Tips for a new EMT-B wanting to go on to medic

[danfromnaples]

Hey guys, first post, new-ish to EMS as well.

I'm almost done with my EMT-B class, I test on the 14th of January. I've really enjoyed taking the course and I've only got 2 ride alongs to go. I've gotten pretty good reports from all my preceptors and I've done very good on all the tests and labs throughout my basic class.

Now on to my question. At this point, I'm really considering a career in EMS. I find even the boring simple calls to be really rewarding. I want to go on to paramedic school, the community college I go to has a pretty good program. We are relatively close to a very good hospital and have lots of clinical opportunities there. I want to know what people who have been in EMS for a while think I should do. Should I wait a few years to get some field experience before paramedic school or should I continue to paramedic school after I get my EMT-B and work as an EMT to gain experience as I attend the program? It's not that I don't think I am smart enough to understand the concepts of paramedicine, but I understand that you can't learn experience. I'm prepared to devote all of my time to learn so it's not like I would be juggling school and a full time job on top of being an EMT.

Thanks for any suggestions guys!

 

[NomadicMedic]

Go directly to paramedic school.

All you need to learn is how to be a competent EMT. You'll do that in the first few weeks at your BLS job. Work as an EMT until you are accepted into paramedic school.

 

[danfromnaples]

Thanks for taking the time to reply,

That's what I was thinking, I've actually been accepted into the program, some of the medics and EMTs that I've talked to have just made me have some doubts about it. I guess I just need to have more confidence in myself.

 

[Nick Holstein]

Dont you need like 1500 hours of field experience to apply for medic school? Or at least where I am at

 

[danfromnaples]

My college (in NY) offers an AAS degree in Paramedicine. You take your EMT-B and some other courses as the first part, then you have the opportunity to apply for paramedic school pretty much before you even get your basic cert. That's why I've been accepted but I haven't tested yet.

 

[Nick Holstein]

Wow what a great opportunity. Where I am at (CA) you have to have at least 1300 hours (sometimes 1500) in order to even apply! And nowadays, if a good majority of those hours arent 911, they dont even bother looking at your application!

 

[NomadicMedic]

Lots of East Coast paramedic programs are zero to hero type deals. You can apply with no experience and graduate two years later as a full on paramedic. I don't know if I love the no experience part, but… I know some really good zero to hero paramedics. I also know at least two paramedics who graduated from paramedic school and learned that they hated ithe job after they started working as a paramedic.

A little bit of experience is a good thing, learn how to use the stretcher, learn where the hospitals are, learn how to make a med report over the radio… That sort of thing. It certainly shouldn't take more than a year to get all of that down.

 

[Operations Guy]

I agree go straight to paramedic school. Don't put it off. The longer you put it off the longer you will regret not doing it earlier.

 

[VentMonkey]

Eh, I'm a proponent of a little experience doesn't hurt. Whether it's while going through medic school, or a few years before.

Gain some experience, get the fundamentals down from the monkey skills to the soft ones.
It gives you a good idea of things to come, and indeed lets you know if you'll even like being on an ambulance.

My paramedic school search came about 2-3 years in, but I didn't start until I had about 5 years of tech time under my belt. I have no regrets.

 

[hometownmedic5]

Unless you're independently wealthy, you're going to be working while in medic school. You'll have better than a years BLS experience before you need to start learning how to be a medic.

Once you learn the mechanics(how to operate the stretcher, drive the ambulance etc), the human factor(pt interviews, how to communicate etc), and how to function in EMS(no sleep, long hours, crappy pay, missed events etc), and the very basics like vital signs; you've pretty much maxed out what BLS can teach you, and if you need more than a few months to be an expert at all that, you may need another line of work.

The biggest limiting factor on when to go to medic school is committing to the decision that EMS is where you want to be long term. Medic school is no joke. It's not a PhD in astrophysics, but its hard work, takes a while and costs money. Medic is a crappy route to take if you don't want to be a medic. You don't need to be a medic to be a nurse, pa etc; you just need "contact hours", and EMT is fine for that.

I'm not saying that you cant or shouldn't advance from paramedic. What I'm saying is that using paramedic school as a short term bridge to somewhere is a bad plan; so if you want to go to medic school, I would say first decide if you want to be a medic or if its just a pit stop; and if its just a pit stop, maybe see if there's a better path.

Once you decide on that, its time to go to school. You're never going to be any more ready than you are right now. Things don't get easier the longer we put them off, they just end up taking longer to accomplish.

 

[Nick Holstein]

Unless you're independently wealthy, you're going to be working while in medic school. You'll have better than a years BLS experience before you need to start learning how to be a medic.

Once you learn the mechanics(how to operate the stretcher, drive the ambulance etc), the human factor(pt interviews, how to communicate etc), and how to function in EMS(no sleep, long hours, crappy pay, missed events etc), and the very basics like vital signs; you've pretty much maxed out what BLS can teach you, and if you need more than a few months to be an expert at all that, you may need another line of work.

