcnuggets????
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I work for one of the rare high paying 911 ambulance systems. Plus no fast food in my area. I have one of the few very high paying great benefit frontier medicine services, paid better than most big city union fire jobs. Most rural areas pay horrible or even worse are only volunteer.

I used to make more as a business owner, but decided to do something new. Financially a bad choice. I do enjoy the fact I make a difference in the less than 5% of callers that actually need an ambulance.
 
medic417 said:
I used to make more as a business owner, but decided to do something new. Financially a bad choice. I do enjoy the fact I make a difference in the less than 5% of callers that actually need an ambulance.
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And for the other 95% you are a glorified taxi driver running the most expensive service in town. At the very least you get someone where they need to go, and at best you save lives.
 
Versaron said:
Very good points. I'll get a lawyer to get the record clean.
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I am by no mean a lawyer but, I do not think you can just get a lawyer and expunge a DUI from your record. If you were convicted it will show up on your record. 10 years with the DMV in Ca. Even after 10 years, a fingerprint scan will still show the conviction. Now if you were only arrested and not convicted or it never went to trial then I think you can petition the court for a factual Innocence Finding in which case the arrest will be removed from all records. You do need a lawyer for this. Here is a link that might give some insight.

http://www.avvo.com/legal-guides/ugc/ten-steps-to-sanitize-your-california-arrest-record
 
Thanks for the info. I forget the whole expunge process on DUIs but I do know expunging it makes it not being held against you in getting job. If you get another DUI within 10 years it'll count as your second even if you had the 1st one expunged. My youthful shoplifting mistake can be expunged if no convictions within 5 years.
Will it make a difference where I get EMS-B? As in from a college, university, community college or online classes?
I've read how many hours the paramedic cert. Takes. How long will it take to get my first stage EMS cert?
Doing all this research now while I'm resting for my ligament reconstruction Open wrist surgery Friday. Wrist was too swollen to fix last week. Anybody know how the healing and pain will be for a pin and screws in scaphoid ligament? Figure I'd ask.
You guys have been real helpful. Thanks alot.
 
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