Nate

I would check with GWU admissions office, a third party is just going to eat your money up. -Nate

When you go to school for as long as doctors do you should be entitled to a nice life and a better lifestyle then someone who spent two years in a community college. If I could afford for a doctor to come to my house whenever I needed him I'd pay for it just to avoid having to drive to his office, wait, and feel rushed out the door because his patient volume is high. I would just make sure I don't use the same doctor Michael Jackson used. -Nate

Make sure it is a bachelors degree, an associates won't do much for you in most situations. A bachelors degree looks better and will do more for our industry as a whole. An associates degree should honestly be the minimum level of education for a paramedic anyways. -Nate

I see nothing wrong with a doctor deciding how or what he/she wishes to do with their practice. Life isn't fair, the sooner people realize this they better off they'll be in life. I know that when it comes time for me to retire there probably won't be a social security system, Medicare will be broke as well, and the risk of having cancer is high (family history)for me. Because of those factors I have made sure to plan ahead. So while I may have less now, I won't be without later on in life. It is called responsibility, and to many Americans seem to forget what it is. I'm really getting fed up of hearing "it isn't fair" being thrown out there. -Nate

A business degree will do you more good than nursing degree. When you're in the management roll you have to look at it a business (even if you're a non-profit organization). Someone with a business degree will run circles around someone with a nursing degree trying to manage a business (unless they just happen to be the next management guru). -Nate

Most paramedic programs aren't over saturated, and just about every community college system in the Houston area has a program (and they are accredited). You'll be required to hold a basic certification to become a paramedic, and there is nothing wrong with working as an EMT-B while you work towards becoming a paramedic. It will be pretty tough to get hired on as an EMT with a municipal service (more so with no experience). Your options here are working for a hospital/clinic which pays anywhere from $14-$17 an hour (most hospitals have decent benefits packages) or going to work for a private ambulance service. There are 326 private ambulance services in Harris County, and I hate to burst people's bubbles but this also includes services contracted by ESD's to provide EMS in a 911 type setting. Every service has it's good points and bad points. Ask 10 people in EMS what they think about a service and you'll get 10 different answers. Like someone mentioned, do your homework. -Nate

My house is one thing I will not risk, no matter what. -Nate

I think schools need to careful how they label their degrees. An "EMS" degree should have more of a business background because I look at as the "service" part of EMS as in the operating a service. I think school need to move towards calling it a BSP or ASP for Bachelors of Science Paramedic or Associates of Science Paramedic which would show a degree focused on making the paramedic a better clinician. Make sense? -Nate

Fifteen fixed mortgage rates are about 4.5% right now. A good return would be between 7-10% on an investment. Investing equity from your house is not a very bright idea. What happens when the markets tank again? Your home is an investment in itself, and should be looked upon as a long-term safe investment. I wouldn't suggest anyone do that unless they are experienced in the markets and are currently financially secure. Most financial planners would not recommend doing this for many reasons. -Nate

I have a Bachelors of Business Administration with a double minor in strategic planning and finance. The trend for most management positions is moving towards degreed individuals. I don't think that a typical bachelors degree in science (even specialized in EMS) is going to give you enough training to be an effective manager. I honestly feel that A&P, Chemistry, Biology, Organic Biology, Cell Biology, and Genetics are all classes that should be incorporated into any paramedic program featuring a four year science degree. The best way to look at it is the BSN (Bachelors of Science Nursing). I guess you could say it'd be a BSP. Education is always for the best, however most degrees only show that you can learn. Specialized degrees like science and business degrees give you the toolset and knowledge needed to understand complex situations and take them apart bit by bit. -Nate

When I became an EMT-Basic I took the state test administered here in Texas. When I became a paramedic I took the NREMT-P test. I let my NREMT-P go after the two years were up and I work for a municipal service. I saw no point in paying someone money every two years just so I could have the ability to move to another state. The NREMT-P test is not difficult, it is not tricky, it is just like every other assessment/exit/capstone type test. My instructor didn't teach NREMT-P, he kept on teaching us how to be paramedics. He told us to review our notes, to take our time, read each question, and think about what you'd do first, second, third. I get tired of people saying that the problem is only NREMT. I don't agree with NREMT, but it is better then no standardized testing at all. The only way EMS is ever going to progress is for it to become more uniform. A paramedic should be the same "type" in every state. The same for other levels. -Nate

