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DCP Whit

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    EMS Student

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  1. heh... way to drop the hammer Dust. I can respect that, and I will make time to deliver a proper response. In the mean time, you should know I will in the future make sure you are aware of any achievements and or set backs I ecounter in the EMS world. Catch you on the flip side, my friend.
  2. Could be a lot worse. I definitely wasn't dumped and had to sleep in my broken down car, and I'm glad of that. Yet It was the steepest struggle of my life thus far. Certainly gained some life experience. Things have picked up a little bit. I was hired by Aramark as and EMT at the summit house on Pikes Peak. The job barely covers the gas so I only go down twice a week. The actually job sucks. 97% sales clerk, 2% medical. For that two percent, I'm really just an over qualified breathing coach. But it carrys the EMT title. I've thought about looking in other states, but I'm a little hesitant for a few reasons. For one, this place is home. I can't tell you how much I love this state! Secondly, in Colorado EMT-B are allowed to do just about everything we've been trained to do. I have heard in some states such as California EMT's aren't able to do much more than drive. Or that in Florida, fire takes all of the decent calls and punts just the transports onto EMS (this guy didn't believe me that EMS is more active in CO until another, older EMT backed me up). Most importantly, Denver Health is the organization I want to work for. They have an excellent reputation here, I get the sense that they are a bit ballsy, and they are extremely selective. Selective enough that the best chance is to come up in their program and I don't fancy paying out of state tuition. That being said, I have few questions now. For one, why are there so many inconsistencies in EMS from company to company and state to state? I'm certainly not completely against looking out of state, so which states is it good to be an EMT-B? I'm looking for a state that allows EMT's to practice the majority of their skills and where EMS isn't completely dominated by fire. Also, what kind of reputation does Denver Paramedics have to you, if any. What other city's/companies have a good reputation in your region? Just probing what else is out there. Thanks.
  3. I feel you. I haven't been on the trail as long, but I'm equally as frustrated. I got my EMT in August '10 and IV soon after. I was a little neive in thinking I'd be an EMT by January latest. I've had a total of two interviews and recieved only one e-mail stating I wasn't elagable. One of my interviews was for Aramark. I work at a gift shop on top of Pikes Peak. The job is 97% retail clerk, 2% medical. And I drive 2 hours to get there... But it's a start. Problem is, its seasonal and its almost over. No other employment in sight. To my dismay, I've seen plenty of my class mates have been employed in ED's and ambulance services. Guess there isn't much to do but keep doing what we're doing. We'll get there.
  4. This is a long boring story I have to write, not that you have to read. It was three and a half years ago I decided I wanted to become an EMT. To this day I still cannot tell you why it's been my career of choice. I know the pay is awful, the hours are worse, after paramedic there isn't to many positions to expand to, and the list goes on. Every other paramedic I talk to tells me they wish they were a firefighter or PA and if I was smart, that's the route I would take. I don't care, all I know is I want to be an EMT and probably a paramedic. Besides, if I really do hate it, I can always switch careers later in life. I'm only 22. I proudly told my Mom my career plan. Her response was something like "no son of mine is going to throw his life away on a trade education" but if I used her exact language I would be banned from this site. She gave me two weeks to move out. Not exactly the response I had expected. Up until this point all I wanted to do was drink hard booze and chase girls. I had no money, no car, and hardly a part time job. It took me a little more than a year to get things stable enough to enroll in the EMT-B course at Denver Health. I had a car and a girlfriend who also had a car, a steady and decent paying job, and we had about $900 in the bank when I started class. $900 seemed like a lot. We didn't have enough $$$ to pay for the course out right, we had to use a payment plan. My job knew of my availability and we had it all worked out. A month before school, my girlfriend is laid off and takes a job that pays her a lot less. A week before school starts, my car brakes down. The repair was to expensive to worry about until after I've paid of the 1,200 for school which has to be paid monthly for 4 months. It's only a week and a half into the my training when I walk into work to see 3 highschools in uniform and the owner. I already know what's happening here... those kids are hired at