Suggestions from any other lady EMT's?

[heatherskittle]

Alright, This might be long, but I could use some suggestions.

so I got my EMT-I license about 7 months ago. The city I lived in at the time only had 2 services: one hospital based, Where I did not meet an age requirement (their insurance requires 21 and older since so many people wrecked their trucks,-please, no age comments-) and the other is a fire/ems station, where they require you to be both firefighter and EMT.That is where my husband works. I tried there, but could not pass the physical agility (actually, I was taken to the hospital by ambulance for an asthma attack. ironic, eh? )

So we just moved to a city I used to live in, in a different state. The only other thing I need to get to work here is intubation, which I could easily get.
But... I am now 11 weeks pregnant. We are very excited, but I've been itching to get into EMS like crazy (I'm very, very passionate about it.) so, now, I don't know if I should apply and try and get a job to work the days my husband does, or if I shouldnt since I'm pregnant. I've also heard that I could lose my license if I dont work a certain amount of time within the first year of having it. I'm not sure if this is true.

Basically, of course I'm worried about the health of my baby, and i'm in a pickle with the fear of losing my license. :unsure:

Any suggestions? comments?

 

[Ridryder911]

It's a mixed bag out there being pregnant. Not that you could not perform the job up to a point, but really how much exposure do you want to play your child to? I would suggest maybe an ER position, albeit you will be exposed at least there is some protection there. Unlike the field, you never will know what you will be exposed to. Nothing like having your unborn child exposed to measles, Hepatitis C and Meningitis.

Good luck!

R/r911

 

[heatherskittle]

yeahh, I've tried that. The ER's here aren't so fond of hiring EMT's for some reason. *sigh.* oh what a headache!

 

[KEVD18]

i cant speak to carolinas law regarding having to work x time a year. your best bet is to call the states oems and ask them directly. get your information directly from the horses mouth.

as for being pregnant, i was born sans uterus so i can only offer you my opinion as a theoretical partner. if you hang around here for any period of time, you see this answer from me frequently.

i dont care if you're a man or woman; pregnant or not; old or young; white, black, orange or rainbow colored. if you show up for work and do your share, you're welcome on my truck.

the decision as to whether or not to expose your fetus to the various possible complications you would be exposed to in the field is all yours. but go back to what i said earlier. when you start having your morning sickness and need to puke every ten minutes for the first half of the shift, i would be annoyed. when your belly starts to affect your ability to lift properly, i would be annoyed. when you start to worry about heavy lifting and its effect on the fetus etc and try to avoid it, yeah thats a no go. the bottom line is that i expect an equal amount of work out of my partner, regardless of demographic variables and thats not just my view point, but that of just about everybody ive ever worked with. if you feel that you can meet those expectations then rock on.

 

[heatherskittle]

Thanks you guys. I suppose I'm just gonna skip EMS for the next few months. Thanks for the responses! Take care.

 

[NRCCEMTP26]

If you are in the Upstate SC you can go to GMH as a Nurse Special tech. It requires a EMT-B atleast, and you can work there and keep your EMTI through DHEC. If you can, reply personally and I can see what I can Help you with in SC

 

[bonedog]

Here in Canada it is against your Charter of Rights and Freedoms to be discriminated against because of sex,age, religion,race or medical condition (pregnant)

 

[KEVD18]

Here in Canada it is against your Charter of Rights and Freedoms to be discriminated against because of sex,age, religion,race or medical condition (pregnant)

i dont think anybodies talking about discriminating against those who are pregnant. but an ems crew is an equal partnership. neither half should be expected or required to do any more than their share because the other half is incapable. that goes for people with disabilities, pregnancy, going to work after an injury becuase you can afford to lose the money. my partner not being able to lift the stair chair properly puts me at an increased risk for injury and thats not fair, is it?

 

[AMPEMT85]

why not try and see if you can help teach future EMT's? I do that so I get CE's so I can keep my license and don't ever have to take the NR again! It depends on the state/county you're in, but where I live they let me proctor to get CE's. There are online tests you can take too that will give you CE's, and you can take them from home in your PJs!

