Thinking about being a Paramedic

[mgr22]

I do sometimes wonder if the years of school are worth it given I am already old as dirt.

I see you're 39. Most dirt's older than that.

I was your age when I started in EMS. School was worth it. So was 30 years in the field.

 

[Akulahawk]

I spent five years at a Level 1 trauma center in a management position. My boss and my boss's boss, who ran not just EMS but the ED, were also medics. Each of us had BS degrees, none of which were EMS-specific.

And that's the key thing about what I was getting at. As a Paramedic, you top-out really quickly in terms of what you can do with your cert/license. Even if you add-in additional education in your own field, you're not going to expand your career horizons much. In Nursing, you do have that as a possibility... do more education and you can easily change to a different area of practice. However, eventually even nurses will hit that same wall. Your post basically states you went into management. I suspect that also meant you had to step away from (mostly) doing patient care. I'm not saying you didn't have a personally rewarding time, just that you chose to further your education which allowed you to move into a management position. I doubt you could have done that as easily had you stuck with being "just" in EMS and not obtaining a BS degree that wasn't EMS-specific.

Looking down the road at my own career, I may end up pursuing teaching either Paramedics or Nurses... but that requires that I obtain the requisite credentials to do so, potentially a Masters degree as that's often required for some positions. My Bachelors is in a healthcare field but it's not in Nursing and that could be an issue should I start toward a MS degree in a Nursing area. I might be basically forced to earn a BSN to go down the MSN path. My Bachelors, my RN license, and my Paramedic license might get me in the door for teaching Paramedicine though. I just don't yet feel ready to pursue yet another career path in teaching.

However, that's not a career path that I would be able to take with "just" my licenses as an RN or as a Paramedic.

 

[FiremanMike]

And that's the key thing about what I was getting at. As a Paramedic, you top-out really quickly in terms of what you can do with your cert/license. Even if you add-in additional education in your own field, you're not going to expand your career horizons much. In Nursing, you do have that as a possibility... do more education and you can easily change to a different area of practice. However, eventually even nurses will hit that same wall. Your post basically states you went into management. I suspect that also meant you had to step away from (mostly) doing patient care. I'm not saying you didn't have a personally rewarding time, just that you chose to further your education which allowed you to move into a management position. I doubt you could have done that as easily had you stuck with being "just" in EMS and not obtaining a BS degree that wasn't EMS-specific.

Looking down the road at my own career, I may end up pursuing teaching either Paramedics or Nurses... but that requires that I obtain the requisite credentials to do so, potentially a Masters degree as that's often required for some positions. My Bachelors is in a healthcare field but it's not in Nursing and that could be an issue should I start toward a MS degree in a Nursing area. I might be basically forced to earn a BSN to go down the MSN path. My Bachelors, my RN license, and my Paramedic license might get me in the door for teaching Paramedicine though. I just don't yet feel ready to pursue yet another career path in teaching.

However, that's not a career path that I would be able to take with "just" my licenses as an RN or as a Paramedic.

The direct entry MSN programs that I’m aware of will take your bachelors from another field and accept you into the program, but you’ll be earning a BSN as a part of the program.

Nursing education machine baby.. The fact that I MUST take these 6 week classes on how to write papers for a year before I can start learning to be a nurse practitioner is ridiculous. I just imagine those crotchety old nurses in the board room making all these decisions that us minions must follow in order to reach our goals and it disgusts me.

 

[mgr22]

Your post basically states you went into management. I suspect that also meant you had to step away from (mostly) doing patient care. I'm not saying you didn't have a personally rewarding time, just that you chose to further your education which allowed you to move into a management position. I doubt you could have done that as easily had you stuck with being "just" in EMS and not obtaining a BS degree that wasn't EMS-specific.

No, that wasn't my situation, but you made some good points about EMS degrees versus others.

I started in a field unrelated to EMS and sort of went backwards -- i.e., after being in corporate management for many years, I became a street medic, then ended up in management again. I'm pretty sure there are other non-medical professionals who would be open to EMS with the right encouragement.

My main point was that career decisions have many variables, are sometimes unconventional, and can be changed.

 

[Akulahawk]

My main point was that career decisions have many variables, are sometimes unconventional, and can be changed.

Absolutely true, generally speaking!

 

[VentMonkey]

@mgr22 @Akulahawk kind of wondering what exactly you all are eluding to with regards to a BS-EMS degree only?

Truthfully had my program not honored so much of my previous experience, education, and mostly my NREMT, I doubt I would have gone back to school.

