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NotThereYet

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So I live in West Virginia U.S.A and I'm currently going to be going to college to become a paramedic hopefully till i'm old or something like that. I was mostly just wondering what all I should keep in mind with going through the school. Is it going to be hard, is being a paramedic worth everything you put into it? I would just like some people to give me some before knowledge before college and probably a life-time being a paramedic.
 
NotThereYet said:
So I live in West Virginia U.S.A and I'm currently going to be going to college to become a paramedic hopefully till i'm old or something like that. I was mostly just wondering what all I should keep in mind with going through the school. Is it going to be hard, is being a paramedic worth everything you put into it? I would just like some people to give me some before knowledge before college and probably a life-time being a paramedic.
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Speaking as someone who's "old or something like that," I did find medic school hard, mostly because of the practical rotations. I'd rather fly under the radar than be watched and/or micromanaged. Maybe you'll be more comfortable with that than I was.

As for advice, do more listening than talking. Try to impress with your actions, not your words. Be the guy willing to do stuff no one else wants to -- e.g., restock rigs, manage body fluids, etc. Show your instructors respect -- even the ones you don't like. Have a sense of humor about being the new guy. Don't be a jerk. Keep the big picture in mind: graduation. There'll be plenty of time to change the world after. Be nice. Be reliable. Be competent. You won't make all your patients better; just don't make them worse.

Yes, I think being a paramedic has been worth everything I put into it, but there were consequences. I can't say for sure whether the same time and effort would have been even more worthwhile elsewhere, but all things considered, I'm glad I did it.

Good luck.
 
NotThereYet said:
So I live in West Virginia U.S.A and I'm currently going to be going to college to become a paramedic hopefully till i'm old or something like that. I was mostly just wondering what all I should keep in mind with going through the school. Is it going to be hard, is being a paramedic worth everything you put into it? I would just like some people to give me some before knowledge before college and probably a life-time being a paramedic.
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If you make it to "old or something like that" as a paramedic you'll be in the minority. This industry burns out the majority of people withing 5 years. It's emotionally stressful, hard on family, and doesn't pay all that well. Not to mention the rate of mental illness and back injuries are very high.

If it's worth it, will be up to you and what you hope to get out of it. I love my job and I hope to also be an old or something paramedic.
 
NotThereYet said:
I'm currently going to be going to college to become a paramedic
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How long have you been an EMT and how has that gone for you? Are you running IFTs, or 911 calls on a mixed rig?

If you aren't an EMT yet, what kinds of patient contacts have you had? How do you know (or feel) that working as a medic will be good for you? IMO, it's important to have some experience with patient contacts to know that you want to move into an EMS career. You want to know that it's something that you have a passion for before you invest all of that time and money to get your certifications and start working...
 
Jim37F said:
I feel ya (well my back does...)
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I was splitting firewood all day last week, lets just say I took it easy the day after.
 
NPO said:
If you make it to "old or something like that" as a paramedic you'll be in the minority. This industry burns out the majority of people withing 5 years. It's emotionally stressful, hard on family, and doesn't pay all that well. Not to mention the rate of mental illness and back injuries are very high.

If it's worth it, will be up to you and what you hope to get out of it. I love my job and I hope to also be an old or something paramedic.
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I'm a person to not worry about too many back injuries or that. My goal in life currently is to bring myself to a community. Sure it may not be a good pay and bad things could happen. But I don't think that should change my aspect on how I see it. It's just a thing I would like to do in life.
 
NotThereYet said:
I'm a person to not worry about too many back injuries or that. My goal in life currently is to bring myself to a community. Sure it may not be a good pay and bad things could happen. But I don't think that should change my aspect on how I see it. It's just a thing I would like to do in life.
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I see you're 19. I realize that may seem too young to worry about back injuries, but you could hurt yourself at any age, at any time. Once that happens, you might have to live the rest of your life with disability.

Some "bad things" are avoidable. You can meet your goals about helping a community while being prudent about the risks you take to do so.
 
I have been in EMS for 24 years, and a paramedic for 16 years; and started doing it as a way to destress from working retail; as a volunteer.

During school like a couple of others have said: be quiet and work hard; stock the trucks inventory the trucks, clean the stations.

At ED clinicals, I would walk in a few minutes early and grab the cart to stock all of the rooms with medical supplies and do all 75 rooms. Then go grab the cart with the linens and do the same thing: Every shift, every time.. Then I would go and find the charge nurse and introduce myself. I had charge nurses overhead page me to critical care rooms for good things to do with patients; and tell the Critical Care room Doctors that I was going to do the tubes, and all the other things that medic students never get to do in the ED.
I ended up with 7 ET tubes in the ED, 1 chest tube, 2 internal heart massage (CPR directly squeezing the heart); and a whole bunch of cool stuff while the doc was asking why the nurse liked me so much.
 
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