Why? 99% of this job is customer service and being able to relate to someone and build a patient/provider relationship.
I've gotta agree with Looker on this one. Not all "health care" experience is equal, and I don't subscribe to the "any experience that falls under health care is better than nothing" byline (heck, how many threads have there been where people claim that EMS experience is the best thing since sliced bread for med school applications because it's "medical?"). If you're concerned about customer service, then just about any job dealing with customers works. I worked part time/summers a number of years at a movie theater (mostly box office), and I did more customer service there in a 2 week pay period (resolving issues, dealing with customers, etc) than my entire time working on an ambulance.
Similarly, the patient/provider relationship is essentially non-existent in EMS. You're juggling one patient, who often doesn't have a choice in even what company is sent, for, in most places, 10-15 minutes at most. If the patient/provider relation is defined as "able to ask, often invasive, questions professionally and can make small talk" then sure. It's definitely not, however, comparable to a patient and their primary care provider.
Sure you don't do the assessments and the interventions but you can learn a lot about disease processes and how to talk to people. Also, who's to say that you can't assess the person your transporting?
Quick, take a blood pressure or take breath sounds on the patient in the wheelchair behind you, or even play 20 questions about the patient's current state (i.e. OPQRST, history, allergies, meds, etc) while driving.
To the OP, take it, leave it, it's a job. I wouldn't go around touting it as an amazing medical job though (albeit I may just be getting grouchy and mildly elitist, but I find the tech school
medical assistant commercials to be hilarious). If anything, I wouldn't play up the medical aspect, but the driving (knowing where major nursing homes, dialysis clinics, and hospitals are, as well as most wheelchair vans are somewhat similar to van style ambulance) and staff interactions.