The biggest limiting factor on when to go to medic school is committing to the decision that EMS is where you want to be long term. Medic school is no joke. It's not a PhD in astrophysics, but its hard work, takes a while and costs money. Medic is a crappy route to take if you don't want to be a medic. You don't need to be a medic to be a nurse, pa etc; you just need "contact hours", and EMT is fine for that.

I'm not saying that you cant or shouldn't advance from paramedic. What I'm saying is that using paramedic school as a short term bridge to somewhere is a bad plan; so if you want to go to medic school, I would say first decide if you want to be a medic or if its just a pit stop; and if its just a pit stop, maybe see if there's a better path.

Once you decide on that, its time to go to school. You're never going to be any more ready than you are right now. Things don't get easier the longer we put them off, they just end up taking longer to accomplish.

Very well put.

 

[StCEMT]

Did the zero to hero thing, no regrets. I would take a few months between classes if you can. Not because you can't learn the lessons during medic school, but because you will be VERY busy during medic school and it's tough to balance work and school sometimes. Seriously, build you up a little financial cushion, it will make things a little less stressful towards the end. Happen to get the added benefit of learning the basics of the job, your area, and organization skills too.

The most important part of what you decide to do is giving a damn. You can take 3 years as an EMT, but if you don't make efforts to learn so you can be a better medic, your results will be reflective of the effort you put in.

 

[VentMonkey]

Did the zero to hero thing, no regrets. I would take a few months between classes if you can. Not because you can't learn the lessons during medic school, but because you will be VERY busy during medic school and it's tough to balance work and school sometimes. Seriously, build you up a little financial cushion, it will make things a little less stressful towards the end. Happen to get the added benefit of learning the basics of the job, your area, and organization skills too.

The most important part of what you decide to do is giving a damn. You can take 3 years as an EMT, but if you don't make efforts to learn so you can be a better medic, your results will be reflective of the effort you put in.

This is an insightfully valuable point.

 

[NysEms2117]

As an emt, and staying there. I say go for it. I learned the basic medic skills just from watching(12 lead, what acls drugs are, spiking bags ect). Now with that being said I AM NOT a medic nor do I want to be one, nor would I try and invasive skills.

 

[danfromnaples]

Thanks for the insight guys, really gives me a confidence boost. Wasn't sure how many medics went from basic straight through to paramedic.

 

[hometownmedic5]

It's becoming more common. In years past, Emts were actively discouraged and in some cases outright prevented from advancing until they had met some arbitrarily defined career benchmark. It took awhile to realize that a five year basic who's bad at their job isn't going to make a better medic than a <1yr emt who has a genuine passion and desire to succeed.

 

[NomadicMedic]

It's becoming more common. In years past, Emts were actively discouraged and in some cases outright prevented from advancing until they had met some arbitrarily defined career benchmark. It took awhile to realize that a five year basic who's bad at their job isn't going to make a better medic than a <1yr emt who has a genuine passion and desire to succeed.

I believe the opposite is true. Most paramedic programs require at least 1 year of full time service and a fair number of patient contacts. I think this is a fair requirement. The paramedic education is so compressed that preceptors don't have time to teach candidates how to become competent EMTs along with putting the didactic portion of paramedic education into play in the field. (If you've had a student, you know what I mean.)

I agree that anything more than a year as a BLS provider is probably excessive and will lead to the provider learning bad habits and heading down the road to becoming a jaded burnnout.

 

[NomadicMedic]

As an emt, and staying there. I say go for it. I learned the basic medic skills just from watching(12 lead, what acls drugs are, spiking bags ect). Now with that being said I AM NOT a medic nor do I want to be one, nor would I try and invasive skills.

You learned basic "medic assist" skills. These are things that any basic who regularly works with a paramedic must know, otherwise, they're just drivers and stretcher fetchers. Almost every place I've worked holds some sort of class for basics to teach them how to function as a second pair of hands for a paramedic.

 

[NysEms2117]

You learned basic "medic assist" skills. These are things that any basic who regularly works with a paramedic must know, otherwise, they're just drivers and stretcher fetchers. Almost every place I've worked holds some sort of class for basics to teach them how to function as a second pair of hands for a paramedic.

I personally liked learning them too. And to the op if you can assist a medic the proper way, it makes their job so much easier, patient care exponentially better, and most of the time the call runs smoother. DE can correct me here, but I'd like to think a paramedic likes a really "on point" emt partner, especially one they can trust

 

[hometownmedic5]

I believe the opposite is true. Most paramedic programs require at least 1 year of full time service and a fair number of patient contacts. I think this is a fair requirement. The paramedic education is so compressed that preceptors don't have time to teach candidates how to become competent EMTs along with putting the didactic portion of paramedic education into play in the field. (If you've had a student, you know what I mean.)

I agree that anything more than a year as a BLS provider is probably excessive and will lead to the provider learning bad habits and heading down the road to becoming a jaded burnnout.

Perhaps it's regional. In Ma, I'm seeing more schools willing to take zero experience basics than I did in the past.