Transferring States EMT Certificates

[minneola24]

Hello,

I have 2 more years left in high school and have decided (for over a year now) that I want to become a Paramedic either on a fire truck or ambulance. (Not sure where it will lead) You have to be 18 to get your EMT-B liscence at the community college where I live, I heard that they have a really good EMT program.

I can take some classes as pre requisite since at my high school they don't offer any medical classes. I copied the pre requisite courses that I can take while in high school.

-EME-100 EMERGENCY RESPONSE/ADVANCED FIRST AID

(There are more for EMT-P, these are just EMT-B)

I really want to take these courses since I am finding this high school deal to be really irrelevant to becoming a paramedic. Only one problem.

When I graduate high school I don't really know if I want to become a paramedic in the state of California where I currently reside. I was thinking somewhere in the northeast. Not sure yet, I have alot of time. But how does this work if I want to take some college courses in high school, or even get my EMT-B certificate in California and then move up to the EMT-P in a different state?

I hope I could get some guidance since if I ask my school counselor I have a feeling she would be totally clueless.

Thankyou B)

 

[Stewart1990]

Dont know what to tell you about the transfering, but EMS positions are becoming scarce up here. I life in PA and you have to fight like hell to get a job anymore.

 

[Mountain Res-Q]

Minnie -

Where at in California?

As far as the classes go... In my section of California the EMT-B requires a prerequisite of First Responder or Advacned First Aid. Get them now if you can. The prerequisite for Paramedic is EMT-B, Cardiology, and A+P. Get the Advanced First Aid (which is usually similar to MFR) now if you can and see if you want to continue on.

Transfering EMT-B or medic certs is easier if you are Nationally Registered. The problem is that in California we did some half-assed thing in this regard. We test to those standards but every county issues there own cert and there is no NREMT cert issued for your state testing. You have to test again and pay more money to get teh NREMT, so most in California don't, simly becasue if you are not moving out of state, you don;t need it to work... usually. So take, Advacned FA now, EMT-B (called EMT-1 in CA) wen you turn 18, ask your instructor/EMS agency what steps to take to get state/county cert and NREMT cert, and go from there. In the meantime see if ridealongs are allowed, explorer programs exist, and if other emergency service classes exist in your area to get you started and see if this is what you want to do.

And yes, you school counsoler will be clueless... hell when it comes to the logistics of EMS, especially in CA, I have a hard time keeping up.

 

[minneola24]

Minnie -

Where at in California?

As far as the classes go... In my section of California the EMT-B requires a prerequisite of First Responder or Advacned First Aid. Get them now if you can. The prerequisite for Paramedic is EMT-B, Cardiology, and A+P. Get the Advanced First Aid (which is usually similar to MFR) now if you can and see if you want to continue on.

Transfering EMT-B or medic certs is easier if you are Nationally Registered. The problem is that in California we did some half-assed thing in this regard. We test to those standards but every county issues there own cert and there is no NREMT cert issued for your state testing. You have to test again and pay more money to get teh NREMT, so most in California don't, simly becasue if you are not moving out of state, you don;t need it to work... usually. So take, Advacned FA now, EMT-B (called EMT-1 in CA) wen you turn 18, ask your instructor/EMS agency what steps to take to get state/county cert and NREMT cert, and go from there. In the meantime see if ridealongs are allowed, explorer programs exist, and if other emergency service classes exist in your area to get you started and see if this is what you want to do.

And yes, you school counsoler will be clueless... hell when it comes to the logistics of EMS, especially in CA, I have a hard time keeping up.

Hey there,

I see your from the Sierras eh? You live in some of the most beautiful places in our nation. I've been to Yosemite 3-4 times and Sequoia National once. Very amazing places to visit. I'm guessing you guys get alot of rope and swift water rescues? Probably alot more water ones now as the water is gushing full force from melted snow. I'm from San Diego by the way


I looked up the advanced first aid class and they offer it every season so I could take that when I am 16. Would it be weird taking an EMT course so young in age? I've never taken college courses before.

Also it seems to me you suggest getting the EMT-1 first and then testing for something called a NREMT which registers me as an EMT in all 50 states. So it is equivalent to taking the EMT course in lets say Massachusetts?

