aspiringemt

I completely understand where you all are coming from. I was thinking the same thing, and I by no means would put myself in a position where I would jeopardize the safety of myself, a partner, or a patient. I can't say what I can hear as being on an ambulance is a different circumstance than everyday life- there's sirens and the fact that you can't read your partner's lips (that would be way too dangerous to do while driving, of course). However, I believe that I would hear a fight going on in the background or if my partner needed me. On top of that, technology is improving so much that I can filter out sounds to focus on a voice or raise the volume to hear a soft whisper. My plan is to continue working hard in speech therapy (it helps my hearing as well) and hope for the best- and when the time comes, if my hearing is good enough, I will go for it But, if I feel that I am in any way incapable of giving 100% quality care, I'll shoot for a career in the ER. Thank to everyone for being so respectful about this issue- I appreciate it!

First off, let me just say that I'm not a paramedic (hence the username) so I might have a different perspective from you guys. I am however, hard of hearing in both ears (severe to profound), but I am COMPLETELY oral and with the help of my cochlear implant (will be getting another one soon! ) I can hear very well, almost close to what you can hear. My point is, being hard of hearing doesn't necessarily mean that you're deaf. It doesn't mean you can't hear the person right next to you. The ability to hear with hearing aids/in general varies from person to person, so I would be careful about making generalizations about people who are considered hearing impaired, as many of them might have cochlear implants which help a lot. Anyways, I just wanted to throw that out there, but I completely understand how you guys might feel about having a hard of hearing partner. Also, about the hearing breathing sounds, etc, there are stethoscopes for people with hearing losses that work REALLY well from what I've heard. You simply piug them into your hearing aid/cochlear implant and viola http://www.medicalsupplydepot.com/Diagnostic-Products/Stethoscopes/Littmann-3200-Bluetooth-Electronic-Stethoscope.html?utm_source=googlemerchant&utm_medium=cse&utm_campaign=datafeed&utm_content=10673&zmam=43382607&zmas=1&zmac=28&zmap=10673&gclid=CMzkvPW707cCFRCe4Aod3ksAFg But now I'm wondering...should I be discouraged about becoming an EMT?

Thanks for the advice paramedicmike!

MariB, It is to my understanding that some paramedics do not like having under-21 partners, because they are not as mature as 21 year olds. However, I could be wrong, but I'm trying to respect those wishes.

Hi Everyone, I really wanted to get this out, but I wasn't sure where to post this. I'm new (but only posting once). I'm currently in high school and I've been having a lot of uncontrollable seizures which have required medical attention at least 8 times, so as you can imagine, I've met a lot of paramedics/emts/firefighters. I just wanted to thank all the EMTs, paramedics, and firefighters who devote their lives to helping others. I'm sorry that you guys don't get as much appreciation as you deserve. But, I'm so grateful for the paramedics who once saved my life, and for everyone else too (even those i haven't met). I wanted to let you know that as a result of all the amazing first responders, I'm inspired to be at least an EMT (and maybe eventually a paramedic or doctor) but I've got to finish high school first. Anyways, you all are amazing and cool people! I wish you all the best in life, and keep doing the awesome things you do. Don't lose hope when people aren't thankful, because you can be rest assured there is someone out there like me who appreciates everything you do and can't wait until they are old enough (21) to be an EMT. Sorry for the long post, and I hope this put a smile on your faces!