Why don't a lot of EMTs go on to paramedic school?

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patzyboi

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There are a lot of EMTs that have worked in the same company for 5+ years, or just stayed as an EMT. I have no doubt that most of them have the knowledge/time management/work ethics to go on to paramedic school, but why don't most of them do go?

Money? Time? Rather stay as an EMT?
 
patzyboi said:
There are a lot of EMTs that have worked in the same company for 5+ years, or just stayed as an EMT. I have no doubt that most of them have the knowledge/time management/work ethics to go on to paramedic school, but why don't most of them do go?

Money? Time? Rather stay as an EMT?
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All of the above. I know a LOT of EMTs that just don't have any interest in any additional education. EMTs in Delaware can make more than $20/hr. Why would they give that up to go to medic school, when they can work part time for 4 or 5 fire comapnies and ride ambulances 80+ hours a week.
 
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Perhaps. There are quite a few that have been hesitant/scared to take the next step which from what I have noticed, correlates with weight gain for some reason.
 
I'm sure the OP is talking about the EMTs in his area (San Francisco Bay Area, correct?) that have been working for an IFT-only mom and pop ambulance shop for many years for minimal pay. It's very common to see these guys. They are there because they put minimal effort into EMS hoping to eventually be picked up by a fire department.
 
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it's just not for some people. i know some fantastic emt's that have 10+ years of experience, but just don't want the added responsibility. a lot of guys in fire are not there for ems....they are there because they like fires and the whole fire dept thing (nothing wrong with that, we need guys crazy enough to run into burning buildings).

just like I am not in ems to run into fires, a lot of fire emt's are not in ems to do patient care - its more of a secondary thing that is part of the job.
 
Or the EMTs are trying to move on to bigger and better things like nursing school or med school and don't see getting their medic as worth the time and money while they work towards their other goals. Plus after a certain length of time you end up with so many pay raises as an EMT that getting your medic ends up not increasing your pay or you actually end up with a pay cut (if your company resets your seniority at a different cert level).

There are just too many different reasons people don't move up. I think the minority are just not willing to learn.
 
California, just like some other places, is an area where there are way more applicants for firefighter than there are jobs. Most will also not meet the minimum physical requirements. Unless you are will a fire department, you probably will not do much with your Paramedic skills. Private ambulances which might do 911 service change contracts frequently so there is little job security. For CCT and several flight companies, RNs are used and not Paramedics. But, two EMTs can work CCT with the RN. Unless you really believe you have a shot at being a firefighter and want to do the time focusing on it, advancing to Paramedic is probably not worth it.
 
Addrobo said:
Perhaps. There are quite a few that have been hesitant/scared to take the next step which from what I have noticed, correlates with weight gain for some reason.
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lol
I don't know if I've noticed that one.



I for one, feel very excited about going to the next level, but I still need to take it one step at a time, I don't even have my official NREMT-B certification yet. I'm very excited about a prospective future career in ALS, my ultimate, dream goal to come from my career in EMS is to become a flight paramedic.

I always did ponder why there was a so called "shortage" of paramedics and such a higher portion of EMT-Basics, and plenty who I have met just simply did not seem interested in becoming paramedics. I really do like the idea of the responsibilities and powers of a paramedic, I don't want to just be in prehospital care, I want to be the highest level of prehospital care (outside of flight nurses), so I can do the absolute most to help my patients.

In a way, at least from my relatively inexperienced view point (I'm not pretending I currently have any real experience actually working in EMS) I think the jobs that ALS and BLS have are more different than some people care to admit.
 
DEmedic said:
All of the above. I know a LOT of EMTs that just don't have any interest in any additional education. EMTs in Delaware can make more than $20/hr. Why would they give that up to go to medic school, when they can work part time for 4 or 5 fire comapnies and ride ambulances 80+ hours a week.
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Do they not have unions in Delaware?
 
I'm doing my 1 year and then getting into the paramedic program at UCLA in January.
 
There are several EMTs that I know who have been working as an EMT for 5-20 years because they have tried medic school and failed, some as many as 3 times so they just give up and make a living off EMT pay.
 
I've met a few that would actually make less as a Paramedic than they'd make as an EMT. One in particular was making something like $25-$28/hr as an EMT (he's been there longer than Moses) and for him to become a Paramedic, he'd have taken nearly a 50% pay cut. That and he didn't want the extra responsibility.
 
For me, personally, it's a matter of time. Hours in the day...

I'm just finishing up EMT-B class at a local community college. Class has been 1-5 on Mon & Weds since Jan 15th, and we'll finish up with our last day this Wed (14 May). With my two kids and a husband who's gone 2-5 days a week that's ALL the time I have in my life available to go to school. I just don't have the time for the school required to be a Paramedic *right now*. As my kids get older (they're 8 and 9 right now) I will have more time and be able to give Paramedic school the time and energy that it requires.

For me, t's not for lack of desire, I just know I don't have the necessary time that Paramedic school requires and deserves. I will in the future. In the meantime, I'll work as an EMT, gain some experience (I've never worked in medicine before, so it's ALL very new to me) and in a few years I'll have the time to move up.
 
I never went to paramedic school for a couple of reasons:

The job market for paramedics in my area is weak. You pretty much have to get hired by a fire department and work for a few years as a firefighter first, which I don't have much interest in, or face a long commute to a county that lets privates use medics and do pretty much the same sort of calls you do as a basic closer to home for not much more money. Just not worth it.

Also, I can't afford it. If I ever do figure out how to swing a year or two of full time college again, I'm going to go for something that'll give me hospital opportunities, like RT, instead.
 
I'm in AEMT school right now, but I've already got everything set up to go straight into paramedic school. In my area, you're more likely to get a job if you're a medic. They don't want any EMT-Bs at all and will take AEMT especially if they mention that you're in school to be a medic. I also want to eventually work life flights, and that will require lots of experience as a paramedic. Personally, I just couldn't make myself settle for AEMT. I don't know how far I'm going with my education, but I am definitely going farther than this.
 
I talked to one guy who is an EMT and he said he didn't want the added costs of a student loan as well he didn't have the time (here in Canada ACP or EMTP is a 2 year course with EMT being a 6 month to one year course. He stated that a Paramedic makes only 2.00 more than an EMT and the minimal increase in pay would not justify the added cost of student loans and time.
 
I was literally about to put my completed medic school app in the mail when I changed my mind. I know I would be a great medic and I was up for the challenge (BLS isn't doing it for me anymore), but EMS wasn't going to cut it anymore for me. I love the excitement of running calls and I love the company I work for, but I couldn't see much of a future for myself anymore. I have no interest in working for a fire department and I cannot see myself working for a private ambulance company for the rest of my career. IMO, there isn't much room for growth as a paramedic. I decided I am going to go to nursing school. There is so much more you can do as a RN, NP, etc and you get paid much more. I looked how this decision would affect my marriage and starting a family soon, and not going to medic school and working as a paramedic was the best option.
 
Most of the EMTs that don't go medic know that they either won't cut it or don't want the added responsibility.

Some people like being followers rather than leaders, and others just don't want the headache and paperwork that comes with the job.
 
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