kndoug1

Does anyone have any advice for keeping your boots looking nice? I give them a good cleaning and polish them once a week, but the first day I wear them, they look awful again, with salt stains covering the boot from all the salt they use on the roads. I give them a quick once over with a cavi wipe, but they still don't look good.

My EMT instructor posted this video to our class website on how to polish your boots and keep them looking great. I tried it, since after my first ride out my boots looked terrible, and it worked great! I only had to re-polish them like every other week...but as a student we are a little rough on our shoes! Check out the video...it was a life saver for my shoes!

Hey all!

My name is Theresa and I am a current EMT-B student. Not sure where I want to go from here, as I have almost 14 years in pharmacy (as a CPhT) and have much more of the hands on desire than pharmacy limits me to! My dad was a Paramedic for a large city, so growing up we had a LOT of stories to hear. (Of course, we only got to hear the "good" ones when we were older! lol) Unsure if I want to stay in EMS (around here is mostly just volunteer for Basics) and continue on and get my Paramedic, or go on to nursing school, or....who knows! lol

Born and raised in Minnesota, now living in Kansas. Have 2 kids, and now live in a little town, and I love it! Much different than the BIG city!

Looking forward to hearing about all of your experiences, knowledge, and opinions that you have to share!

-T

Theresa,

I just recently finished EMT school...It was definitely an exciting experience. Just from the limited amount of ride outs I have done and from the people that I have spoken to, EMS sounds like a great career, but I have to say that it wasn't as hands on as I thought it would be. You said that you were not sure where you want to go next but that you have a desire to be hands on with your patients...nursing school will give you more hands on interaction with your patients than working as an EMT or Paramedic, but all of these are great career choices...I spent time doing a hospital rotation and when I compared that to the ride outs on the ambulances, I noticed that in the hospital as a nurse, you get to spend more time with your patients. Where on the ambulance it was 10 or so with them and then you pass them off. So if you are looking for something to give you time with your patients, nursing school may be a better option...but it just depends on what you are really looking for.

Good luck with school and everything!

~Kristina

Okay thanks man. also some of the paramedics i have worked with through the fire department have stressed knowing my lidocaine and dopamine drip concentrations. Is there one or are there a bunch of them thanks, Devan

Another good way to study those is to just go to any borders-like book store or community college book store and buy a pharmacology text book... I have found that the ones for nursing students are the most helpful. Also, I had to take a pharmacology course for pre-nursing students and I bought MediQuick cards...they are probably the best study aid I have ever bought! They have not only the mechanism of action of each drug, but they have the dosaging for the medication for both adults and pediatrics, the pregnancy category, indications/contraindications, the 5000 different names, etc...all on a flash card. They are really helpful and can be found at any borders or barnes and noble stores...good lcuk!

Since you've obviously already set a goal of getting into nursing school, by all means full steam ahead.

I DO have to ask this though.....with all the people who want to become nurses (and I don't think that theres a thing wrong with that), why in the world are y'all wasting time getting an EMS education? I highly doubt that it will be of any great benefit along your path to becoming a nurse.

It's this kind of action that makes EMS look like nothing more than a 'stepping stone' to something else. It's also just another factor as to why EMS cannot get respect and recognized as a true profession!

It's not wasting time...with the average wait being 4 years to get into a nursing program, this allows those of us waiting to make a move towards our careers in medicine. I chose to start out in EMS to figure out if medicine is really where I am going to end up. Being only 20, I want to make sure that before I wait 4 years to get into an RN program that this career path is not a mistake. You learn and see a lot in EMS. It is a lot of hard work, more so physically and mentally than any nursing program that I have come across. I am finding though that the more I am out in the field, the more going to RN school seems less appealing. I grew up surrounded by EMS personnel, so to see it from their perspective now has given me a different outlook on medicine as a whole. And the education will actually be beneficial once in an RN program because we will have been exposed to the information before hand.

And EMS is definitely not a "stepping stone" into something else for most people, and EMS is recognized as a true profession and is well respected...if it wasn't, no one would spend their time getting an education in EMS. Those that use it solely as a stepping stone are missing out on the opportunity to be a part of something that is truly amazing. Don't get me wrong when I say I am considering RN school. EMS is a wonderful career choice, and that is why I am struggling with the decision of going to medic school or RN school, because I am on the waiting list for both programs in the fall...

Hi everyone.