Just whatever you do, please do not let the mother or father hold the child while strapped onto the cot like I see done so often around Houston. That is just flat out irresponsible and very dangerous. -Nate

My apologies if this is a repost, I did search unsuccessfully regarding this topic. Who all on here (I know there are a lot of Texas people on here) are going to Texas EMS Conference 2009 in Fort Worth this coming Saturday - Monday? I'll be there, not sure what booth location I'll be in though. -Nate

It does seem like he has something against HFD. I've worked with HFD many times on my scene and even a few of them work PT over at my department. They are good paramedics. -Nate

A bad chief is a bad chief regardless of whether or not it is a fire based service. -Nate

Lawsuits are never good, they can be devastating to the field medics (even going through the deposition process can be). People sue for some pretty stupid stuff, and for the most part they leave us alone in Texas. However I've to many runs to count that have been requested by lawyers for use in lawsuits (never had to go because of one). It is so bad that we have a specific day set aside for our assistant chief to handle all of the requests. -Nate

I've worked in management for a service that operates a mix of MICU trucks (EMT-P/EMT-, ALS truck (EMT-I/EMT-, and BLS trucks with a squad paramedic at each station. It works, and it doesn't matter what type of setting you're in (urban, rural, metro, or combo of any of these) as long as your dispatch is efficient and they constantly stay focused on planning ahead with unit allocation. It takes a great deal of team work, putting one's ego in check, and working efficiently as a crew to turn the call in a respectable amount of time. The most common reasons these systems fail is because of the individual employees attitude, the lack of efficient dispatching, and when the system starts putting the paramedics on the squads on ambulances due to staffing issues. With that said I honestly think that it is often used as an escape method to avoid hiring and/or meeting the compensation requirements needed to retain (or recruit) additional paramedics. It works great to supplement the ambulances, it however should not be the primary source of ALS care that is provided. I honestly think the most cost effective ambulance type to run is the EMT/Paramedic unit, however this is outside of most services finical boundaries. This is just another example of why the government needs to shift more funding towards EMS. There is no reason that when you call 911 and say you're having a problem (legit life threat) that you're not guaranteed a paramedic every time. Often the dual paramedic trucks are really a waste of money. If the call volume is so high that the second paramedic is there to trade off, then maybe the service should consider hiring additional EMTs and staffing another truck. A well trained EMT can be just as valuable as a second paramedic (more so if the service has EMT-I/EMT-P trucks). -Nate

I didn't think it would make it, the pilot was really cheesy. -Nate

I'm not sure, work isn't paying for it but I'd like to go. -Nate

I went back to school finished up a business degree (graduate in December). Other then that I have been working. I'm off the streets now, took a management gig (much nicer to sleep in my own bed every night). -Nate

I took my EMT-Basic class when I was a senior in high school. It was a year long class my senior year which actually went more in depth then most EMT-Basic classes (as to how and why things happen). We had several days throughout the year that were dedicated to dealing with scenarios before we finally had our field day at the end to get our course completion. I took my state test after I graduated. The class was pitched for students looking as a way to find out more about the medical field and as a way for Cypress Creek EMS to gain more volunteers. We were taught by a Paramedic/RN who taught other health science type classes in the high school. We even competed in a HOSA tournament against other high school EMT-Basic classes. Of the group of 15 I think seven of took the state test (all passed) and of the seven I'm the only paramedic. There is one other person from my class working in EMS as an EMT-I now and a dispatcher. I'm not sure if they have continued the class or not (I know they were four years after I graduated when I went back to speak to the class). I think that an 18 year old is capable of being an EMT-Basic, but most agencies around here require you to be 21+ due to driving insurance requirements. Honestly if you aren't capable of being an EMT-Basic at 18 then you have far greater problems on your hands then not passing the test. -Nate

Well this place has changed a lot. It's probably been at least a year (maybe two) since I was last on here. Just wanted to pop in and say hi. Dustdevil reminded me of this place. -Nate

Guy who wanted us to transport his friend that had died and was just a "spirit" now....the man passed years ago.

I think it depends on the service as to what age is to young. If your service is in a rough area...it might be best to not allow riders. We allow high school seniors in HOSA or EMT class that are 17+, and only during the day. Nate

Old enough to go places you can't. :wink: