The Official EMTLIFE Introduction Thread

[Aussie_Medic_Girl]

Brown...We only have ACPs on our station...the nearest ICP is 70km away so no chance of him for back up! We did have 4 students last year (me being one)...but now we're all grown up....so there's none left to torment...oops I mean teach! Townsville...yes I can imagine there would be a lot of work with the natives up there! Indigenous population out here is fairly low. We're predominantly a mining town with exhorbitant prices for housing (work pays 65% of our rent). Second to mining we're also a fairly large agricultural area with the potential for long transport times...just last week I drove 180km code one (lights and sirens).

 

[MrBrown]

Brown...We only have ACPs on our station...the nearest ICP is 70km away so no chance of him for back up! We did have 4 students last year (me being one)...but now we're all grown up....so there's none left to torment...oops I mean teach! Townsville...yes I can imagine there would be a lot of work with the natives up there! Indigenous population out here is fairly low. We're predominantly a mining town with exhorbitant prices for housing (work pays 65% of our rent). Second to mining we're also a fairly large agricultural area with the potential for long transport times...just last week I drove 180km code one (lights and sirens).

Does the QAS pay your rent because you considered a rural or remote station i.e. hard to attract people?

Could be worse, go to Longreach or Mt Isa

Do you work much with the RFDS or CareFlight?

 

[Aussie_Medic_Girl]

65% because we're considered a "rural" location...they categorise stations based on locality from 1 to 7. Cat 1 is like Brisbane, Townsville, etc. Cat 5 is places like Mt Isa, Emerald and is the first category that gets rent assistance. Cat 7 is places like Thursday Island, Weipa, etc who get 100% rent paid plus other extras. We work very closely with RFDS and regularly transfer pt's with them. We do have a rescue chopper at Rockhampton and get it out here on occasion for IFTs-usually when RFDS are too busy. We rarely get the chopper on scene at job's out here...I can recall one incident in the last year where we have managed to get them. The property I went to the other day actually had it's own airstrip and i've been told quite a lot of properties do and therefore if serious enough you may have the chance to get RFDS to land at the property.

 

[MrBrown]

65% because we're considered a "rural" location...they categorise stations based on locality from 1 to 7. Cat 1 is like Brisbane, Townsville, etc. Cat 5 is places like Mt Isa, Emerald and is the first category that gets rent assistance. Cat 7 is places like Thursday Island, Weipa, etc who get 100% rent paid plus other extras. We work very closely with RFDS and regularly transfer pt's with them. We do have a rescue chopper at Rockhampton and get it out here on occasion for IFTs-usually when RFDS are too busy. We rarely get the chopper on scene at job's out here...I can recall one incident in the last year where we have managed to get them. The property I went to the other day actually had it's own airstrip and i've been told quite a lot of properties do and therefore if serious enough you may have the chance to get RFDS to land at the property.

Gosh and here Brown is thinking places here that have an hour one way transport time are bad

Do you get a lot of trauma from high speed RTAs (MVC) an people stuck under tractors or chainsaw accidents and stuff? Brown grew up in the country and the helicopter was a fairly regular sound of the HEMS Paramedics coming to get somebody because its faster than a road response for advanced backup.

Are you able to progress to ICP at a rural station or not? Brown thinks ASNSW only allows certain stations with a defined volume to have ICPs because of fear of skill burnout and knowledge attrition.

Browns interest is in aeromedical retrieval/HEMS and has been told Australia offers some good opportunities so who knows, if you see a funny character in a Cat in the Hat hat come out of the helicopter its probably Brown!

 

[Aussie_Medic_Girl]

Brown, the majority of our RTCs out here are high speed, often due to driver fatigue, and are often rollovers. I've personally never had anyone seriously injured out of the RTCs i've been to. To give you an idea, i've attended 7 RTCs in the last year, 5 of which were rollovers. Farm accidents aren't unusual out here. Often they involve quad bike accidents, people who've had run ins with bulls, come off horses, etc. I've heard of some serious accidents out here before my time too which involved people stuck in machinery, etc.

I could study to sit my ICP exam out here but once being accepted as an ICP student would have to move to Bris, Townsville, Rockhampton, Sunshine Coast, Cairns, etc, to complete my 12 months training. After becoming an ICP, however, there's nothing stopping me from returning to rural work.

There's quite a lot of opportunities for aeromedical work over here, although most are at ICP level. Come on over! Although there's no sheep out my way...

 

[_TraumaQueen_]

Hola from South Texas

Hello all,
I guess this is the place to introduce myself.
I'm 18 and I live in S. Texas in a town right underneath San Antonio.

I've been lurking in the forums for a few months now trying to learn as much about this job as possible and have decided to join in (after accidently creating 2 other profiles somehow, sorry about that I thought I deleted them ^_^)

I'm not a student (yet) as my circumstances don't allow it, but I'm planning to start my journey in this line of work within a year or two and maybe even continuing my education to become a Paramedic.

I've always enjoyed helping people and am interested in the medical field so I hope it works out.

Once concern I have is that I'm a shy person and in EMS you need to have more confidence so I will try to improve on this and be more outgoing and maybe I'll be able to handle this type of work.

In the meantime I will continue lurking to see what new things people have posted and let y'all know when/if I've enrolled into any classes.

 

[bigbaldguy]

Hello all,
I guess this is the place to introduce myself.
I'm 18 and I live in S. Texas in a town right underneath San Antonio.

I've been lurking in the forums for a few months now trying to learn as much about this job as possible and have decided to join in (after accidently creating 2 other profiles somehow, sorry about that I thought I deleted them ^_^)

I'm not a student (yet) as my circumstances don't allow it, but I'm planning to start my journey in this line of work within a year or two and maybe even continuing my education to become a Paramedic.

