Where Do I Start? Northern New Jersey USA

Fureverywhere

Forum Ride Along
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I'm interested in where to begin. We border the city of Newark. Lots of call for EMS there. Then there are all the major roadways from the turnpike to the Garden State Parkway. I need training and opportunity to practice.
 

NysEms2117

ex-Parole officer/EMT
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what exactly is your question? do you want to be an EMT, Paramedic? Doctor? volunteer? paid?
 

Jim37F

Forum Deputy Chief
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Further questions, are you an EMT or Paramedic? Fresh out of school or new to the area with experience? Or are you so new to the field that you don't even know there's a difference between EMT and Paramedic (That was me, when I was still looking up how to become an EMT I thought the two terms were synonymous)
 

IanW

Forum Ride Along
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Join a volly squad. Most jobs here in NJ require at least a year of experience. Source - NJ EMT in the New Brunswick area.

Sent from my LG-H810 using Tapatalk
 

Flying

Mostly Ignorant
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First, use google to find a volunteer agency around you.

Volunteer, ride along, apply for an EMT course, get your cert, start running calls, get to know your co-workers (cops, medics, firefighters, hospital staff), get to know your patient population, build up your folder of additional classes (GEMS, PHTLS, ICS, etc etc).

Come early, use common sense, stay safe, treat your patients well, take care of yourself, and don't F up. Do this for a year or two and try to apply for a job with the hospital system of your choice.
 

EpiEMS

Forum Deputy Chief
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Volley agencies in many places offer free (or free with a certain commitment) training, FWIW/YMMV.
 

DrParasite

The fire extinguisher is not just for show
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I'm interested in where to begin. We border the city of Newark. Lots of call for EMS there. Then there are all the major roadways from the turnpike to the Garden State Parkway. I need training and opportunity to practice.
First off, where are you? East Orange, Irvington, Bellville, Bloomfield, Elizabeth, Hillside or Kearny? The reason I ask is because East Orange, Irvington, Elizabeth, Hillside and Kearny are all 24/7 paid systems, with no volunteers.

You can look at Ironbound Ambulance http://www.ironboundambulance.org/ but I am not sure if they still have volutneers. Bloomfield and bellville do have volunteer agencies supplemented by paid staff. You can also look at Union EMU http://unionemu.org/

The easiest way to get started is to find a volunteer EMS agency that you like, and ask them what they require to become an EMT and what they require to be a part of their organization.
 

GregWilliams

Forum Ride Along
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Further questions, are you an EMT or Paramedic? Fresh out of school or new to the area with experience? Or are you so new to the field that you don't even know there's a difference between EMT and Paramedic (That was me, when I was still looking up how to become an EMT I thought the two terms were synonymous)
 

GregWilliams

Forum Ride Along
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This is me. I wanna go into the medical field with starting off as an emt/paramedic, but have absolutely no idea the difference in any of the terms or familiar with the process. Up until this point nothing has been too clear or come with any understanding. I'm seeking help with beginning to end.
 

NomadicMedic

I know a guy who knows a guy.
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If you're not even familiar with the difference between EMT and Paramedic, how do you know EMS is what you want to pursue as a career path?
 

DrParasite

The fire extinguisher is not just for show
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If you're not even familiar with the difference between EMT and Paramedic, how do you know EMS is what you want to pursue as a career path?
now now my nomadic friend, greg is still new, should we should help guide him in his journey, and while he will need to be self motivating during his career, we can help nudge him in the correct location.

@GregWilliams, I know it can be overwhelming, so I suggest you check out this website: http://bfy.tw/A13Z it should answer many of your questions, including what the differences are between EMTs and Paramedics. It is an animated website, so I encourage you watch it until the end.
 

NomadicMedic

I know a guy who knows a guy.
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"Hi, I'm interested in a career in human resources. I really don't know anything about human resources, or what the people who have that job even do. But, it sounds good and I know that is what I want to do with my life."

Sounds ridiculous, right?
 
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VentMonkey

Family Guy
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I'm all for razzing people and also encouraging to do a bit of research on their own (hint: @GregWilliams this means you), but before I personally razz another new comer I think DrP is right here.

DEme...er, @NomadicMedic makes a good point as well. Do some research see if it's the right fit, and take heed, the "textbook" definition of what EMT's and paramedics do is hardly the reality of what the job entails, nor is what's shown on A&E, etc. Talk to some of your local EMS folks, some of the EMT students at your local JC etc. If you're not sure what the job is do a tad more looking into it, though I suppose it is better here that you ask for clarification than at say, an interview for a spot at your local program.

Welcome, good luck, and don't take what we all say too personally. Apparently that's a thing...taking things to a super extreme so much so that it hurts ones "feels" despite hardly knowing most of the people on an internet forum directly.
 
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NomadicMedic

I know a guy who knows a guy.
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OK fair enough, perhaps my off the cuff comment was a bit harsh.

However, it would make sense that an individual would do enough research about a particular career field to be able to determine a basic job description before announcing that they wished to pursue that particular field as a career.

Am I fully off base here?
 

VentMonkey

Family Guy
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OK fair enough, perhaps my off the cuff comment was a bit harsh.

However, it would make sense that an individual would do enough research about a particular career field to be able to determine a basic job description before announcing that they wished to pursue that particular field as a career.

Am I fully off base here?
Nope.
 
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