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jetpilot87

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Hi,
I am a 20 yr old recently certified EMT-Basic with no experience looking to start working part time somewhere (I am in college). I am not sure if I should start at company like MedStar, or at another private company that services a specific town outside of Worcester. I was told at a place like MedStar or AMR, I might be put mostly on transports and become very proficient with the equipment and basic skills such as vitals and things like that. I go to school in Worcester so I would be applying to the Medstar there.

At this other place I got an application from, I would be more thrust into 911 calls, 85 percent of which would be ALS calls. There are very experienced paramedics who are used to working with new EMTs who are always on.

Money isn't an issue... I am more wondering if I should start sort of slow rather than possibly seeing a lot of things really quick, not really knowing if I could handle it.
Any advice or suggestions would be much appreciated... Thanks!
 
Welcome!

I'd say jump right in. Apply everywhere, and take the first job you get, but if it happens to be the call with 9-11 calls, than take it.

It's natural to be scared as heck your first few shifts.. I know I was, and I'm sure everyone in here will admit to being scared their first few shifts.

You'll be working with experienced paramedics, and they aren't gonna leave you dry and hanging.. so there is no real reason to worry to badly. If you want experience than try to get the job with 9-11 calls, you will get a lot of experience, and then if you decided don't wanna be moving at such a fast pace go and re-apply, or apply with a private service until you feel comfortable doing 9-11 calls.

That's my advice, I'm sure some will agree and some will disagree. That's also what I would have done. Gone for the high number of 9-11 calls.

Good luck with your decision. Congratulations on the EMT-B ticket, welcome to the world of EMS, and EMTLife!! :D
 
I'm finding myself with the same dilemma. I recently obtained my Basic certification, and don't know which avenue to take. I would only be doing it part-time or per diem status and keeping my current job at the hospital because the pay rate would still be higher. I have worked in the ER setting for the past 8 years so I know the ropes of the hospital world, it's the "pre-hospital" care that I'm nervous about. I am unsure whether or not to try out a private sector like AMR or EasCare to do prodominantly transport work to get used to the fact of being an EMT, or if I'd like to work for the town and get tossed into 9-11 off the bat. I know that in my area it is harder to find work as a Basic, whereas most places are looking to get Paramedics. I do know that my town only staffs Basics so I wouldn't have an issue there as long as there is room for me on their team. Decisions, decisions.... I know that Worcester can be a pretty hectic area and I'm sure you'd be learning from some great Medics with a lot of cases that they can teach you on. In my area down by Plymouth it's a lot of the same thing day in day out, Abd pain, CP, SOB, and of course the never-ending MVA's. I wish you luck in whichever course you decide on
 
I got my EMT-Basic, did nothing with it for about two years, and then my Junior year of college I worked as a part time EMT doing both 911/rescue and BLS calls. It was a great experience, and I wouldn't have done it any other way. While at first I feared the priority calls, soon they became the highlight of my shift. Usually we'd have one or two 911 calls and two or three BLS calls in a shift. I couldn't imagine doing just BLS transfers.

Good luck!
 
traumateam1 said:
I'd say jump right in. Apply everywhere, and take the first job you get, but if it happens to be the call with 9-11 calls, than take it.
Click to expand...

This is my advice as well. There's a lot of competition out there, so take what you can get. An ALS rig is great field experience and is definitely recommended over BLS, IMHO.
 
agree agree agree

get a job and get out there. Most people have a couple of weeks of getting acclimated to the life. Good Luck!
 
I'd go straight to 911. You'll learn your way around soon enough.BLS transfers / Convalescent will not give you as much experience for your time as 911 will.
 
If you have the opportunity to use your EMT for real calls, by all means do so. That's what it's FOR. The prevalence and ease of hire for all these transport services --or worse, those transport services with a limited 911 response area-- is tempting, I know... they'll still be there if the other places aren't hiring right now.

Worcester... heh. That's where my wife is now, working at some client site up there. What a coincidink!


Later!

--Coop
 
Go for whatever job you get first that will work out better with your schedule etc. but there's two different thoughts on the 911 vs transfers. Yeah 911 is cool and you see a bunch of different things that you'd never see otherwise but if you're on with a medic you will become an ambulance driver for a majority of the calls (some medics will let you take anything non critical but many will always want to take the patient "just in case"). On a strictly BLS rig doing interfacility transfers you and your partner will share an equal role in providing patient care so you will be more involved in the care aspect of the job.

And in all honesty I think I've learned more from asking questions during interfacility transfers than any 911 call we've run.
 
Why not do a BLS street truck? That seems the obvious choice, to me: all 911, no transfers, no medics unless requested by you --or as per dispatch CC. Or are they not available up there?


Later!

--Coop
 
Oh, coop, coop, coop. I'm on what you call a BLS street truck. We're BLS transport for ALS fire. The medics always show up, and THEY decide if they ride with us. Oh, and, yes we do interfacilities, I always seem to get popped for the midnight female psych transfers.
 
I personally liked starting at a private company that does ALS emergency runs (about 20-40%) and the rest that were BLS. It gave me time to think and start slower with interfacility, but also built up experience in the emergency side of things.
 
While the 911 gig may sound more exciting, I recommend going with the private service. You will get more opportunities to practice patient assessments, taking vital signs, giving reports, writing PCRs, etc, etc, etc.

Take the time to look through your patient's chart. Talk to your patient, ask lots of questions. You will learn more about the disease process and see various patients in various stages of different "common" chonic conditions. Since most private services primarily do interfacility transfers, there isn't typically that sense of urgency/stress that may come with a bad 911 call, giving you the opportunity to ask questions of other healthcare providers you come into contact with.

Honing your skills before going into 911, as well as continuing to add to your knowledge base, is the best thing you can do for your future patients. While the large majority of 911 calls are not high stress, critical, you-must-do-something-now runs, when those do come along the medics you would be working with will appreciate you being comfortable and comptetent at your training level.

Where ever you may end up working, best of luck to you!
 
Exactly my thoughts Epi-do but you're much better with words. If you're willing to ask a lot of questions to medical providers as well as your patients you can learn a whole lot doing transfers without the stress of having to know everything right now.
 
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