So, I'm curious. Throughout my internship, which is coming to an end soon, I've worked with my preceptor and his partner who are both paramedics in a large service that runs dual paramedic trucks. They do hire EMTs part time if you're in paramedic school (I work part time for them as well, sort of) and are about to hire several EMTs full time. But so far, my only interaction with a BLS crew has been during an ALS intercept for a BLS only truck coming in from the next county over.

I've never worked with an EMT before in an ALS capacity, and pretty much all of my exposure has been in a dual paramedic setting, so I'm curious as to what kind of staffing your services maintain, and your own experiences working on paramedic/EMT and dual paramedic trucks. What are the benefits/cons to each model? Do you have a preference?

So I've been looking through this conversation and I am amazed at how different each state is. I recently finished EMT school and did several ride outs on both ALS dual medic rigs as well as BLS medic/EMT rigs. There are pros and cons to each. I spent 3 days on a BLS EMT/Medic rig and I noticed that the EMT really doesn't do much. The medic really does to everything...all the EMT does is hand them things and drive. However, it is a great learning opportunity for the EMT. The crew that I was with, the EMT asked a lot of questions and seemed to be gaining as much out of the calls as I was as a student, and he had been with the company for over a year. So it's good from a learning standpoint, but other than that, I find that the realationship between the ALS and BLS providers on the rig are not so great. And, when you are going code 3 to the hospital and your patient crashes, I have seen that that is much easier to deal with when you are on a dual medic rig. The BLS/ALS combo rigs make it hard becuase of the limitations of the EMT. I spent 3 days on a dual medic rig at the local fire station as well, and not only were the relationship between partners better because there was no "I'm better than you" attitude, but the calls ran smoother because BOTH people were able to do the same things for the patient. Both were able to start lines, give meds, etc, so if one would start something, the other could finish it no problem. Here in California, out FD run dual medics, but most other private ambulance companies will run ALS with 1EMT and 1 Medic or sometimes dual medic...but they only run BLS with 2 EMTs... After being on both rigs, I have found that being on the dual medic rig to be much more beneficial to all because, like I said, there is no "I'm better than you" or "I'm in charge". The patients on the dual medic rigs seemed to be more at ease, and I think that largely was due to the fact that no one was there for no reason. Everyone was doing somthing to help the patient, so the patient could feel confident that no matter who ended up staying in the back with them, that they would be taken care of...but that's just a personal observation.

I just recently got hired as an EMT-B in the state of Mass and already enrolled in a medic program for this upcoming July. I'm starting to second guess my decision because i am horrible at book work, DONT get me wrong i absolutely love this field im just not a good reader. My future goals are to be on a 911 service and hopefully soon to be a firefighter. I know i need higher education but im thinking about becoming an EMT-I first then maybe going to medic school after i see how well i do with my intermediate. Anyone have any advice maybe past experience they have had with this same situation? I would really appreciate any insight on what you may have to say!

I am also having the same debate. I am a new EMT-B considering my next move in this field. I have looked a lot into EMT-I and EMT-P and here in California, they really aren't that much different. If I were you, I would go strait to medic school. Here, our fire departments will not hire you unless you are an EMT-P/firefighter. The schooling is only like a 3-6month difference for EMT-I and EMT-P (or at least it is in CA, I don't know about Mass), so you might as well just go for the EMT-P since it sounds like that is where your heart is. You already seem to know that it will be a lot of work, so at least you are prepared. You will go into the class knowing that it will be difficult and that you will have to study hard, but if this is where you really want to do for a living, then just go for it. You said you are already enrolled in a medic program, so go for it. You will be working as an EMT-B, so you can also talk to the medics and EMTs that you will be around to get some more information about the career choice. Talk you your local fire departments too. They are probably your best bet at getting the information and feedback that you are looking for! Good luck!

Hello! I am a newly registered EMT currently looking for work. I found this website via a yahoo! search. I am 20 years old, and have been trying to get into nursing school for the last year, but found that being an EMT is much more exciting than being locked in a hospital all day! So, I am debating between actually going to nursing school or going to paramedic school first...if anyone has any thoughts on this career decision, it would be much appreciated!

Thanks everyone! Have a great holiday!

I saw this on a shirt and I can't find where its sold, if anyone knows where could you tell me please

Trauma Junkie

Its not that I want you to get hurt,

I just want to be there when you do.

I recently ordered a shirt with that saying on it...I found it at

http://shop.cafepress.com/trauma-junkie

They have it on all sorts of stuff. T-shirts, sweatshirts, coffee mugs, etc.