I’d like to think most people with work/ life experience such as myself would be capable of career transitions in spite of their major, owning the ability to communicate such with any interview panel. Perhaps I am missing something though.

 

[mgr22]

@mgr22 @Akulahawk kind of wondering what exactly you all are eluding to with regards to a BS-EMS degree only?

Truthfully had my program not honored so much of my previous experience, education, and mostly my NREMT, I doubt I would have gone back to school.

I’d like to think most people with work/ life experience such as myself would be capable of career transitions in spite of their major, owning the ability to communicate such with any interview panel. Perhaps I am missing something though.

No disagreement here.

 

[VentMonkey]

@Romans116 if you do return to this thread, know that a lot of the people on this forum and, specifically, in this thread are the outliers of the EMS community.

Much of the journey will be what you put into it regardless of your peers. Again, the most successful people in this field (and prob in life in general) spend less time stagnating. Growth and opportunity can be synonymous depending on how you look at it. Stay driven, GL.

 

[MManley]

Truthfully I feel that God has called me to a career in emergency medicine. I know this sounds odd to some but I feel like it is the only field I need to be in.
I have spent most of my academic life surrounded people whose only goal is to get to med school to prove something or to do what everyone says they should and I’m not attracted to that any more.
I don’t feel that you can be “too smart” for a career, that’s just what others have told me and I wanted the input of people who know what they are talking about.
I hope that from a bachelors degree I can have some other skills I can use in order to provide a more substantial amount of money if I need it.
Thank you so much for your input!

I went from working construction, making $11.90/hr, straight out of high school for a year before I became an EMT, making 5.15/hr, at 19. The thing with construction is you chase a job and I didn't want that and got tired of being laid off after the job end until another came up. I was laid and looking through the newspaper for a job (1997) and saw an ad that said EMT class. I had the money to burn for the class, so I said what the hell. Took the class and found out I absolutely loved the job. Here it is 26 years later and I'm still doing it. I'm sure everyone here will agree, but, you don't choose this career, it chooses you. Some people are born into it, some fall into , and some just feel drawn to it for some reason. You feeling you're called to it by God isn't odd. Everyone has their reasons and that's your's. I have supposed a family of 5 on what I make alone over the years. I have no college education but this career has allowed to me to teach at one. I'm a supervisor now and get to first respond to and assist crews on calls. I've had medics that I trained to go on to be RNs, PAs, and MDs. So basically with all that said, once it sinks it's teeth into you, you're hooked for one reason or another. I didn't catch your age or your location (might have missed it). EMS isn't the same everywhere. Yes you have national standards, but your protocols depend on your medical director. Urban and rural areas in EMS are different as well. I hope if you do decide to choose this career, you enjoy it as much as I have so far.

 

[VentMonkey]

I went from working construction, making $11.90/hr, straight out of high school for a year before I became an EMT, making 5.15/hr, at 19. The thing with construction is you chase a job and I didn't want that and got tired of being laid off after the job end until another came up. I was laid and looking through the newspaper for a job (1997) and saw an ad that said EMT class. I had the money to burn for the class, so I said what the hell. Took the class and found out I absolutely loved the job. Here it is 26 years later and I'm still doing it. I'm sure everyone here will agree, but, you don't choose this career, it chooses you. Some people are born into it, some fall into , and some just feel drawn to it for some reason. You feeling you're called to it by God isn't odd. Everyone has their reasons and that's your's. I have supposed a family of 5 on what I make alone over the years. I have no college education but this career has allowed to me to teach at one. I'm a supervisor now and get to first respond to and assist crews on calls. I've had medics that I trained to go on to be RNs, PAs, and MDs. So basically with all that said, once it sinks it's teeth into you, you're hooked for one reason or another. I didn't catch your age or your location (might have missed it). EMS isn't the same everywhere. Yes you have national standards, but your protocols depend on your medical director. Urban and rural areas in EMS are different as well. I hope if you do decide to choose this career, you enjoy it as much as I have so far.

It’s awesome that you’re still this enthusiastic after all of these years, it is. I don’t know that I agree with all of your cliches about a calling or being born to do this.

I am of the belief that the only way for me to progress is in fact through quality education. In turn, this will promote this job for much more than what’s its choked itself out to be:

A one-dimensional stop gap for a slew of “emergencies” which most of us were not properly trained, or equipped to deal with.

EMS education is absolutely necessary for many of the reasons you’ve displayed in your post. Otherwise we remain on the fringes of public health and healthcare. That needs to die already.

