When did you decide you want to be a medic?
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Shishkabob
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Get in to EMS or be a Paramedic specifically?
I took an EMT class in 08 because I thought it'd help with getting on with a PD. I did a ride in the ambulance for a shift and loved it. Still had no intention of making it a career or continuing to Paramedic though.
4 months after I got my EMT cert, I thought "why not" and signed up for Paramedic. Now I'm working on a rig and have every intention of continuing. ^_^
I took an EMT class in 08 because I thought it'd help with getting on with a PD. I did a ride in the ambulance for a shift and loved it. Still had no intention of making it a career or continuing to Paramedic though.
4 months after I got my EMT cert, I thought "why not" and signed up for Paramedic. Now I'm working on a rig and have every intention of continuing. ^_^
NomadicMedic
I know a guy who knows a guy.
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I've ben in EMS in one form or another since 1989. Started as a basic with the volunteer fire department, became an Intermediate and worked on an ALS rig for a while as a medic's partner. Then I took a different career path and worked in an unrelated field for a long time. Now, 20 years yater, I'm back in EMS as a Paramedic. Frankly, I'm glad I didn't become a medic back then, as I think my a few years of maturity, learning strong study habits and a couple of decades of life skills make me a much better medic.
terrible one
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because all the cool kids were doing it
I was accosted in 1992 by a fat, balding, nymphomaniac, prostitute loving, alcoholic lawyer-to-be wearing a man girdle and sporting a Lifepak 10.
Then I figured if it was going to take me 4 years to become an RN and work in ED or 3 years to become an Anaesthetic Tech why not put in 4-5 years full time and become an Anaesthetist?
One day I'll gt my beloved big thick orange jumpsuit with "DOCTOR" across the back in large green letters .... it looks so much awesomerer than the bright yellow one that says "AMBULANCE".
Then I figured if it was going to take me 4 years to become an RN and work in ED or 3 years to become an Anaesthetic Tech why not put in 4-5 years full time and become an Anaesthetist?
One day I'll gt my beloved big thick orange jumpsuit with "DOCTOR" across the back in large green letters .... it looks so much awesomerer than the bright yellow one that says "AMBULANCE".
medicRob
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When I was told that ALS stands for "Avoids Lifting Stretcher"
firemed17
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Well Im not an EMT or Paramedic yet but I have my EMT-B class starting up in August, im psyched to say the least. Anyway, honestly, I never thought this would be the profession i'd be pursuing. Throughout H.S and the beginning of my college years I wanted to work with computers, Graphic Design or Computer Programming, something along those lines...However, when I got my first job when I was 16 years old, the assistant manager of the place always use to tell me how grateful he was for the EMT and FF personnel that saved his life when he suffered from a heart attack. After that, slowly but surely I started looking into it and here I am today... wish I could tell him that this is what Ive decided to do, but hes no longer with us =/.
I have two cousins who used to work for FDNY EMS. From what they told me, it sounded like an interesting profession. As far as going from EMT to medic, there were several reasons. First, I wanted to be able to do more for my patients. At the time I entered medic school, I needed to choose between medic school and nursing school. Since I had a newborn and the EMT salary wasn't cutting it, I chose the 13 month medic program over the 2 1/2 years for nursing. When you're in the red every month with mouths to feed, you don't have the luxury of spending more time on your first choice (nursing). I originally planned to go EMT > RN > challenge the medic exam, but I went medic first out of financial necessity.
When I was in EMT school, a hosp based medic making 60k/yr base in 2002 told me that becoming a medic is the quickest way to make decent money without having to go to college. That was the conventional way of thinking back then. We should have two year degrees as a minumum for employment, but that statement still holds true (in the U.S.) at the present.