I've always enjoyed helping people and am interested in the medical field so I hope it works out.

Once concern I have is that I'm a shy person and in EMS you need to have more confidence so I will try to improve on this and be more outgoing and maybe I'll be able to handle this type of work.

In the meantime I will continue lurking to see what new things people have posted and let y'all know when/if I've enrolled into any classes.

Hi Trauma Queen welcome to the forum

 

[Asimurk]

Welcome as well, Trauma Queen. And here I that was Angel's domain.

 

[Anjel]

Lol welcome Trauma Queen.

Guess I was dethroned.

I'm just the forum angel now.

 

[IvanD]

Hey all!

I'm Ivan, currently a freshman in college. Actually an international student from Hong Kong. Have been interested in emergency medicine in general for quite sometime now, would have tried to become certified as an EMT earlier but Hong Kong didn't have this program. This is my first year in the States.

Will look to attend a basic class next fall term here.

Also, just a side question. Are there usually any international/non-resident medics in the industry? Will being a non-resident (alien) be a disadvantage in pursing a career in this field?

 

[AmandaBL]

Hello

I'm Amanda, 33, in central FL. I will be starting school in a few weeks after 11 years in the beauty industry, mainly in education. I don't want to relocate & I'm not going to become fluent in Spanish, so I have maxed out my career in this field and it is time for a change. Apparently a big one. My only medical experience relates to my 3 boys, a major car accident I was in (not my fault) & what I've seen on TV, so, I'm all set, right?
:unsure:

 

[jmc519]

My name is Jen, and I'm from a po-dunk town in Northern Michigan. I attended my class from October til this past March, passed my National Registry and am currently waiting on my license paperwork from the state (although it's already on their website) for EMT-B. I've been on a local fire department for the past couple years, and just recently made the Haz-Mat team... need to get a binder for all the certificates.

Glad to have a forum like this to talk with others in the profession, and maybe not feel like my life is quite so crazy.

 

[HotelCo]

My name is Jen, and I'm from a po-dunk town in Northern Michigan. I attended my class from October til this past March, passed my National Registry and am currently waiting on my license paperwork from the state (although it's already on their website) for EMT-B. I've been on a local fire department for the past couple years, and just recently made the Haz-Mat team... need to get a binder for all the certificates.

Glad to have a forum like this to talk with others in the profession, and maybe not feel like my life is quite so crazy.

Looks like we Michiganders are starting to pile up on this board. Welcome.

 

[kiwizoid]

Hi all,

Hope you are all well.

I am Ken, NREMT B, brand new, never worked, just passed all the state and nationals. I am also a NHA Phlebotomist, and never worked in that either. I can not find a job doing any of it. Took all these classes and to so far no avail. Now they tell me that I should go into medic school, I would like to get some experiece. I am 48 y/o male , BS in management, CDL A with Hasmat , what else, oh and I am single and never been married, come and get it, LOL. Lets get some work ya'll, dang!!!!!!!!!

 

[Anjel]

My name is Jen, and I'm from a po-dunk town in Northern Michigan. I attended my class from October til this past March, passed my National Registry and am currently waiting on my license paperwork from the state (although it's already on their website) for EMT-B. I've been on a local fire department for the past couple years, and just recently made the Haz-Mat team... need to get a binder for all the certificates.

Glad to have a forum like this to talk with others in the profession, and maybe not feel like my life is quite so crazy.

Yayyy Mitten love

 

[jmc519]

Definitely kickin it up here toward the tip of the mitten. Only regret? Snow in mid-April.

 

[nwhitney]

Hi, I'm Nathan from Portland, OR and I am currently in Basic school right now. I decided to change careers when I was laid off as a brewer and I work in mechanical engineering right now. I'm looking to go to paramedic school after I get some experience as a basic.

 

[ilemtbwantn2bTXEMT-P]

Hey everybody I'm Kevin from the south suburbs of Chicago,IL. I am a NREMT-B and IL and TX EMT-B. I am relocating for 2 EMS Jobs in South Central Texas in few days. I have been on the street in Chicago and the Suburbs for around 8 months and an EMT for about 9 months. I am working towards eventually becoming a Firefighter, working in Special Operations/USAR, and am also in a Paramedic Transition Course eventually I want to be a Flight Rescue Paramedic. Any advice on how to get the Special Operations/USAR Training knocked out is grealty appreciated as I know no matter where I go it'll be at least 10 years before I'm even eligible for Flight Medic School.

 

[Anjel]

Hey everybody I'm Kevin from the south suburbs of Chicago,IL. I am a NREMT-B and IL and TX EMT-B. I am relocating for 2 EMS Jobs in South Central Texas in few days. I have been on the street in Chicago and the Suburbs for around 8 months and an EMT for about 9 months. I am working towards eventually becoming a Firefighter, working in Special Operations/USAR, and am also in a Paramedic Transition Course eventually I want to be a Flight Rescue Paramedic. Any advice on how to get the Special Operations/USAR Training knocked out is grealty appreciated as I know no matter where I go it'll be at least 10 years before I'm even eligible for Flight Medic School.

1st Welcome to EMTlfe. And 2nd Holy crap you have the longest username I have ever seen lol

 

[MotoMan]

My name is Jason. I moved from Michigan to California a few years ago. I am a former Marine who just passed the NREMT B yesterday, and looking for work. I am planning on going to Medic school as soon as I get my required hours. I have been a long time lurker of the forum, and decided I should finally join and jump into the fun.