Also, I am only 15.5 at the moment. I am going to ask my local FD if I can do a ride-along with their station. I have a feeling their going to deny me because I am under 18 thoe. We will see. There are a few explorer programs within a 30 minute drive but not in my city, so I will look into that when I get my drivers license in October.

Also my high school actually does offer a course in the medical field. I heard it is a bunch of kids that want an easy A thoe ^_^ (sounds like most electives at my school). I will be signing up for that definitely next year. Thanks for the help Mountain Res Q, enjoy the Sierras!

 

[Mountain Res-Q]

Hey there,

I see your from the Sierras eh? You live in some of the most beautiful places in our nation. I've been to Yosemite 3-4 times and Sequoia National once. Very amazing places to visit. I'm guessing you guys get alot of rope and swift water rescues? Probably alot more water ones now as the water is gushing full force from melted snow. I'm from San Diego by the way


I looked up the advanced first aid class and they offer it every season so I could take that when I am 16. Would it be weird taking an EMT course so young in age? I've never taken college courses before.

Also it seems to me you suggest getting the EMT-1 first and then testing for something called a NREMT which registers me as an EMT in all 50 states. So it is equivalent to taking the EMT course in lets say Massachusetts?

Also, I am only 15.5 at the moment. I am going to ask my local FD if I can do a ride-along with their station. I have a feeling their going to deny me because I am under 18 thoe. We will see. There are a few explorer programs within a 30 minute drive but not in my city, so I will look into that when I get my drivers license in October.

Also my high school actually does offer a course in the medical field. I heard it is a bunch of kids that want an easy A thoe ^_^ (sounds like most electives at my school). I will be signing up for that definitely next year. Thanks for the help Mountain Res Q, enjoy the Sierras!

Yep, the Harte of the Sierras. Great place to live. I’m just north of Yosemite and half of the park is actually in my county. It’s a bit of a tourist trap now-a-days, but I am going there in a couple weeks for a little K9 training. Rope and Swiftwater Rescues? That’s our team’s specialty! The internationally recognized “Father of Swiftwater Rescue” – Jim Segerstrom – was one of the 13 founding members of our team, god rest his soul. ‘Tis the season for a lot of swift, frigid, class 4-6 white water. Our rivers already claimed one victim this year, on Friday.

I don’t know how it works for your section of CA, but I will use a friend of mine as an example of what someone your age can do. “Little Z” was 14 when I met him in 2004. He worked weekends at the Snow Park I am a Manager at, in Equipment Rentals. He started as an explorer for the County FD. He continued to do so until he turned 18, this year. Literally, by the age of 18 he had as much real life experience as I had after 8 years in the biz. He got his First Responder at eh age of 16, and I immediately transferred him to my Emergency Medical Patrol Staff because he knew as much as any of the 18-20 y/o newbie EMTs I was hiring. I considered him my #2 and had him help organize/teach training sessions. He is now a Firefighter/EMT for the County and for the Forest Service. So it just goes to show you that if you really want to do this, take advantage of any opportunity you can to advance your knowledge. Look a Z: 19 years old and has 6-7 years of experience/knowledge in the field!

EMT-1 vs. NREMT. All EMT classes are taught to the national standard. But different states have different standards on certification. If you get your EMT in CA, you can work pretty much anywhere in CA as an EMT, you just need to get a new card (and pay a little) every time you switch counties. If you take an EMT class you can also test to become Nationally Registered, in which case, the cert is not only good in CA, but in any state whose standards conform to NR. In some states this means that you might need to retest and recert, but you won’t have to retake the class assuming you stay current. If you are really gonna move out of good ol’ CA, then take the regular EMT class and register yourself nationally so that it will be easier to transfer your cert to any state you move on to. (I can’t speak intelligently on how Mass. or other states run EMS certification, but this is the screwed up situation in CA.)

But you have awhile to worry about all that. For now, learn as much as you can. Try to do ride-alongs, explorer stuff, or those HS med classes. When it comes time to take an EMT class, things will probably change again and you can check in with your instructors. Good luck…

 

[minneola24]

Thanks for all of the help, seriously. I have to ask a few questions about your work area since I love it there. And by the way, you are so right about the tourist trap. There are really WAY to many people in the valley now days, that is why I like Sequoia National alot as no one really knows about it.