When I was in EMT school, a hosp based medic making 60k/yr base in 2002 told me that becoming a medic is the quickest way to make decent money without having to go to college. That was the conventional way of thinking back then. We should have two year degrees as a minumum for employment, but that statement still holds true (in the U.S.) at the present.
alphatrauma
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^ this
I wouldn't trust most 16-21 y/o with cleaning my carpets, let alone delivering quality patient care.
newmedic: Get a good educational foundation (more than a H.S. Diploma or GED), and allow yourself some time to mature emotionally and intellectually. Learn as much as you can from as many people as you can... be a sponge. And to your original question, I decided 2 years ago.
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Shishkabob
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Well that's a slap in the face to me, piranah, and Sasha. :glare:
TransportJockey
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I'm glad I'm now 22
But I was 20 when I got into EMS and certified.As for how, I took a semester off from going for an explosives engineering degree to get my head straight and figured I'd try EMS. I fell in love with it and knew I wanted to go and get my medic while I was still in basic class.
For a much longer read on why I got into EMS, click my name and then on the 'go to my homepage'
Shishkabob
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Well Sasha is no longer 21 but she was when first certified as a medic.
I became a medic so I could make a ton of $$$$, with the FD. Not only have I done that I also get a *****en retirement.
You sir are a credit and a shining example to the dedicated people who will ensure the strong future of the Paramedicine profession
Quick, ondansteron ..... hurry
I wanted to become a software engineer and was about to start working for a server company (but ultimate goal was to work for something big like Oracle cause my two strongest languages are Java and Perl). I still love programming, love technology, computers, etc.. My dad had a seizure so we called 9-1-1. Of course, he was done before they arrived. Grandma kept telling me to become an ECG technician (she thinks anything medical = mucho dinero). She showed me a page in a booklet for college to become an ECG technician and on the same page was an EMT program. I thought about my dad, how I wasn't going to school (my family was really upset with this), and decided that I wanted to learn it just so I would know what to do in emergencies (not professionally or anything) and make my family happy that I was going to school. It required taking a First Responder course so I went with that and was planning to stop afterward (not gonna make a profession or anything out of it so no need for EMT, right?). The First Responder class was a blast (just as long as becoming an EMT-b, but they taught me all the EMT skills like patient assessment, airway + oxygen, etc... because the class was to prepare students for the EMT-b program... took me 8 months to become an EMT-b cause I had to take both the First Responder class and EMT class, which I ended up going to another EMT program that didn't even require you to be a First Responder, but I guess I got more practice at it anyhow). I even started learning a bit of A&P, medical terminology, pharmacology, and ironically even started reading an ECG book for nursing (what my Grandma wanted me to do in the first place) on my own and just really loved EMS more than software engineering so I decided to go on into the EMT-b program (which I finished a little more than half a month ago and passed the NREMT about half a month ago... just waiting for my State cert. and have a great possibility of shadowing EMTs at Great America (a theme park) and hoping to work at an IFT company and switch to 911 after I gain a bit of experience in an ambulance). At this point, I've made up my mind that I want to become an RN (work in a CCT rig?) and I am pursuing that right now in school. EMS has changed me and now I love school, haha. I plan on helping out in the EMT program and First Responder class too also.
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Oh, and I took a Paramedic Prep/Clinical Tech class in parallel to the EMT class where we learned and did injections (SC, IM, and ID; not IV unfortunately - it's split up into Clinical Tech I and Clinical Tech II (you don't need to take in order) and the other one which wasn't available at the time was phlebotomy (the other Clinical Tech class) and I plan on taking that) on each other, 12-leads on each other (we didn't go into detail though other than recognize simple ones afib, vfib, aflutter, vtach, etc..., we didn't learn how to do 3-leads and 5-leads (learned on my own)), and also some pharmacology (basic stuff like hydrocodone, furosemide/lasix, amoxicillin, solu-medrol, etc...), which is what got me started on learning those stuff on my own also to go a little bit beyond. I fainted in that class too on my first shot. Was a great class (I liked it more than the EMT class). It's called Clinical Tech, but it's more like a Paramedic Prep class so they are changing the name I hear. Was intended for EMT students who planned on working in a clinical setting. Used to require an EMT-b cert, but then they got rid of that prereq since people outside like people in LVN programs and stuff wanted to learn more skills or people working on their GEs for LVN, EMT, Paramedic, etc... which is why I was able to take it. Was a great class!
Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to explain how I got into EMS and what made me decided to go beyond being a First Responder and beyond an EMT.
Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to explain how I got into EMS and what made me decided to go beyond being a First Responder and beyond an EMT.
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firetender
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The Story AND the Truth!
When I was in grammar school, in Brooklyn, in the 1950's, one of my classmates choked to death while eating chicken. Nobody knew what to do. There was no one you could call to send someone to come who knew what to do. Local Drs. actually made house calls at that time, but it would have to be based on their availability, not your need.
Later on in my life, that memory lived inside of me as I began to be one of the first citizens who was learning what to do. It became a 12 year career and I was on the first wave of MICU Paramedics in the US.
Oddly enough, my involvement began because I needed something to occupy my free-time having been newly released from NYC prisons. The local volunteer ambulance corps was seeking help. That was my start.
When I was in grammar school, in Brooklyn, in the 1950's, one of my classmates choked to death while eating chicken. Nobody knew what to do. There was no one you could call to send someone to come who knew what to do. Local Drs. actually made house calls at that time, but it would have to be based on their availability, not your need.
Later on in my life, that memory lived inside of me as I began to be one of the first citizens who was learning what to do. It became a 12 year career and I was on the first wave of MICU Paramedics in the US.
Oddly enough, my involvement began because I needed something to occupy my free-time having been newly released from NYC prisons. The local volunteer ambulance corps was seeking help. That was my start.
akflightmedic
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My story...
The day I was born, I took my first ambulance ride as I was an inter-facility case being sent to a higher level of care.
Spent my entire youth in and out of hospitals and always knew I would do something medical, was pretty sure I would be a physician.
I have vivid memories of a car crash when I was 6 and seeing the woman ejected and as she laid on the ground, everyone tried to help. It was a very long time before help arrived.
I first became certified in CPR/First Aid when I was in 4th grade due to a very involved gym teacher's efforts.
I asked for first aid kits and built my own for my toys, I always had doctors kits and really enjoyed playing doctor with my friends. They outgrew it, I never did.
I maintained my CPR and First Aid throughout those years.
Had a rough time in high school, grades sucked and I knew I would never go to medical school.
Age 16, I was working at a grocery store and some of the employees were Rescue volunteers. I wanted to but I had to be 18. In the meantime, I became a lifeguard and worked at water parks.
I grew up on Emergency and Rescue 911...loved the shows.
Age 17, I graduated high school and with little direction I decided to take an EMT course. My mother paid the $375 and I started school. I was the youngest in class but my instructor worked for the County which I was not aware of. She was also friends with the director of the County EMS.
Unbeknown to us, he never introduced himself as that title, only his first name but he showed up at practicals and observed. He was fed our testing status/grades as well.
I turned 18 and started volunteering, practically lived at the station.
I got my EMT first try (National Registry) and applied to the County. Imagine my surprise when I realized who the Chief was...no testing was required as he had already scouted his prospects without us knowing.
I got a job.
It was during this time I realized how little I knew and was frustrated at the lack of care I was able to provide to the majority of my patients.
After 3 months of being an EMT, I enrolled in paramedic school. I went to the bank and got a loan for the whopping $1500 tuition repayable at $99/month. There were times that was very difficult to do.
I did well in paramedic school and enjoyed every minute of it.
At what point did I decide to become a paramedic...I am not sure...it was a long evolution is my best answer. There was never a moment where I said this is what I am going to do, it just always seemed to be the next logical step which I took without making any serious thought about it.
Two interesting stories from the cliff notes above:
1. One of my early partners was an older guy, nearing retirement...had worked for the county for a long time. So long in fact, that after a few conversations/shifts, life stories, etc we discovered he knew me. He was my medic when I was transferred so many years ago. It was pretty cool "coming full circle".