minimum wage. The owner tells me that because of my availability I'm to expensive to manage. Are you F*CKING KIDDING me!?! Except, I'm not fired. I'm still on his pay roll with no hours. No unemployment, no pay checks. Sometime during the first month we cut everything to bare necessities. No internet, no TV, or entertainment of any kind. Try looking for a job without internet these days. The only meals we have are little servings from the retirement home my girlfriend works at which we share. Awful food. It gets worse before it gets better. The battery in my girlfriends car dies. We don't even have $60 to replace it. Reduced to walking and public transportation. Not quite as bad as it sounds. The next three months completely ruined us financially. We have to pay rent by the third like everyone else. Yet everytime a day before the check clears, the automatic withdraw for school comes out. That's an over draft fee of $30, then a bounced check fee of $30 more, and the apartments charge $25 for a bounced check, $50 late rent +$5 everyday it's late + and additional $200 after a week. I did my best to make everybody aware of this disaster. The apartment company said I shouldn't have signed the lease. The school said I had made the payment plan through a separate company. That company told me tough luck. The bank "understood" but couldn't help. Ect ect. I ended up being the best student I've been since high school. I did all my homework, studied for all my test which I rocked out. Passed everything on my first attempt, got my NREMT, and Colorado state cert. The owner's mother gave my job back (she actually runs the place, her son is just a figure head). I've been able to bring all my accounts back to positive last month, and went back and got my IV. I even proctered (sp?) a test for the new EMT-Bs. I've been sending out resumes like crazy and haven't heard a thing back. To my dismay, I've learned that a lot of my former class mates are working for ambulance companies and even at Denver Health (at this moment, my dream job). I did find out, however that when I was 16 and dumb I stole from Safeway and that still shows up on my recoded. Its going to be another 2 months before that's all taken care of. Even the Red Cross won't take me as a volenteer with it on there. Did I ruin my chances of working for those companies I applied for previosly? One more peice of bad luck, I got pulled over for a red light little while ago. A lawyer will cost me $800, but if convicted it'll be on my MVR for 7 years. Wish me luck on that. Anyways... I feel better now. At least I'm not still in EMT-B training racking up debt.
  5. Not sure about using it on someone else (not a working EMT, YET) but had it used on myself. Passed out in a mosh pit. I got dragged out of the venue by two large punks. Don't remember the first dose, the second dose felt like being pulled out of a hole. Kind of like in Train Spotting when he is pulled out of his OD. Paramedic said he hasn't ever had to use two.... In short, didn't have to go to the ER, didn't have to pay for the ambulance ride, the venue owner gave me a free 3 dollar bottle of water, and I got to see the rest of the show. The medic said he hadn't seen anyone he had to use two to wake up lol. In my case, easy treatment. If only I could have that and a fresh brew of coffee in the morning, I wouldn't ever be late to work. Ha
  6. I'm 21 in Denver. I've got my eyes on R/M and PPS, but playing the waiting game. Also Bennett Fire is recruiting vollenters. Im looking for that first paid position though so I can quit where I'm at and work as an EMT, even if it's some BS ACA-Action Care?
  7. I'm posting this here first because I am pretty new to the city, and secondly because I'm not sure where else it should be posted. I've recently completed my EMT-B couse, passed my NREMT, EKG trained, and my Colorado State Certification should be processed this week. I've been monitoring the job market for a little while and it's not looking as good as I would have hoped. I'm not discouraged yet, but I'm curious as to how and where some of you got started. Any advice on interviewing or where I should look would be great. I was once proud of my experince and extensive resume in customer service, yet it doesn't transfer to the EMS world. Thanks
  8. I had class mates as young as 18 and older than 50. Out of 40 something students 3-4 were older. I appreciated their wisdom and sense of humor, I never once got hit for saying anyone over 25 was a geriatric patient (wink). I'd work along side them any day.
  9. Thanks for the welcome. Passed my test by the way. Here I come Pridemark (hopefully)
  10. Old school protocal for seizures. One of my practorers was speaking of it.
  11. I was going to say safey pin the tongue through the top lip....
  12. Hello everyone! I'm a new member, before I signed up I was also checking out emtlife.com but I got a much better vibe on this site! I'm also brand new to EMS, in fact I'm taking my NREMT test today. Whit
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