Reconsidering EMS

[AaronKM]

Perhaps I shouldn't be.

Back in 2013 I gave a run at EMS as an EMT in a small town. I did very well in the class, but class is class and the emergency scene is the emergency scene. Sometimes I did well, followed my training, and got the job done. Other times I froze up. One time I was asked to get a blood sugar level on an older gentleman very visibly on his last day alive. My hands were shaking so bad I couldn't do it. The calls that did not go well led my lead EMT to tell me point blank that I was below average and I wasn't going to make it. I listened to him and quit. Sometimes it was just hard to operate in an emergency situation. I don't know if that's because I was ultra-green or because I'm just not cut out for the work.

Now a few years later I'm trying to figure out my educational/occupational path. I worked as a construction painter for a few summers. If I went back I could make 16/hr out of the gate and top out around 25, more if I'm working for myself. I'm considering doing that as a full time gig. Painting is fun and rewarding in it's own right but a lot of it is busy work. Or I can continue my education, though I'm not sure which direction.

My grandmother, bless her heart, brought up EMS, and how excited about it I used to be. She asked if I enjoyed it. Yes, as insane as emergencies are, it certainly was rewarding. Best job I ever had bar none. She told me to think about trying it again.

So this is me thinking about it; appealing to the experts and throwing myself at the mercy of your feedback. I know that if I go back, I'm going to have to re-do school and spend about two to three times extra time searing each individual skill and piece of knowledge into my memory. I do have some experience, and I know what it takes to be successful, I just don't know if I have it. Don't get me wrong, there were some things I was good at and other things I wasn't. Perhaps I could stay in the medical field, but go for something less emergencyish.

Oh, and I have a DUI from 2014, so frankly, I don't even know if I'm insurable.

So what say you, internet? Cut my losses or try again?

 

[RocketMedic]

Dui? Give up your EMS dreams if any for another few years minimum.

 

[AaronKM]

Dui? Give up your EMS dreams if any for another few years minimum.

I figured. But what do you think about the rest of my post?

 

[AaronKM]

EMS is not so forgiving of criminal records. Sort of expected that. What I really want feedback on is the rest of what I said.

 

[Peak]

You were jittery when you were fresh out of class? That's on par with every EMT, Paramedic, and RN I've ever precepted in the field or ED. That is why you have a preceptor. Some people never become comfortable in their role and move on to something else, we don't know enough about you to know which is which.

Your DUI is going to prevent you from being insurable for several more years, and unless you have really grown since then I would be concerned about someone's critical thinking who chose to endanger other people's lives by driving impaired. Medicine is as much about knowing when not to do something as when to do something; the risks and benefits of our actions and making the correct decision.

As far as getting back into EMS you could work as an ED tech, this is of course dependent on your state allowing people with DUIs to have a state license and finding a hosptial that will hire you with a DUI. If you have changed as a person and have a couple of years of working as a tech you would probably be more hire-able in the field than someone fresh out of school, though the role in the ED for techs is very different than EMTs in the field. You could go back to school for something else, those programs may also reject you based on your record. I would make sure to verify that the state will allow you to have a license in any medical field with a DUI in X number of years before paying for that program, just because a school will allow you to take the class does not mean that the state will let you practice.

If money is a major consideration remember that nowhere in the medical field is as lucrative as it seems, and EMS is notoriously underpaid. Generally speaking any position that pays decently requires years of education or hard work, and often quite a bit of student debt. Money is not a reason to get into medicine.

Its up to you to decide if EMS is something that you want to pursue.

 

[DrParasite]

Oh, and I have a DUI from 2014, so frankly, I don't even know if I'm insurable.

a DUI 3+ years ago? looks really bad, but not necessarily a deal breaker. I would make some phone calls to local EMS agencies and ambulance transport companies and see if that would be an automatic rejection.

If you can't do emergencies, why not look at working part time for an IFT company? They deal mostly with non-emergencies and inter-facility runs.

 

[mgr22]

AaronKM, a DUI does not necessarily keep you out of EMS. It depends on the employer. So there's that.

As for the rest, I can't think of any reason you shouldn't try something you think you'd like to do. You're young, it's not terribly expensive to get the training you need, and if you fail, you can always try something else. As long as you can pay your bills and live up to whatever other responsibilities you have, why not give it a shot?

 

[n00bmedic]

Where you're located has a HUGE bearing on whether you'll be employable...

My current agency? A DUI will get one fired. Getting hired with a recent one (like within 5 years) is impossible. My last agency would hire someone who got a DUI the day before. However, you couldn't drive. That means writing reports every day in an urban environment (read: you'll be busy writing EVERY call).

So, if you want to do it, you can. You just have to look around.

 

[MMiz]

The user is taking a brief vacation from the community to reconsider EMS.

Thread closed.