Thinkin about becoming an emt, please answer a few ?s for me

[catmasher]

Howdy, I have been thinkin bout becoming an emt as of lately and had a few questions for you guys before i actually go to school.

Im pretty sure i can handle the job, my mom is an ER nurse, and i am an adrenaline junkie type that cant take a desk job that i feel has no real meaning.

1. The main thing i am worried about is my record. I have no felonies, but as a teen, i was a bit of a hellion. The worst one is a theft (shoplifting) charge from 2000. There are other misc things in there, but nothin anywhere near as bad as that and are all prior to the year 2000.

2. Driving record. I have a bit of a motorcycle addiction, and have had some tickets, again nothing major, 2 speeding, and a slew of random tickets (normally for not properly equipped or riding dirtbikes in strange places)

Im really not a bad person in any respect, im just a a goofball sometimes.

So, is this going to bar me from getting a job (in texas) or is the profession hard up for people enough that my teen record wont be an issue?

I have a BA in science as well.

Thanks,

P.S. I have been on the business end of the service you guys provide a few times , and cant thank you enough, and i really appreciate what you do. God bless.

[KMAC]

Im not sure if your record will be an issue for the state. However, you may have a hard time getting a job once you get your cert. , especially with the driving record and driving ambulance. The best thing to do is ask, call the state EMS department and ask what the policy on criminal backgrounds are. Good luck, its a unique field. KM

[GulDukat]

Well let's deal with the first thing first.

You said

"and i am an adrenaline junkie type that cant take a desk job that i feel has no real meaning."

I invite you to re-think this entire line of thought prior to even picking up the phone to contact whatever state agency you need to check your other problems with.

EMS is much like baseball. Sure every now and then you get a double or even a homerun but for the most part you see lot's of pop flies, balls, foul tips and pitchers playing catch with the first baseman.

Well every now and then you will respond to a motor vehicle collision or maybe even a middle aged man experiencing a massive M.I. but for the most part you you will respond to a sick person who does not require your skills but needs your assessment and your compassion. You will respond to the local extended care facility for someone who was diagnosed with a Urinary tract infection three days ago and now has developed a fever.

You will respond to the local park for a child that has a rose thorn in his left knee.

That is if you are lucky enough to get on a service that provides Emergency work.

If you are unlucky enough to get to work for a private service or even a municipal service that has a transfer truck you will begin to believe that whatever mundane work you think you are doing now is brain surgery compared to what you will end up doing there.

Not trying to discourage you, I just want you to understand that while there is certainly an adrenaline rush factor in our business it is often times few and far between.

Ok, let's deal with your problems.

1. I am not familiar with the laws of Texas however the state that I am from a person who has reached the age of 18 and has no adult criminal record is not required to list any convictions as a minor as long as they are not class B felony's or higher. Again, I have no idea about Texas. Also some states give adults the ability to have their records cleaned from childhood, you might check to see if Texas is one of those.

2. This is your real problem right here. First, stop getting tickets of any nature from this day forward. It is not just the services who will not hire you, it is their insurance carriers that will not let them hire you. Most ins. company's have a seven year period that if you haven't had anything in seven years they will not hold it against you.

Non-moving violations are a little easier to get by with, depending on the company and the offense. Example ticket for parking your bike in the wrong zone usually no big deal. Ticket for not wearing proper safety gear, big deal. Insurance carriers look at that and say you are not responsible enough to drive the trucks that they are insuring.

My only other bit of advice for you is this. Research the job market in your area before you commit to this.

You have a degree in Science, most likely you will easily earn double what you would in our field.

So be sure you can even afford to do this.

See if there are even any jobs out there. If at all possible find a service that will let you ride as a third person. Don't just pick the local Fire Department or whoever provides the 911 service where you live. Find a service that does a little of everything because the likelihood of walking out of EMT class and going to a 911 job is not high.

Again, I am not trying to dump on your idea. I just want you to know what you may be facing out there.