I'm with you on the ER not hiring EMT's...I'd love to work more often, but the local ER's up here barely ever hire EMT's and when they do, it's not me! :sad:

I'm currently trying to get on with the volunteer fire academy, I hopefully won't have the same issue you did...I'd never hear the end of it since it's a small county and every firefighter knows you or someone you know...h34r:

Congrats on the pregnancy! How exciting! Will you let your husband deliver it? You could walk him through it!

 

[Sasha]

why not try and see if you can help teach future EMT's? I do that so I get CE's so I can keep my license and don't ever have to take the NR again! It depends on the state/county you're in, but where I live they let me proctor to get CE's. There are online tests you can take too that will give you CE's, and you can take them from home in your PJs!

I'm with you on the ER not hiring EMT's...I'd love to work more often, but the local ER's up here barely ever hire EMT's and when they do, it's not me! :sad:

Im not sure an unexperienced EMT is the best person to teach new EMTs, you usually want someone with more experience.

They cant NOT hire you because you are pregnant, but you wont be able to work ( at least on all the local companies down here. ) while pregnant as an EMT. Maybe a dispatcher or some other light duty job. Its too much of a liability.

As for having children and being an EMT, you arent exposing them to anything, really, plenty of woman have young kids at home and work full time in EMS.

Down here hospitals and clinics love to hire EMTs and Medics as techs. Cheaper then a CNA and just as much (if not more) training.

 

[mycrofft]

Signs of the times, EMT's pushed to the street. (And that's MR. mycrofft...)

As the economy worsens more retired or inactive nurses, with varying strings of certifications following their name, "RN", and college degree, come out to work. During these periods employers stock up on RN's ("warehousing" is one term), so you are facing stiff competition in hospital settings.

Actually, teaching even with limited experience is an option since you are expected to present and follow a set curriculum and "party line", and injecting personal experience will actually get you in hot water. The skills needed are teaching skills, being able to follow a lesson plan, being there prepared and early every time, and following company policy. The American Red Cross offers a one day class called "F.I.T." which teaches about how to give adult classes (with the ARC spin) for less than $50 here, it can give you insight on the teaching deal...but don't expect ARC to hire you.

Meet your area's basic requirements to keep your license and work with patients as much as you can in any capacity to learn about them and maybe get a leg-up on further jobs. If your MD gives you documentation that you have a temporary inability to pursue employment in the field (e.g., backstrain from pregnancy, early eclampsia, etc.) you might be protected from losing anything as long you meet some sort of standard for refreshing your knowledge, and can reasonably be expected to resume the job's duties at some point; talk to the "powers that be" about it. Assume and take nothing for granted.

 

[EMTWintz]

I got into EMS back in 2000. Half way thru my ER and ride time I found out I was preggers, did it hold me back.....NO. There were a few things that my chief suggested I not do ie: lift to much weight, but I did all the things I needed to do. Just cause your preggers doesnt mean you need to be OVERLY careful. You would use universal precautions whether you were with child or not. Now granted you may want to take it easy once you get as big as a house. Pregnancy is not a disability. I did my thing up until birth. Both of my kids came out just fine and healthy as a horse. But thats just my 2cents

 

[MedicAngel]

Im not sure an unexperienced EMT is the best person to teach new EMTs, you usually want someone with more experience.

They cant NOT hire you because you are pregnant, but you wont be able to work ( at least on all the local companies down here. ) while pregnant as an EMT. Maybe a dispatcher or some other light duty job. Its too much of a liability.

As for having children and being an EMT, you arent exposing them to anything, really, plenty of woman have young kids at home and work full time in EMS.

Down here hospitals and clinics love to hire EMTs and Medics as techs. Cheaper then a CNA and just as much (if not more) training.

