Trying to move up in EMS

[NaimElm]

Hey y’all! Just having some thoughts about where I am in this field and would like some input.

I’ve been a TX paramedic for a little over two years now, and an EMT for three prior. I’ve worked rural 911 ALS and while I’d hardly call myself a master, I decided it’s time to move on and advance to something else. Right now I’m on contract in a pediatric ER, and I’m mulling over wether to shoot for critical care/flight or go for my community paramedic.

If I go the critical care route, I’m not going to take it lightly. I know two years of low-volume EMS isn’t going to cut it for experience, but I am taking a critical care course for the knowledge and am considering challenging the IBSC CCP-C early just to have the cert ahead of time. Once the contract is over I’m going to find a busy 911 service and go get my *** kicked for a while until I feel like I’m ready. The end goal here is pediatric/neonatal CC transport.

If I go community paramedic, there are a good number of programs starting up around me and I figure I’ll be competitive for them since a have a B.S. in a health field. I’ll study for and challenge the CP-C to just make my resume more attractive and sell myself better to prospective employers.

On one hand, I really enjoy the idea of going CC from a clinical aspect. Taking care of very sick people and having to be on top of my training and knowledge in every respect seems very fulfilling from a job. On the other hand, I like the idea of being a part of a new health initiative and helping pts with care plans, medication, and essentially stopping them from needing an ambulance in the first place.

Anyone have any insight about either pathway?

 

[DesertMedic66]

For myself it was critical care and where I am really the only critical care medics are on HEMS. No local providers are doing anything community health related so that would have been a pointless direction to head for me.

I am also looking at further transitions later on and if I ever elect to go to nursing school, having HEMS on my resume will make me a much better candidate for ICU positions.

Just be aware that most flight companies want 3-5 years minimum in a busy 911 system. So you may end up having to work for an additional 3 years in that system to qualify for employment.

 

[NaimElm]

For myself it was critical care and where I am really the only critical care medics are on HEMS. No local providers are doing anything community health related so that would have been a pointless direction to head for me.

I am also looking at further transitions later on and if I ever elect to go to nursing school, having HEMS on my resume will make me a much better candidate for ICU positions.

Just be aware that most flight companies want 3-5 years minimum in a busy 911 system. So you may end up having to work for an additional 3 years in that system to qualify for employment.

In Texas there are a good number of CC ground transport services (since the state is so spread out), so I’m hoping to get on with them for experience. I know I don’t have the prerequisite experience they ask for, but I’m hoping to at least make a case for myself by getting my CCP-C and having my bachelors of science in EMS prior to applying. I still do plan on going back to 911 EMS in some capacity but CCT is something I really want to learn as a provider

 

[DesertMedic66]

In Texas there are a good number of CC ground transport services (since the state is so spread out), so I’m hoping to get on with them for experience. I know I don’t have the prerequisite experience they ask for, but I’m hoping to at least make a case for myself by getting my CCP-C and having my bachelors of science in EMS prior to applying. I still do plan on going back to 911 EMS in some capacity but CCT is something I really want to learn as a provider

It’s not really about making a case for yourself, for flight many agencies are CAMTS accredited. One of CAMTS requirements is that all medics have a minimum of 3 years in a busy 911 system with RNs having a minimum of 3 years in an ED/ICU.

 

[NaimElm]

It’s not really about making a case for yourself, for flight many agencies are CAMTS accredited. One of CAMTS requirements is that all medics have a minimum of 3 years in a busy 911 system with RNs having a minimum of 3 years in an ED/ICU.

I was actually not aware of this requirement! Thank you for letting me know

 

[spimx]

Getting your *** kicked is not always the best way to build good habits and also not the best way to learn a more advanced practice of EMS. Just try for a service that has advanced protocols including RSI. Rural EMS is my ****. I owuld not try to do community paramedic I don't know of a way that services are billing for that and it just sounds like a crappy job to me. Currently I don't see a promising future for community paramedic. Critical care transports bill at 3.25 time higher than the BLS rate.

 

[Carlos Danger]

I was actually not aware of this requirement! Thank you for letting me know

By the time you take a couple relevant courses and a certification exam or two you'll have over the 3 years minimum that most HEMS and CCT programs require, so that requirement is not really an obstacle to you. You might not be competitive quite yet, but at least you'll meet minimum requirements and assuming you are still taking courses and getting good EMS experience somewhere, you'll only look better as time goes on. Your ped ED experience will look good also, and that's something that most paramedics obviously don't have.

Anyone who knows anything about hiring paramedics knows that quality of experience always trumps quantity. They also know that, all other things being equal, personality traits are by far the most important thing. It is much more important to be teachable and be a good team player and be a good provider of customer service than it is to have the most years on the ambulance or the most certs or the best grade on a written exam because you managed to memorize a bunch of facts about drugs and and hemodynamic parameters that you actually have no experience with at all.

Good luck.

 

[FiremanMike]

By the time you take a couple relevant courses and a certification exam or two you'll have over the 3 years minimum that most HEMS and CCT programs require, so that requirement is not really an obstacle to you. You might not be competitive quite yet, but at least you'll meet minimum requirements and assuming you are still taking courses and getting good EMS experience somewhere, you'll only look better as time goes on. Your ped ED experience will look good also, and that's something that most paramedics obviously don't have.

Anyone who knows anything about hiring paramedics knows that quality of experience always trumps quantity. They also know that, all other things being equal, personality traits are by far the most important thing. It is much more important to be teachable and be a good team player and be a good provider of customer service than it is to have the most years on the ambulance or the most certs or the best grade on a written exam because you managed to memorize a bunch of facts about drugs and and hemodynamic parameters that you actually have no experience with at all.

Good luck.

There's two ways to approach getting 3-5 years of experience.. You can have 1 year of experience 3-5 times and never really get better, or you can use every opportunity to learn from the last patient and to build your knowledge base.

Guess which route leads to a better provider, critical care or otherwise..

 

[Carlos Danger]

There's two ways to approach getting 3-5 years of experience.. You can have 1 year of experience 3-5 times and never really get better, or you can use every opportunity to learn from the last patient and to build your knowledge base.

Guess which route leads to a better provider, critical care or otherwise..

Exactly