 

[Akulahawk]

@MManley I am also also very much of the opinion that education (and furthering it) is what is going to be needed to successfully turn EMS from what's basically a job into a profession. While I don't necessarily agree that most of "us" are born, called, or fall into this job, I know people that truly feel that way for themselves and that's awesome for them! Some of "us" and possibly a non-small percentage of "us" do the job because it's a paycheck.

I'm not saying that EMS should be taken over by nursing... rather that EMS should study HOW nursing became the powerhouse it has. One cornerstone of that is increasing educational standards along the way. Yes, I know of more than a few nurses that do nursing because it's a paycheck. In order for them to earn that paycheck, they still have to meet at least the minimum educational standards just to get into nursing school. EMS needs to do the same. In the same manner as Nursing has done, EMT should require minimal education to start. Advanced EMT / EMT-Intermediate should require a bit more just to get into a program, much like the Vocational Nurses do now. Paramedic should require significant education just to get in the door of school.

The second thing that must be done is to make EMS much more viable as a paycheck. People get into EMS because it's fun. Then they realize they need that paycheck so they start looking toward a career in a Fire Department because that's where the money is unless you've been in EMS forever and you're making a decent wage because you've been at it for a very long time. Or people look at switching career fields or become ED Techs or whatever because that's where the money is and it's better than most EMS jobs.

Within the past year, I returned to the field as a transport nurse. I really do enjoy what I do. I make less than I do at the hospital and transport is more a side-gig, but it's fun and challenging. It's also a nice way to validate that I'm still basically as speedy at getting stuff done as I used to be and still have a prehospital mindset. Was I called to do nursing? No. For me, it's a paycheck. I don't need the money to be in EMS. Was I called to do EMS? No. I just found it fun and liked the job. Then I needed a good paycheck... What's probably more my "calling" than anything? Sports Med. Excellent Education, mostly far more in-depth than anything EMS provides, and terrible wages generally.

 

[VentMonkey]

@MManley I am also also very much of the opinion that education (and furthering it) is what is going to be needed to successfully turn EMS from what's basically a job into a profession. While I don't necessarily agree that most of "us" are born, called, or fall into this job, I know people that truly feel that way for themselves and that's awesome for them! Some of "us" and possibly a non-small percentage of "us" do the job because it's a paycheck.

I'm not saying that EMS should be taken over by nursing... rather that EMS should study HOW nursing became the powerhouse it has. One cornerstone of that is increasing educational standards along the way. Yes, I know of more than a few nurses that do nursing because it's a paycheck. In order for them to earn that paycheck, they still have to meet at least the minimum educational standards just to get into nursing school. EMS needs to do the same. In the same manner as Nursing has done, EMT should require minimal education to start. Advanced EMT / EMT-Intermediate should require a bit more just to get into a program, much like the Vocational Nurses do now. Paramedic should require significant education just to get in the door of school.

The second thing that must be done is to make EMS much more viable as a paycheck. People get into EMS because it's fun. Then they realize they need that paycheck so they start looking toward a career in a Fire Department because that's where the money is unless you've been in EMS forever and you're making a decent wage because you've been at it for a very long time. Or people look at switching career fields or become ED Techs or whatever because that's where the money is and it's better than most EMS jobs.

Within the past year, I returned to the field as a transport nurse. I really do enjoy what I do. I make less than I do at the hospital and transport is more a side-gig, but it's fun and challenging. It's also a nice way to validate that I'm still basically as speedy at getting stuff done as I used to be and still have a prehospital mindset. Was I called to do nursing? No. For me, it's a paycheck. I don't need the money to be in EMS. Was I called to do EMS? No. I just found it fun and liked the job. Then I needed a good paycheck... What's probably more my "calling" than anything? Sports Med. Excellent Education, mostly far more in-depth than anything EMS provides, and terrible wages generally.

I’ve come to grips with the fact that the level of reformation required to restructure the paramedic education, and educational requirements is not something that the masses at least in The States may ever care to reevaluate.

Personally I wish EMT was part of the AEMT curriculum, and EMT would be abolished at least in the prehospital setting.

To me, at this point, it is just assanine that collectively we want more, or as someone else put it—“want a seat at the table”—but as a group carry little power because it’s such and individualized line of work. Shooting our selves in the foot is something we’ve done best for decades.

Sadly I don’t see it changing in our lifetime.

 

[Akulahawk]

Shooting our selves in the foot is something we’ve done best for decades.

While one can dream… sadly, I agree with the above and is something that needs to change for EMS to progress.