I have to agree that some of the CNA's I work with, and I have been a CNA for 20 years now, are not being trained as well as I was way back when. I have been certified in TX, AZ, CA and VA. I am now a Clinical Tech on a med/surg telemetry floor and have to say, my EMT skills have helped a few people more than once that I caught symptoms that a CNA should of caught but didn't. And I do get paid well for what I know.

 

[BossyCow]

If this is a first pregnancy you have just encountered the first instance in a long list of many where the baby will want to come first. More to follow may include:

• spiking a temp and puking violently on the sidewalk of the daycare after apparent good health all morning long.
• signing you up for a chaperone gig on a bus of 6 year olds at 8am after a killer shift.
• leaving the 'can't live without it' toy in the front yard on the day you are running late.
• keeping you up all night long with nightmares on the night between two shifts when sleep is truly something you would kill for
• forgetting lunch money, science project, permission slip, coat, at home and calling you at work... "Mom.. I neeeeeeed it"
• Pregnancy complications requiring bed rest.

You get to decide what is more important on a case by case basis for the next 18+ years. But I'll tell you from the perspective of a mom who has sucessfully gotten her kids out of the house and independent.... that time is so fleeting. We have precious little time to make a difference in the lives of our kids. I put off a lot of things while my kids were young.. and I don't regret a moment of it.

 

[Emtgirl21]

I've worked in EMS for three yrs now. I've been a paramedic oh about 2 months. My husband and I are considering getting preggers next year and I plan on staying on the ambulance until the day I hatch. I mean there are plenty fat medics out there that do their job "okay" surely I can do it while Jr. is cookin in the oven. My one concern is some Psych pt kicking me in the tummy.

 

[jochi1543]

I've worked in EMS for three yrs now. I've been a paramedic oh about 2 months. My husband and I are considering getting preggers next year and I plan on staying on the ambulance until the day I hatch. I mean there are plenty fat medics out there that do their job "okay" surely I can do it while Jr. is cookin in the oven. My one concern is some Psych pt kicking me in the tummy.

That wouldn't be the issue for me personally, I'd just be more concerned about infections and such. However, I shadowed a medical examiner once and his forensic pathology fellow was visibly pregnant. That said, I don't know if she did everything or if she stayed away from doing infectious death autopsies.

 

[Sasha]

I've worked in EMS for three yrs now. I've been a paramedic oh about 2 months. My husband and I are considering getting preggers next year and I plan on staying on the ambulance until the day I hatch. I mean there are plenty fat medics out there that do their job "okay" surely I can do it while Jr. is cookin in the oven. My one concern is some Psych pt kicking me in the tummy.

You may want to check with your company first, none around here let you stay on a bus after you tell them you are pregnant. It is a HUGE liability. You arent supposed to lift while pregnant, and that is a huge part of EMS jobs. You arent supposed to be kicked, hit, or any blunt force to the stomach. Huge possiblity in EMS. A psych patient, someone pushes the stretcher too hard.

And that fat medics doing their job okay comment? Yeah, kinda crappy.

 

[KEVD18]

as a rotund emt, im mildly offended by the previous comment, but i'll overlook that and just focus on the medicine.

the padding around my midsection is from years of bad diet and high carb beer. being kicked, punched, having the stretcher rammed into it etc etc might be uncomfortable but it wont kill or even hurt me. you're proposing working right up until you deliver with a fetus on board. comparing the two is asinine.

continuing to work for a period of time determined by condition is one thing but i just cant see how you inted to do a triple decker carry down with a third trimester baby. and as i've said before, i wouldnt do any of your work on top of mine. thats not fair to me. i think you'll be rethinking that position oh....right about 20 weeks ish.

also, preggers? i guess we're not a collection of medical professionals after all.....

 

[BossyCow]

LOL Kev.. and those beer carbs aren't kicking, moving, doing somersaults, or standing on your bladder.

 

[KEVD18]

LOL Kev.. and those beer carbs aren't kicking, moving, doing somersaults, or standing on your bladder.

no ma'am. they're as docile as a lamb.