[KMAC]

^^Well said^^

[Dustdevil]

^^Well said^^

Absolutely. As usual, Duke speaks the wisdom. Your age and your education give the appearance of intelligence, maturity, and responsibility. But then you go and blow it all with this irresponsible and immature speed fetish. You're shooting yourself in the foot. Now that you are considering your future, it's time to grow up and slow down.

Your record does not sound like it will keep you from getting a certification in Texas. No felonies or crimes of moral turpitude. Recent misdemeanors will be evaluated on a case by case basis. Get with the Texas Dept. of Health EMS division BEFORE enrolling in EMT school and have them pre-qualify you. I believe they will do that. Maybe not. I know the nursing board will. But it would be VERY helpful to know ahead of time where you stand. Otherwise, you may finish school, sit in a holding pattern for 3 months while they evaluate your record, and then get rejected and never see a certificate.

Speaking of school, almost all of them now require that you provide a certified copy of your criminal history before they let you in. The hospitals they use for clinical time require it. It is possible that the school may reject you even if the state does not. Check with the school well ahead of time too so you don't waste your time or money. I suspect that you will be okay with what you have shared here, but you never know.

If you make it that far, finish school, get a certification, and hit the job search, then you face the same situation, but worse. Like Duke said, your driving record will be your worst enemy in this case. It is remotely possible that you may find a private, non-emergency, transfer ambulance company to hire you because they are desperate. However, the chances of you getting hired by an actual 911 EMS provider anytime soon are extremely slim. Shoplifting 7 years ago? Sure, some will get past that. A lot won't. But with more than one moving violation in the last two years or so, fat chance. I wouldn't want you -- or any other adrenaline junky or motorcycle rider -- driving me around for 12 hours a day. I'd end up strangling you within a week. It's not so much the 8 year old record that is the problem. It is the immaturity and irresponsibility shown by your driving record that will hold you back.

Bottom line, you've got a decent shot at getting certified. A marginal shot at getting a non-EMS job on a transfer unit, and a very slim chance of getting an actual emergency ambulance job in the next two years. I dunno, bro... I like to see guys with your educational background coming to our field. Lord knows we need a lot more education. But I think you have a better shot at nursing school myself. You don't have to drive as a nurse. I think your chances can improve greatly in the next two years though, as long as you ditch the bike and slow down. Good luck!

By the way, I wouldn't hire anybody who called themselves a catmasher either, so you might watch that kind of humour if you decide to pursue this.

[Michael]

that kind of humour

What, besides the poster's name, is a catmasher?

[spenac]

What, besides the poster's name, is a catmasher?

What pops to my mind is he trys to squish any cats he sees on the road and maybe sidewalk.

[Dustdevil]

What, besides the poster's name, is a catmasher?

Well, that's kind of open to interpretation, I guess, since he doesn't specify.

That's really the point I was making. It can certainly be interpreted negatively.

[Michael]

Oh.

[catmasher]

Jeez, thanks for all the replies!

Let me clear a few things up though. Most of my tickets are not moving violations. I worked the last 3 years while in school as a full time motorcycle mechanic. So from time to time i would get an ass of a cop (usually the same one) that would give me tickets as i tested bikes. I do have 2 speeding tickets, one of which was in a car and the other on a bike. I guess i gave the impression of a hooligan, but i am not. All my fast riding was done at the track as it should have been.

I wouldn't want you -- or any other adrenaline junky or motorcycle rider -- driving me around for 12 hours a day. I'd end up strangling you within a week.

Im sorry you feel like you can judge me this quick. I did not want to focus on why i chose to pursue this career or why i like bikes. It was just a brief intro. Most people that know me have no idea i ride. so im not some keanu reeves character from Bill and Ted giggling like a a school girl all day. Im not trying to be a jerk, i just take offense a bit from that quote. Not a big deal though.

Thank you all for your replies, i appreciate it a ton. I am going to head over to a few places and see if they will indeed pre qualify me. I will also look into nursing, but was not sure if i had the time or money to dedicate to that much school. Thanks again.