Do you guys volunteer? I really have no idea on how much calls you run per year since not alot of people really live in the sierras, its all tourism. Do you have a station in Yosemite? I've never seen a fire truck/ambulance/or even a police car for that matter in Yosemite. As I am sure calling 911 must be difficult due to the phone reception. Do you guys take a while to respond to places? I'd love to hear more about working in the sierras, its really interesting. B)

 

[Mountain Res-Q]

Thanks for all of the help, seriously. I have to ask a few questions about your work area since I love it there. And by the way, you are so right about the tourist trap. There are really WAY to many people in the valley now days, that is why I like Sequoia National alot as no one really knows about it.

Do you guys volunteer? I really have no idea on how much calls you run per year since not alot of people really live in the sierras, its all tourism. Do you have a station in Yosemite? I've never seen a fire truck/ambulance/or even a police car for that matter in Yosemite. As I am sure calling 911 must be difficult due to the phone reception. Do you guys take a while to respond to places? I'd love to hear more about working in the sierras, its really interesting. B)

No Problem…

All EMS/Fire/Law in Yosemite is covered by the National Park Service, so my county has no operating authority in Yosemite. BTW, the valley isn’t in my county, but the entire northern half is. Being a federal agency, the Park doesn’t; conform to any of the EMS standards established for the rest of CA.

Volunteer? Depends on what you are referring to. For Search and rescue, yes. 96%+ of all SAR in the U.S. is professional volunteer. Our team is one of the oldest continuously official teams in CA and in our heyday ran an average of 100 call a year and about 12,000 man hours a year. (Our peak was 126 in 1986ish – when I was 3 and you… weren’t.) Now-a-days we run 30-50 calls a year. All SAR in California (minus the National Parks) is run/organized by your County Sheriff; which makes us sworn members of the SO. Our county has a population of 60,000, but tourism triples or quadruples that every weekend in the summer and close to doubles it in the winter. 85% of our county is National Forests, Lakes, Rivers, Wilderness Land, etc… so we see a lot of tourism with campers, hikers, backpackers, anglers, boaters, climbers, hunters, rafters, ATVers, skiers, snowmobilers, snowshoers, etc… 911 reception is good for the urban areas of the county, but you have to have the right cell company or be really lucky to get a signal in 75% of the county. Our response times are slower than EMS, but average for a SAR team. The 911 call comes in, the dispatcher contacts the SAR Liasions (a deputy), the deputy decideds if this is a true SAR call, the deputy sends out a page, we receive the page, if able to respond we all drive to the SAR Cache 30 minutes away from my house at 4,000 feet, get briefed and plan an attack, throw our gear into the trucks, and respond sometimes hours away. For a wilderness search that can me a response time to a trailhead of 2-3 hours. For a swiftwater/rope rescue we usually respond directly to the scene with our own vehicles/gear, and one or two people closer to the Cache will pick up the trucks with ALL the gear we need. As a Team Leader with all my own rescue gear in my truck, I respond to ½ the calls on my car, and the other ½ to the Cache. We use Horses, Snowmobiles, ATV’s, Helicopters, and Boats. We are Swiftwater, Vertical Rope Rescue, Dive, and BLS EMS capable and proficient.

In short, we are a small group of highly motivated people from various walks of life tha tall have something to offer and want to help, even if we do not get paid and often spend a lot of out money on our own gear. We are on call 24/7, train all the time, get paged out at the worst times, are usually tired, wet, cold, and hungry,… and we love it!

P.S. While we do not cover Yosemite, we do provide Mutual Aid for their bigger/longer incidents. They have a world class Rescue Team, but their wilderness searchs get so big that they often request help from several Northeren Californa Teams. We were able to assit them 3 times last year.

 

[Mountain Res-Q]

Hey folks... This is what we call educating and firing up the imaginations and ambitions of the future of ems!!!

 

[minneola24]

Wow, never thought SAR was so intense! That must be the most fun volunteer work I have ever heard of . Now I know whenever I get lost in Northern Yosemite, I know I will have many dedicated, trained volunteers looking for me ^_^ Thanks for the great read Mountain Res - Q.