2. My coach who all of us only knew as coach, someone who "existed only at school" was so much more than that. He had been a volunteer all of those years he was teaching, he was active in the community with education, etc and he always pushed and pushed to be allowed to teach the kids CPR and First Aid.
He had been a lifelong lifeguard, surfer, EMT, you name it who became a teacher to secure his retirement. After 20 years he retired from teaching and went to work for the county full time as Beach patrol doing police, lifeguard and EMS duties. He was also a life time member of my rescue squad.
I left his school district in 6th grade, never saw him again until I showed up in the EMS world several years later. At that point we were colleagues and it was fun reminding him he was my first instructor.
Anyways, I am sure there are details I am forgetting and I know I gave no clear cut answer, but it is what it is.
The day I was born, I took my first ambulance ride as I was an inter-facility case being sent to a higher level of care.
Spent my entire youth in and out of hospitals and always knew I would do something medical, was pretty sure I would be a physician.
I have vivid memories of a car crash when I was 6 and seeing the woman ejected and as she laid on the ground, everyone tried to help. It was a very long time before help arrived.
I first became certified in CPR/First Aid when I was in 4th grade due to a very involved gym teacher's efforts.
I asked for first aid kits and built my own for my toys, I always had doctors kits and really enjoyed playing doctor with my friends. They outgrew it, I never did.
I maintained my CPR and First Aid throughout those years.
Had a rough time in high school, grades sucked and I knew I would never go to medical school.
Age 16, I was working at a grocery store and some of the employees were Rescue volunteers. I wanted to but I had to be 18. In the meantime, I became a lifeguard and worked at water parks.
I grew up on Emergency and Rescue 911...loved the shows.
Age 17, I graduated high school and with little direction I decided to take an EMT course. My mother paid the $375 and I started school. I was the youngest in class but my instructor worked for the County which I was not aware of. She was also friends with the director of the County EMS.
Unbeknown to us, he never introduced himself as that title, only his first name but he showed up at practicals and observed. He was fed our testing status/grades as well.
I turned 18 and started volunteering, practically lived at the station.
I got my EMT first try (National Registry) and applied to the County. Imagine my surprise when I realized who the Chief was...no testing was required as he had already scouted his prospects without us knowing.
I got a job.
It was during this time I realized how little I knew and was frustrated at the lack of care I was able to provide to the majority of my patients.
After 3 months of being an EMT, I enrolled in paramedic school. I went to the bank and got a loan for the whopping $1500 tuition repayable at $99/month. There were times that was very difficult to do.
I did well in paramedic school and enjoyed every minute of it.
At what point did I decide to become a paramedic...I am not sure...it was a long evolution is my best answer. There was never a moment where I said this is what I am going to do, it just always seemed to be the next logical step which I took without making any serious thought about it.
Two interesting stories from the cliff notes above:
1. One of my early partners was an older guy, nearing retirement...had worked for the county for a long time. So long in fact, that after a few conversations/shifts, life stories, etc we discovered he knew me. He was my medic when I was transferred so many years ago. It was pretty cool "coming full circle".
2. My coach who all of us only knew as coach, someone who "existed only at school" was so much more than that. He had been a volunteer all of those years he was teaching, he was active in the community with education, etc and he always pushed and pushed to be allowed to teach the kids CPR and First Aid.
He had been a lifelong lifeguard, surfer, EMT, you name it who became a teacher to secure his retirement. After 20 years he retired from teaching and went to work for the county full time as Beach patrol doing police, lifeguard and EMS duties. He was also a life time member of my rescue squad.
I left his school district in 6th grade, never saw him again until I showed up in the EMS world several years later. At that point we were colleagues and it was fun reminding him he was my first instructor.
Anyways, I am sure there are details I am forgetting and I know I gave no clear cut answer, but it is what it is.
Good to know I wasn't the only one by that fat, balding, nymphomaniac, prostitute loving, alcoholic lawyer-to-be wearing a man girdle and sporting a Lifepak 10.