MPLS

Here is a question related to professionalism. At your department, do they supply you with new uniforms regularly? I can imagine can get pretty beat up over the course of a year. If the departments care about appearance they should provide new uniforms to the medics every year or so, correct? So does this happen or are you guys forced to come out of pocket for uniform expenses?

I assume ER Technicians would make the most out of those options. Is there extra schooling needed for that or is a EMT-P certification all you need?

Ok here is another question for you experts. This might be a relatively easy one. Besides the obvious (working for hospitals, fire departments) where are places that medics can get jobs at? I assume there are a number of work places that require having medics on staff such as ski resorts maybe? I'm just trying to brainstorm and see what kind of career opportunities there are.

X-ray Tech. Fiznat, I'm definitely going to use my GI Bill. It's the main reason why I joined the Navy in the first place. I don't think I could live with myself if I got out and didn't use it!

I'm not an EMT or medic so I hope its ok that I reply but when I'm on watch I love to snack on some sunflower seeds or trail mix. When I'm not doing that I usually have a stick of gum in my mouth. I find it helps pass the time a little quicker.

Thanks a lot for all your help. You guys gave me a lot of information! Here's another quick question. Do any of you know anything about radiation technicans? Like maybe know one or something. That is the other career field I have been looking into. My family says I should pursue that one since it has better pay and probably better hours but I think I would enjoy my work as a medic a lot more and to me that is more important. It seems like all of you don't regret going into the EMS field and that helps give me a lot of confidence in my decision. I still have time to think and go over it so I'm not stressing yet. But it helps to gather as much information as possible. Thanks again for your help!

No I am not medical in the Navy. I am a master at arms (military police). The first two years of my enlistment I did law enforcement where I did mostly medical emergency runs. The training I've received is very little in terms of EMS but I enjoy helping people and those were probably my favorite calls. Just because I felt like I was actually making a difference. That's why I've come to the conclusion that EMS is the right field for me. Thanks for the kind words! Looking forward to the conversations we will have.

I'm new but I figured I'll get right down to some of the questions I have. I'm active duty Navy right now but I should be back to civilian life by May and possibly looking at a future in EMS. That's where you all come in. I got some questions about the job, the schooling and stuff so I was hoping you could help me out. Here we go lets see if I can remember them all. 1). Is there a major difference between going and getting training at a community college vs. hospital? I know a lot of hospitals offer EMS training but so do some community colleges (they offer degrees too). I was thinking when it came to looking for a job it might look better to get training from a hospital but I'm not really sure. The issue I have with that is I don't think my GI Bill will pay for hospital training. I'd have to look that up though. 2). The college I am looking into says it's about 3 semesters worth of school before I can apply for the medic core program. The medic program is another year long. So I guess I would be looking at around 2-3 years of schooling to become a medic. That sounds about right? 3). Some people told me before you can become a paramedic you have to do a certain amount of "911 calls" as an EMT. Is that covered in the training/schooling or do you have to go out and find an EMT job? I ask because I'm being told EMT jobs are tough to find these days. So some clarification on that would be nice. 4). Do you guys enjoy your profession? I've been narrowing down my options for years and I finally have it down to xray technican and medic. I'm leaning towards medic because I think it's a much more rewarding field and I like working outdoors. I've always wanted to be a first responder (at first a police officer now medic). To have a job where I help people on daily basis sounds awesome. I know I would enjoy that. 5). I know every company is different but in general what is the EMS community's opinion on tattoos? Obviously, if they are concealable (chest, shoulders, back, etc) it's no big deal but what about visible tattoos (on the calf, lower arms)? 6). What is the job outlook like for medics? Is it tough to find jobs out there? All I hear is about how the medical field is expanding and there are jobs everywhere but that just seems hard to believe. I know it's a recession and even though it should be I bet EMS isn't exactly recession-proof. Are any of you having a hard time finding work or know of people trying to find a job? That's really all I can think of at the moment. It wasn't quite a million but it should keep you guys busy. Thanks in advance for your help. I'm looking forward to hearing some responses. And by the way I'm going to be living/working in Minnesota (twin cities area) and I'm nearly 22 years old. If that helps at all. Thanks.

I'm new here so I figured I should stop be here and introduce myself. I'm currently in the Navy active duty overseas right now but preparing to get out by summer time. I have a interest in EMS and I figured this is the place to go to get first hand information. I'll have a lot of questions for you guys so I hope you don't mind. I look forward to learning a lot from you all. Take it easy.